Meet Joe Jarvis

We were lucky to catch up with Joe Jarvis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Being in the entertainment industry requires a thick skin. I didn’t fully realize how much it would require of me at first but it wasn’t long until I did. Even as a Christian artist in the Christian music space, it’s a balancing act between business and ministry. Not everyone is going to be easy on you and no one is going to hand it to you. It’s hard to keep at it, but you have to keep moving forward. Thick skin and a tender heart, that’s what I’m going for.

I actually wrote a song called “Resilient” that’s a favorite among my followers. It’s about what keeps me resilient when times get tough – that I’m not walking alone. Wherever I go and whatever I do, every time God gives me what I need. Maybe it’s not always what I want in the moment, but it’s always enough to get me through.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Joe Jarvis, also known as “Smiley”. I’m from Metro Detroit, and I am a Christian recording artist.

After winning the Michigan State Fair Superstar Competition back in 2022, I performed live on Fox 2 News Detroit and have been interviewed by other media outlets (radio, podcasts, newsletters.)
Touring in and out of state, I’ve been blessed with incredible opportunities to open for such incredible CCM artists such as Cochren and Co, Micah Tyler, Ryan Stevenson, Apollo LTD, We Are Messengers, Sanctus Real and more!

I’m really proud to highlight the amazing ministry I’m a part of, the Love N laughs Tour. I have such an incredible team with me.
We just had our first show of the season, a free event open to the community.
The purpose of this tour is to provide an opportunity to minister to/discuss mental health: addiction, anxiety, depression, anger, trauma and more.

We’ve partnered with local Celebrate Recovery church groups to provide support for lasting community impact wherever we go. Life may not be perfect, but we can still have perfect peace in the midst of our struggles. John 14:27

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Get back up. When something is difficult or uncertain, it’s tempting to run away from it and go where you’re comfortable again. This has been a struggle for me. However, if you know what you want to do… you can’t back down from it. Get back up! The only way forward is one step at a time.

2. Don’t be a perfectionist. It’s admirable to strive for excellence, don’t get me wrong! I know I strive for it. We need more creative people in the world giving it their all! Then again, there’s a fine line between excellence and perfection. The key difference is that perfection can never fully be achieved in this world.

3. Self-care. This one is the biggest work in progress for me. I very often run myself into the ground trying to juggle my everyday life but know burnout is a real thing. Maybe it hasn’t hit you yet, but just give it time. Even when it’s busy, don’t stop doing the things you love, skip another shower, stay up a little later, stop going to church, quit therapy – It never goes well! You need to continually nurture your body, mind, and spirit.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I’ve talked to some of the biggest musicians in my field and they have shared the same obstacle I’ve had: the grind. When you’re first starting out, being good at what you do isn’t enough to get you booked at a festival, signed to a label or pay the bills. It’s not about being better than anyone else… it’s about working harder, being consistent.

While I do my best to stay on top of things,
my main goal is to follow God’s calling on my life wherever He leads – which often means going the road less traveled. Up until recently, so many dreams that have already come true felt like a fantasy. I’ve been living out of my comfort zone and part that has been hard, but I will keep moving forward in faith. What better way to live life than on the edge of your seat?!

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