One of the first Christian creatives I followed when I first started the 13thbeginnings Instagram account was this bright, bubbly, girl with the profile name: stayclassybyjazzy. What drew me to her account was not only her contagious joy, but the way she radiates the light of Christ. (which, here at 13thbeginnings, we’re all about being the light!). Following Jazzy’s account, I’ve seen her college journey and enjoyed all of her content. I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to feature her on the blog. In her interview, Jazzy gives us not only a look into her college journey, but tons of advice on creativity and finding our identity in Christ.
A Little about Jazzy…
So, here are five things Jazzy would like you to know about her:
- She once ate a mound of ice cream during a relay race her senior year of high school and vowed that she would never eat ice cream again (lol…I literally ate ice cream last night so moral of the story: ice cream is too good to give up).
- Her friends tend to call her the “mother” of the friend group which is completely accurate.
- She has three siblings (all sisters) (so I’m happy I don’t have to do life alone).
- She’s from the South so “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” are non-negotiable words in her vocabulary.
- When she was born, she weighed only 1 pound and 14 ounces, so she could fit in the palm of her dad’s hand. (No joke!)
The one thing she believes you should know most about her is her love for sharing her faith whether it’s through an Instagram caption, a YouTube video, or a podcast episode. Speaking of sharing faith, Jazzy (or Jasmine), has a YouTube channel and Instagram account named “stayclassybyjazzy” and a podcast titled “Shy to Shining.” Here’s some background on her channel and podcast:
Before the creation of my YouTube channel, “stayclassybyjazzy” was initially a blog I created on Blogger, a free blogging platform available through a Gmail account (side note: I bought my template on Etsy). I started my blog towards the end of my senior year in high school and the purpose of it at the time was to reconnect with a few of my old passions such as writing, cooking/baking, and photography. When I first created my blog, I was really excited about it because it was a new project that I could pour myself into creatively and it provided a temporary escape from my responsibilities regarding school, marching band, and my job. However, several months into blogging, I started experimenting with making videos to make my posts more engaging. Eventually, I realized I enjoyed video making more than blogging, so I turned my blog into a YouTube channel. What once was a creative outlet for me is now an online space that seeks to encourage people through each season of their lives. I’m currently in a season of college, so you will find a variety of college lifestyle videos on my channel at the moment.
Check out Jazzy’s content, it’s so amazing and encouraging, and so are her words Let’s get into the interview!
What sparks your creativity? Or, simply put, What inspires you to create?
For me, creating is so natural for me. It’s effortless to some degree and it brings me joy having an idea in my head and watching it become a tangible piece of art whether it’s a written piece, a video, or a podcast episode. But to fully answer your question–I would say two main things inspire me to create. One reason is God. He is the Creator and I am His creation. Because His spirit lives in me, I believe my creativeness is an extension of Him working in my life. That’s why I consider it so natural and effortless because it is Him working through me not the other way around. And the second reason is my desire to inspire and help others. I consider myself a helper and a nurturer, so it brings me joy when I know something I’ve created like an Instagram caption or a YouTube video resonated with someone or inspired them to take positive action in their life. Moments like those and moments of creation with my Creator inspire me.
How would you describe your college experience so far?
As of right now, I would describe my college experience as unpredictable and eye-opening. I chose those two words because I started college as an undeclared major, so I was constantly questioning my career path choice and I was overwhelmed by the options of majors I could choose from. During my freshman year, I declared Education as my minor and Psychology as my major my sophomore year; however, my junior year, I changed my major to Corporate Communications and made Psychology my second minor. Fast forward to 2020 and I am now a rising senior preparing for my last year of college. I feel as if I am back at where I started with endless career options, but my faith has taught me to submit my worries to God and trust His will for my life. Despite my change of plans in college, I have found the unpredictableness of my college journey eye-opening because it has allowed me to take a step back and explore new creative avenues such as content creating and building a community online.
How can we keep Christ at the center of our lives as busy, distracted college students?
As a Christian college student and creator, this question is always at the forefront of my mind and I will be the first to admit that I do not have a fail-proof formula or plan for you because I often fail at keeping Christ at the center of my college journey because of the busyness of college and life. However, His grace is sufficient and I know that each day presents a new opportunity to put Him first. To the college student who is struggling to keep Christ at the center of their life, I would say set some time aside in the morning or evening to spend time in His Word. I’ve been learning to make reading a devotional on the YouVersion Bible app, reading a chapter of the Bible, or listening to a sermon an exciting part of my morning or night time routine. I’ve honestly noticed a tangible difference when I spend time in His Word as the first or last thing I do in the day versus thinking about my to-do list for the day right when I wake in the morning or before I go to bed. In addition to spending time reading His Word, I have found it helpful to surround myself with Christian friendships & mentors as well as attending church each Sunday. It’s all about shifting your priorities. If I can make scrolling through Instagram or watching Netflix a daily occurrence, I can make seeking Jesus a daily occurrence as well.
How do we remain true to who we are and true to who God has made us to be, especially in college?
I’m about to sound like a total Gen Z person (haha), but it is so easy for us, college students, to get “lost in the sauce”. In other words, college has its own type of culture that is characterized by new beginnings, exciting opportunities like internships, comparison, and anxiety about the future. Many times people come to college with the mindset that they want to get away and start fresh. Now, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with starting fresh, but it all comes down to your approach to this idea of “a new version of me”. If you do not surround yourself with positive influences and aren’t intentionally making decisions that are going to help you versus harm you, then you can easily lose sight of who God created you to be. As children of God, we are created to be different. To be set apart from the world. This means we cannot find our identity in the things of this world or find our worth in the things we do. The best way to stay true to yourself in college is to turn to scripture (remind yourself of how valuable you are in God’s eyes just the way you are), only say yes to things that will build you up not tear you down, and surround yourself with friends and family who know you best.
Any advice for incoming and returning college students?
Enjoy each and every moment. It goes by fast. I still haven’t fully processed that I will be a senior this year because it feels like yesterday I was moving to college for the first time. My second piece of advice is to know the difference between inspiration and comparison. In college, you will be surrounded by people with the same major as you but different levels of experience, talent, and career goals. If you’re not careful, you can easily move from a place of inspiration (“oh wow, she’s a Biology major like me!”) to a place of comparison (“oh, she’s planning to find a cure for cancer as a doctor while I’m planning to be a Biology high school teacher”). Both career paths are VALUABLE AND EQUALLY NEEDED. We need doctors to heal patients just like we need teachers to educate the next generation. So, don’t lose sight of why you’re in college. You will meet people who aspire to do great things in this world, but their aspirations do not take away from what great you can do in this world too.
A Kingdom Creative that you support? (that you think everyone should support too!)
A few months ago, I discovered an awesome Kingdom Creative named Danielle Coke. She’s the insanely talented illustrator and creative behind her Instagram page (@ohhappydani) and her business “So Happy Social.” I found her on Instagram through her artwork that beautifully educates people on how they can take action in their hearts, homes, and communities to promote justice. Her artwork is incredible and her heart for Jesus is refreshing to see on social media, so she is definitely someone who can add a healthy dose of inspiration and education to your feed.
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