January 17, 2024 • 39 mins
In the vibrant tapestry of content creation, carving out a niche becomes a journey unto itself, one that Justin and I have both embraced with fervor. I open up about my foray into producing original content, driven by a desire to wield the reins over my creative and financial destiny, inspired by the likes of KevOnStage and Tabitha Brown. We exchange thoughts on the liberating platforms like TikTok that have turned the tide for storytellers and creators, empowering economic self-reliance and a reshaping of our narratives. There's a special moment where we touch on the aspiration to see our work heal and uplift, especially within the black community, and the celebration of a multifaceted career that defies the traditional.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
TJ (00:15):
Hey friends, it's TJ, and you're listening to Tea with TJ,
where our love for tea,conversation and
self-improvement intersect.
So let's take a deeper diveinto my cup and let's have a
chat.
Hey friends, it's TJ.
(00:35):
Welcome back to another episodeof Tea with TJ, and we have
back with us this week Justin GNelson.
Justin (00:44):
Hello, thank you so.
TJ (00:46):
You were such a great guest on the previous episode so
wanted to bring you back.
Justin (00:51):
Okay.
TJ (00:53):
And touch on a subject that I think is something else that I
think you have a lot ofexperience with and can speak to
tapping into your creativity.
So I'm curious to know, fromyour perspective, how do you
because you are amulti-hyphenate and content
creator and performer how haveyou figured out a way to really
(01:15):
kind of delve into and tap intoyour creative side?
Justin (01:20):
Therapy.
Therapy is just like the themeof my life right now and I spent
so much of like my earlieryears not shining my light, I
guess.
And when I think of beingcreative, I think of being, you
know, a light and in doing so,like, I've had to just really
(01:43):
find what works for me.
Like you know, going to schoolfor music, I studied a lot of
classical music and so I wasable to get that, that
foundation, because you knowwhat I'm saying, belay is the
foundation of dance, classicalmusic, yadda, yadda, yadda.
So, like you know, you can readmusic too.
So, like having that as afoundation and then growing from
(02:06):
it, it just allowed for so muchmore creativity.
And music is kind of like to me, the root of a lot of creative
stuff, like dance and acting,because from you know, one style
of dance you can birthsomething else, and from one
thing you can birth somethingelse.
So I use it in life Like onething can birth so many
(02:26):
opportunities.
And even through books, like youknow, we interpret things so
many different ways.
And I might read Green Eggs andHam and, just like you know,
ham didn't get enough love andyou go.
I don't think the exit and it'sjust your interpretation.
So I take that and put it withcreativity.
I never what's the phrase yucksomeone's yom, that whole thing
(02:51):
like I'm listening.
If you love it, I love it foryou.
I might not like it but if itbrings you joy, if it brings you
some sense of happiness, I'mhappy for you, because we need a
little more of that in thisworld.
TJ (03:05):
Because, yes, so I feel like I've been on this path of like
really kind of tapping into mycreativity and exploring other
options that are outside ofperformance and outside of
acting specifically, and duringthe pandemic I kind of fell in
love with like voiceover work,just because I've always I've
always had this interest andthis year for sounds.
(03:30):
I don't know where it comes from, but like I've always had this
appreciation forward of likehearing someone's voice or
hearing like someone sing andhow people can do like different
characters and all that kind ofstuff and how they can affect
the voice.
When it comes to voiceover work,and the pandemic kind of pushed
me into that, because theaterwas done, you know, so many of
the performance spaces were justgone and shut down, but
(03:53):
something like voiceover youcould completely do from home,
you can completely do itremotely, and so I kind of like
fell into this rabbit hole ofreally exploring that and kind
of like figuring out thebusiness and you know how to do
things and how to like use micsand the soundboard and all that
stuff, stuff that I had not goneto school for necessarily, and
(04:13):
so it kind of just opened up mymind to this whole new world of
creative endeavors that existedfor me.
Have you found something thatis like that for yourself?
Like, have you found somethingthat is performance adjacent or
that allows you to be creativein a different way?
Justin (04:33):
Yes, and I attribute that to killing my inner child.
I as a child listen, have youmet me as a child?
I love computers.
I loved what?
Okay, I love playing oncomputers.
