We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jaziyyah Higgins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jaziyyah below.

Jaziyyah, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One thing my parents, and my village as a whole, did right was give me space. Space to explore, space to express, space to evolve. I was never pushed in one direction or another. Instead, they watched, listened, and encouraged me no matter which way I decided to walk and what interest I came upon. That kind of freedom is rare for a child to experience which stunts the growth of so many of them. So many kids have to wait until they are in college or even full-blown adults to begin the process of understanding what they love and why. The freedom I experienced shaped everything about how I move through the world as a writer, performer, and creative professional.

I was introduced to poetry at 11 years old. My mom had found some letters I was writing to my girlfriend at the time and instead of punishing me or teasing me, she leaned into it. She told me, “I think you might enjoy poetry,” and handed me her personal copy of Voices from the Soul, a thick compilation book with thousands of poems. That book is still on my shelf to this day. She didn’t know that moment would become a defining point in my life but it was. She gave me a tool, an outlet, and a door. And I chose to walk through it. She tells all the time she had no idea I would take poetry as far as I have.

From that point on, my mom was my biggest advocate. She read everything I wrote, gave honest feedback, celebrated what she loved, and pushed me to keep going even when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. She always told me I had something special, a gift even. She made poetry feel like something I could grow with, and that is how it became a part of my DNA.

My dad, though not in the same household, was just as supportive. He never questioned why I wrote poetry. He never asked me to be “more masculine” or pick a different path. He used to say, “You make us proud when you make yourself proud. All we ever wanted was for you to be a good person.” That unwavering support mattered deeply to me — especially as a young Black boy navigating masculinity, creativity, and identity all at once. His affirmation reminded me that I could choose what I loved confidently.

And then there’s my godmother, Alicia. One day, outside of Rising Star Baptist Church, I was practicing a poem for an ACT-SO competition. I was nervous, shaky, and full of doubt. She sat with me in the car and said something that gave me the push I needed to not just recite the poem, but to perform it. Embody it. I don’t remember her exact words, but I remember the shift. That day, something in me clicked. I stopped hiding behind the lines and started stepping into them. I found my voice, and my confidence, in that car on that day.

My family didn’t just “let” me be creative they nurtured it so it bloom fully. They treated my craft as something worth respecting, not just a hobby or something minimal. Their belief in me became the foundation for me believing in myself and everything I’ve done since then. From publishing a book, to performing on national stages, to becoming a teaching artist and host who helps others find their own voice, too.

They gave me the gift of permission and freedom. Now, every room I walk into, I do my best to carry that same level of confidence and sense of belonging they bestowed onto me years ago.

Jaziyyah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jaziyyah, also known as Blu. I’m a poet, host, teaching artist, and creative consultant based in Los Angeles. My work spans live performance, event hosting, workshop facilitation, and creative strategy for brands and nonprofits. I specialize in helping organizations tell authentic stories, build community through intentional programming, and create experiences that embody culture and care.

I’ve performed and facilitated with institutions like the Pan African Film Festival, the NAACP, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Busboys and Poets, Get Lit Words Ignite, and many more. My writing has appeared in stages, classrooms, campaigns, and most recently in my debut poetry collection, orchids&blus. I also serve as a teaching artist and host with Get Lit, and I am a resident host for both Da Poetry Lounge and the Radical Hood Library — two of LA’s most vital grassroots art spaces.

What I offer:
– Spoken word performances for live events, festivals, and conferences
– Event hosting for open mics, creative showcases, brand launches, and community panels
– Workshop facilitation on poetry, identity, storytelling, and public speaking
– Creative consultation for campaigns, rollouts, and brand storytelling

What sets my work apart is my range. I’ve performed in front of CEOs and connected deeply with community spaces. I’ve led workshops in schools and have been entrusted with large company brand campaigns. Whether it’s a mainstage performance or a grassroots collaboration, I show up with professionalism, intention, and presence. My work blends my cultural insight, emotional intelligence, and sharp storytelling and I tailor every experience to meet the needs of the space I’m entering.

