We were lucky to catch up with JJ Barrows recently and have shared our conversation below.
JJ , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Honestly, I’m still working on developing my confidence, which in many ways I think is a good thing. I never want to assume I have reached a max capacity of confidence and no longer need to learn or develop a new skill set. That said, the confidence that I have developed along the way has just come from showing up, even when it was hard, and at the very least trying. When you realize you CAN in fact do something you were scared of or nervous to do, you gain confidence to try again and again, and eventually it becomes less scary, and over time you become proficient at it. As far as self-esteem goes, I learned to develop that the good old fashioned way… through lots of therapy.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a Stand-up Comedian, Author, and Mixed Media Artist who’s performed in comedy clubs, churches and awkward dinner parties all over the country. But colorful and comedic does not mean a lack of honesty and depth. I’ve traversed the difficulties of eating disorders, family dysfunctions, anxiety, an on-and-off-again struggle with depression, none of which I shy away from in my comedy. I’d like to think I have a refreshing story-telling style that relates to anyone who’s experienced the awkwardness of being a human. Some of the stuff I touch on involves getting older while remaining young, the mystery that is marriage after 35 years of single-hood, and most recently my venture into newborn territory as I’ve become a mom for the first time. I love using comedy to say something more about life, giving breath to those gritty moments and revealing the freedom a quippy sense of humor can reveal in all of us.
As an author, I’ve most recently published my second book, KINDA FUNNY: Stories by a Full-Time Comedian (with Four Part-Time Jobs), which hit #1 for new releases in Comedy on Amazon. Brag, sorry and yay!
As an artist, I work with mixed media paints and textures to create colorful portraits and abstracts. I also create colorful headpieces and crowns to be worn anytime you want to celebrate in life or simply have a little more fun. My favorite line of crowns would have to be my “Dolly Carton” line, which all don a 3-D image of Dolly Parton made out of recycled egg cartons.
I think of laughter as a colorful sound, and I honestly just love making the world a brighter place, whether through the written or spoken word, paint on a canvas, or a party crown on an ordinary day.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being willing to not be good at something in order to get good and even better at it is key. I think so many people (myself included) are often times too afraid to even try incase they look bad or fail, but no one starts out perfect at their craft (unless you’re that one random child prodigy). Showing up is half the battle, the other half is continuing to show up even when it doesn’t go well, because if you keep showing up, eventually something will click and you’ll find your people. Which is also to say, let your audience find you, don’t mold yourself into who you think people want you to be. Sure, that’s a quick way to get followers, but it’s also a quick way to lose them as soon as you don’t perform according to their standards. Audiences are fickle, they will cheer for you one day and boo you the next. Relying on them to determine your place in the world is a bona fide recipe for self-destruction.
My advice for people early in their journeys or still figuring out their voices is to be okay being a big fish in a small pond for a while. Specifically in the comedy or entertainment industry, everyone thinks they need to up and move to the big ponds of LA or New York to “make it.” But with everyone making the same move, the scene becomes so saturated that you rarely get time to work on your craft because you’re busy waiting in line or to be picked from a lottery to hopefully maybe get 1-2 minutes to perform. I started comedy in San Diego and once I realized I was actually pursuing comedy, rather than moving to LA to fight for a couple minutes of stage time at an open mic so I could call myself an LA comic, I stayed put. San Diego was not an obvious choice for the comedy scene, but there were more options for actual stage time and I really got to hone in on my craft and figure out my voice, which worked to my advantage in the long run because I was more prepared once I hit those bigger ponds.
And then it’s a matter of continuing to work no matter what size pond you’re in. Even if you “make it” in your arena, success will come and go, people will love you and forget you, but you can find joy and fulfillment in the process of creating and trying new things and showing up as you were created to.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I used to only want to work by myself. Much of that had to do with self preservation and not wanting anyone to see or judge my “rough drafts.” But as I’ve gotten older and better at caring less about what people think of me personally, I’ve really started to value an outside perspective, and having fresh eyes on content that I’ve grown tired of because I’ve mulled over it so many times. Not to mention, people are so creative, they have so much to offer. You might think you’ve perfected some project or punchline, but put a new set of eyes on it and they will almost always be able to juice more goodness out of it. I think collaborating and working with others can really only strengthen us. And the beauty is, you don’t have to take in all of someone’s else’s suggestions, you can glean and try things out and see what feels right to you.
I’m always open to collaborating, as time allows (especially with a new baby in the house), and I love trying new genres of work. After all, sometimes it’s the most unlikely of friends that create the most magic. People can always find me on Instagram @jjbarrows (I’ve accepted that I’m too old for TikTok), or my website jjbarrows.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: jjbarrows,com
- Instagram: @jjbarrows
- Facebook: Facebook.com/jjbarrowscomedy
- Youtube: YouTube.com/jjbarrows
- Other: Etsy.com/shop/jjbarrowsart
Image Credits
Josh Newton