And this is gonna sound sad,but like I have a lot of friends
(04:55):
in my neighborhood.
I grew up in Bethel Grove and itwas dangerous in the streets,
like I would rather stay insideof me safe and go outside and
get like mug.
And so I found a lot of fun oncomputers.
And then I was a creative child.
I would take, um, uh,construction paper and make
things out of it, but then I gotbored real easily.
(05:17):
Then I switched to somethingelse.
But as an adult I realized thatthose things brought me joy.
So now I've gotten into, likegraphic design, I've gotten into
video editing, I've gotten intoweb design, I've gotten into
blogging, like those things thatbring me joy, that I allow to
(05:40):
lay dormant as a child, evendance Like I didn't go to school
for dance, I took two balletclasses, no, I took one ballet
class into modern dance classesbut, everything else just came
from, like those third grade uhsock hops and those um fourth
grade things.
Now I will say a lot ofrejection at an early age had an
(06:03):
impact on my creativity,because I wasn't like the most
popular or I didn't have likethe best clothes or the best
things, like I felt like Iwasn't worthy to let my light
shine.
And I never forget, um, it wasfourth grade, fourth grade
(06:23):
Christmas program and I had adance solo.
Now let me tell you, it'll bevery specific, it was a little
hip thrust and that was it Okay.
But when I tell you they partof like the Red Sea, and I came
down to the front and like boom,the audience was like Ooh, I
was just like I could get usedto this, like I love this, and
so that sparked a lot ofcreativity.
(06:45):
But you move here and you haveeverybody doing the same thing
and I'm just like, okay, let me.
Let me get back to that innerchild and what brought me joy.
So like that's why I startedNelson design lab to kind of
honor my dad but also honor myinner child.
TJ (07:01):
So I'm curious to know.
I've had a similar experiencewhere theater was not what I
grew up with.
Um, I was a music kid growingup like band, and that was my
thing, my original vision for mylife was to be a composer and I
was going to move to LA and Iwas going to score films and all
that stuff.
So when you move it, okay,that's, it's no longer the dream
(07:23):
now, because I I fell intoacting and I fell into musical
theater and fell deeply in love,because then it merged my love
of storytelling and musictogether.
And then I realized in thatdiscovery that I didn't know
what to do, that I knew that Ihad a singing voice growing up,
(07:44):
but I never really explored it,I didn't put any training into
it growing up, because mythought was there's no way to
make a living out of that Right.
I knew that there was proof inthe pudding of being a composer,
being a musician, because therewere musicians around the world
and composers around the worldand that was a thing that I
could actually make a living outof.
And so when I fell into this,this idea of theater, it really
(08:09):
kind of like opened up my mindand rusted me into this whole
other world that I had noexperience with and no clue
where to start or where to begin, but I knew that I loved it and
it was so shiny and new and Iwas like I want more of this.
And so I went to school, did allthat, came to New York and I
(08:33):
think really when I moved hereis when I kind of discovered
what theater actually was, andthat's a whole another topic of
discussion.
But, but this, this, this loveof acting and this love of
theater and musical theater grewwhen I came here.
Like it grew, you know, leapsand bounds compared to when I
(08:55):
was younger, and so I'm curiousto know from from you
specifically has has thatjourney from being in the music
world to kind of shifting intothis like Dancery, performer,
musical theater performer has?
(09:16):
How has that really likeimpacted your impact at your
life and what, what valuablelessons have you like taken from
that?
Justin (09:27):
So I went to school for music education as a safety net,
because I was afraid ofpursuing vocal performance.
Remember, in the last episodewe talked about church hurt.
Yeah, that happened.
Because of that, I was toldthat my singing voice was not
good enough, you know, and whenI went to classical red, it's
(09:51):
just like you're not going toget a job doing that.
So I was just like, fine, I'llteach it.
So I went to school for musiceducation and I moved here and
then I noticed that you knowwhat you see on the Tony Awards
and what you see on TV andthings, just it's not the same.
And I feel like.
TJ (10:07):
That's a very skewed view of what the industry is.
Justin (10:11):
And so being here and being in those rooms and those
workshops and those classes andthe dance classes and the voice
lessons, you see it's aninvestment, yeah, and it's also
an emotionally exhausting careerwith the amount of rejection
that comes with it, but it'salso rewarding at time because
(10:34):
you're able to tap into othergenres.