I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built through my work — with students, fellow artists, and visionary organizers. At the core, my brand is about using language to bridge people back to themselves, and to each other.

If you’re looking for a host, performer, or creative partner who can move a room and deliver with clarity and care — that’s where I come in. I bring art, fun, experience, strategy, and soul.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is getting to learn myself honestly, holistically, and in real time.

Art, for me, has always been a form of self-documentation. Every poem, performance, caption, or creative project I make is a timestamp. A record of what I thought, how I felt, what I was processing, and who I was in that moment. Being an artist means constantly taking the temperature of my inner world, and then finding ways to express it outwardly. The closer I’ve gotten to myself, the more clearly I’ve been able to translate that into the work.

Therapy, specifically psychodynamic therapy with a mindfulness focus, has deepened this process tremendously. It’s helped me slow down enough to witness my thoughts, my wounds, my patterns, and my feelings without judgment. And the more honest I become with myself, the more precisely I’m able to name emotions and themes that live deep inside of me. That honesty naturally carries into my creative process.

There’s a unique kind of joy I feel when I look back on my body of work like a timeline. It’s like I’m viewing my own life in third person. Through the art, I can pinpoint specific moments of change. I can see where I broke a pattern, gained a new perspective, shifted seasons, or came to understand something deeper about myself or the world. And I think one of the coolest things about being an artist is you are the narrator and the character at the same time.

Beyond the personal, art has also given me a way to connect with others on a heart-level. Through the shared human experience, we realize that we’re not alone. And when you speak your truth through your art, someone else feels seen and that is a sacred exchange. It reminds us how connected we all are at our core.

Being an artist is one of the most powerful and liberating ways to learn yourself, learn to love yourself, and meet others where they are. No mask. No shame. Just presence, expression, and shared humanity.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Definitely. A few resources have stuck with me as tools I return to over and over in both my personal and creative life. I always tell people to look at my Instagram if you ever want to go in extreme depth because it’s less of a “Selfie” haven and more of a personal museum and digital portfolio of all the things that make up me and my mind.

Atomic Habits by James Clear changed the way I move through my days. It helped me reframe my habits from something abstract to something practical and trackable. I started viewing myself like a Sim — no, really! haha — I’d adjust my environment, behaviors, and mindset piece by piece, like how I would if I wanted my Sim character to have a certain routine. It helped me replace some undesirable habits and build better ones, and that’s been huge for me staying consistent as a creative.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield helped me identify the mental blocks I didn’t even realize had names. He calls it “Resistance” — that voice in your head that tries to delay or derail you from showing up for your work. Naming it gave me power over it. I still revisit that book when I feel stuck or disconnected from my creative rhythm. It’s like a gut check every time.

Therapy, specifically psychodynamic therapy with a mindfulness lens. has been foundational. At one point I realized I had hit a ceiling in how far I could go on my own with self awareness and understanding how I am wired. I needed someone to challenge me, reflect things back to me, and help me get beneath the surface. The deeper I’ve gotten into who I am, the easier it’s been to write from a place of clarity. Therapy helped me understand myself as a person, and in turn, it made me a better artist, communicator, and collaborator.

All About Love by bell hooks gave me a new framework for how I approach everything, from work to rest to relationships. That book taught me that love isn’t just a feeling, it’s an ethic. And when you bring love into the work, whether I’m performing, writing, hosting, teaching, or even at my day job in Sales, it changes the experience. It reminded me that loving myself also means protecting my peace, saying no when necessary, and letting care be part of my structure. That was a game-changer for how I work and live.

Billy Collins’ MasterClass was another great resource, especially as a poet. I appreciated his way of keeping the work sharp but still human. He reminded me that poems can be accessible and still magical — that you don’t have to choose between high craftwork and deep connection. I still pull from his lessons when I’m editing or trying to simplify a piece without losing its soul.

All of these helped me realize that managing my creativity starts with managing myself. When I’m grounded, honest, and operating out of intention instead of obligation, everything flows better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blusroom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaziyyahh/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colonelhiggins/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaziyyah
• Other: Portfolio – https://coloneljoshua.my.canva.site