So, like singing I know I'vejust recently did a rep coach
session and listened to songs.
I was just like this resonateswith me, like why isn't this in
my book?
TJ (10:46):
And even dance like I go to these auditions.
Justin (10:50):
I'm just like this isn't the Broadway.
I remember from 10 years ago,like when did hip hop become the
standard on Broadway?
But also why everything got tohave tap in it.
Like can we just do a two stepand get off stage?
Like it's all this stuff?
But I've learned to appreciatethe choreographer or the music
director or the composer liketheir creative input for these
(11:14):
things and just realized there'smore to life than what I know
and I have to be open to it andflexible with this industry
because it's changing,everything is changing.
I mean, ai is scaring a lot ofpeople, but it's either you get
with it or you get lost behindit.
TJ (11:30):
I agree and I feel like that's it with this whole idea
of AI taking creativity from thehuman.
I don't necessarily agree withit because I feel like it has
allowed a lot of mediums to useit in a way to to let you be
more creative.
Justin (11:50):
Like.
TJ (11:50):
I'm not.
I'm not a visual artist, but Ican describe something in a way
that I can see in my head, yes,but I have.
No, I don't have the means orthe technique or the talent to
necessarily draw it out.
But in using something like midjourney, I can create something
with just using my words, andso I feel like I agree in that
(12:11):
that there there is space for it, but I understand why people
are so apprehensive about usingit.
Justin (12:18):
Yeah, but no, like I appreciate AI, because I
appreciate it, at times Somepeople become lazy and depend
heavily on it, on it, but otherpeople know how to use it for
its enhancements.
And so, when it comes tocreativity and this industry and
being a performer, it's just amatter of being flexible and
(12:38):
being open and not defensive,because I can be super defensive
when it comes to an audition ora cut or feedback, but it's
it's for the higher purpose andlike again, not yucking
someone's yam, just like OK,like I've never looked at it
that way, let me take a stepback, let me process it and let
me get back to you.
TJ (12:58):
So how do you pivot like an end with all that being said,
how do you pivot with andadjusting to other ways to be
creative or other ideas, knowingthat, in the industry that we
work in, the creativity is there, but it's limited to a singular
idea?
Justin (13:18):
Create your own stuff.
That's how I deal with it.
If I don't see it and it ain'tmaking me happy and I know
behind the scenes it's only gotto do with money politics and
putting some money in somebodyelse's pocket Not mine I'm going
to create my own stuff.
I'm just going to go home, I'mgoing to cry about it and I'm
going to put on my little cameraand just create.
Like I appreciate a lot of thecontent creators now on TikTok
(13:43):
who are saying don't, don't,don't tag SNL on my stuff or
don't try to pitch me to thesebrands because at the end of the
day, they're making money offmy creativity.
Like, I want my own rights, myown money and I think that's why
Kev on stage has a huge like Irespect him so much as an artist
because he was just like I'mgoing to create my own stuff and
(14:04):
I'm just like, hmm, and he did,and now he's a host for
something I don't remember.
Tabitha Brown same thing.
Like she really created home,home thing.
And Tabitha is a multihyphenate Key, key Palmer.
Like she, she's been in theindustry her whole life, so
don't get me wrong.
But she keeps a bag and shefinds other ways to pull pour
(14:26):
into her creativity, becauseshe's going to keep a check.
TJ (14:29):
Yeah, yeah, I feel like that that's content creation within
itself has kind of taken offover the past few years, and I
was.
I will admit that I was veryagainst it in the beginning
because I grew up in a worldwhere it didn't exist and was
tethered to this verytraditional idea of how to be
(14:49):
creative.
But I've realized in the timethat I have, as I've become a
content creator, essentially thefreedom that exists in that, in
in the, the amount of spacesthat you can inhabit from the
back of your phone, essentiallyis leaps and bounds more than
(15:09):
the traditional trajectory of,say, an actor or musician or a
writer.
And so, as as a content creator, as well.
I'm curious to know what is yourin a perfect world like?
What is your vision foryourself when it comes to, like
content creation?
Justin (15:29):
You know I want for earthy and culture like I want
to out my always fine tuning thepurpose or the vision and
mission for it, but, like,through my content, I want
people to feel safe, feel seen,people to heal, because our
(15:49):
community, the black community,we carry so much trauma and we
carry so much like I don't wantto say darkness, but like it's
always something heavy, and Ijust want to create a space for
people to just leave it thereand just focus on the joy, focus
on the peace, focus on thehappiness that comes, because so
much of our stories are rootedin trauma, pain, something, and
(16:13):
so, with earthy and culture,like I want to be able to heal
through eating, heal throughyoga, heal through these things,
and I hope, you know, over thenext couple of years, I'm able
to create more content centeredaround like plant based healing,
holistic medicine or holistictreatment and wellness, so that
people can heal in this life.
(16:35):
And like I'm always focused on,like, do what you can in this
life, whether it's creativity orjust you know whatever just
heal in this life.
TJ (16:47):
I feel like I've come to this place in my life now
because I've shifted my orpivoted into these other ideas
of how to be creative in my life.
I feel like I've had this momentrecently, in the past two years
, where I realized that what Isigned up for when it came to
(17:11):
performance and acting andmusical theater is that I was
giving voice to other people'sstories and I was not and I
wasn't necessarily aligned withtelling my own stories or
stories that are similar to mybackground, and I think that
that realization out of thepandemic and in the past few
(17:33):
years has really been kind oflike at the forefront of my mind
in creating this podcast and,you know, becoming a content
creator is that I want to givevoice to one, to my story
specifically.
Yes, because I do believe thateveryone's story is very unique
and very specific and I love itand completely of value, yes,
but then also to give room andspace and appreciation for other
(17:55):
people's stories were similar,mm-hmm, or, if not necessarily
similar, of a similar trajectoryand can I just point out, like
something you mentioned a Lot oftimes, I'm always talking to
our friends.
Justin (18:07):
Just like you know, we grew up or society has in a way
groomed us to think we can onlydo one thing.
Mm-hmm, you get a nine to fiveand that's it you you're gonna
go to work, you're gonna comehome, you're gonna take care of
your kids and you're gonna do itagain for the rest of your life
, until you retire.
Yeah, that ain't fun, mm-hmm,especially when the other people
on the other side of the tablethat chillin, they, they, they,
(18:29):
traveling the seven seas, youknow that live in their life,
because I am grinding to makesure their company stays afloat
and so that don't bring me joyand that that hinders our
creativity.
Yeah, by sticking to aone-track mind in a way.
You know, like you go to highschool, you go to college, you
go da, da, da, da, da, that's it, which is interesting, because
(18:51):
I feel like the essence ofcreativity is not that like.
TJ (18:54):
I feel like the essence of creativity is to be More than
just one thing.
Yes, right, most of the greatartists that exist in the world
are not Restricted to onesingular idea when it comes to
their work.
Justin (19:06):
Oh yes.
TJ (19:07):
Yeah.
Justin (19:09):
And that's why I'm always just like I'm gonna
embrace this multi hyphen is.
But like I do again, I have tokind of restructure things
sometimes but I know at the endof the day I just can't do one
thing yeah.
TJ (19:21):
I be miserable.
Yeah, and I think thatrealization of reopening
yourself up to Allow yourselfbecause, I also feel like we've.
Sometimes we forget to givepermission to ourselves To walk
into these other ideas and we'relike, oh no, but I've done it
this way, mm-hmm, or I was quoteunquote supposed to do it this
(19:42):
way, so I have to stick to thisand I have to see this through,
mm-hmm.
But I'm like both things can betrue.
Yes, right.
You can be really great atsomething, but also really good
at something, or even not.
If, if you're not necessarilygreat at something else, mm-hmm,
something else may have be, maybe of interest to you.
Yeah, that is worth exploring,yes, and to give yourself time,
space and energy to explore,that, I think is, is very, very
(20:05):
valuable.
Justin (20:06):
But sometimes, sometimes on the other side of the door,
we met with imposter syndrome,yeah, and we feel that we're not
good enough for it.
And then we let depression orfear or guilt or doubt like
creep into this room when itwasn't there to begin with, like
we were.
We open that joy with the doorwith so much passion and
(20:27):
happiness and then, once we gotit, just like, oh, this is a lot
of work, like I didn't realizeit.
TJ (20:31):
Let's do it.
Justin (20:32):
Yeah, just give yourself permission to be yeah, that's
it.
TJ (20:34):
So, as a creative, how do you deal with this idea of
imposter syndrome?
Justin (20:39):
I'm sorry.
What?
Listen, okay, therapy, um, Iit's it.
It comes and goes.
I would not lie, I would notget on this podcast and say that
I'm a perfect Peter.
I am not.
There are days that I get numbfrom imposter syndrome Because I
, if I will say, there are timesI look at the likes or the
(21:01):
views or the shares, just likewhy am I doing this?
Yeah, like no one wants to seethis stuff, I'm just sell these
microphones.
If you don't just like no, likeyou're gonna be happy, and like
I've had brands reach out Say,hey, can we use his video?
My, sure, like, hey, it's mine.
And so it's just again like thebigger purpose, the bigger
(21:24):
Mission for what I do is just to, you know, advocate for mental
health and for people to healand be happy.
And so it might not take offthe way I wanted to, but I know
that I am worthy of the spacethat I want to take up and I
might do it.
No, it's my space, not thewebsite, but like my space space
(21:45):
, yes, mm-hmm, okay, great.
TJ (21:47):
So with this, so with this idea of being a multi-hyphenate,
Mm-hmm and having all of thesecreative outlets, do you ever
feel like one is Kind of held inhigh regard over the other?
Do you feel like they're all onany cool playing field like
what is?
What is your process?
Justin (22:06):
So it's funny, you accent.
I'm always Like shufflingaround what's important, and it
was just I think last week or acouple of weeks ago I was just
like I have to make one apriority and everything else
with Eden food.
So right now I've madeperformance.
Mm-hmm back been because that'swhat I moved to New York, or I
can be a graphic designer for meto wear, but I moved to New
(22:28):
York for performance and I need,I needed to be reminded of that
and just go okay, this is thefocus.
Everything else will trickledown into that, and something
that the entertainment fund hasstarted recently with their
Classes and workshops that theyoffer.
They were just like we, you allhave to have like multiple
(22:49):
streams of income, mm-hmm.
I was like yes, and then wejust like so, figure out a way
to do it.
And so that's why I was justlike, oh, okay, well, that makes
sense, I'm doing that now, butI needed to stop and say
performance.
We will be the main thing andeverything else would feed into
it, but content creation, in away, is perform it.
Yeah and so what I do for earth,in culture, in Nelson design
(23:09):
lab Comes from me being aperformer.
So yeah, I just makeperformance the main thing now.
TJ (23:15):
And then everything else beats into it interesting
because I feel like I've gottento this place where I'm holding
space for all of the things, andI agree that like they kind of
feed into each other, because mymy interest and journey into
voiceover work Came out of mylove for like singing and then
on stage and using my voice inthat way, and so, even though
(23:39):
it's slightly different andslightly nuanced, I feel like it
.
It feeds that side of me that Iwould want to be on the stage
singing.
To use my voice to createcontent, to give a voice to a
character or to do a commercialor any of those kinds of things,
to still use that instrument,so to speak.
And so I've, I've, I've foundover time that, like this
(24:03):
podcast, for example, even inthe absence of not having
voiceover work, it still givesme the, it's still feeding the
hunger of like wanting to dosomething behind a mic, mm-hmm,
and, and to use that skill andthat technique in a certain kind
of way.
Yes, so, as as a contentcreator, do you ever feel like
(24:26):
you have to censor yourself?
Justin (24:30):
I censor myself only because I don't want that one
thing to become my brand or tobecome what I'm known for, and
so I always have to make sure Idon't wanna say keep it safe or
keep it PG, but I always have tomake sure it is something that,
if it goes viral, I would notbe ashamed for or 14 years from
(24:50):
now and someone's not digging onTwitter just like.
Well, you know what you see ina twin, I know what I see it.
TJ (24:55):
Cause I typed it.
Justin (24:55):
You wanna be proud of your writing Right, so I wanna
be proud of it.
However, thanks for like Patreonyou know, you can say some
things behind the wall, but I'mnot there in my life.
So here we are.
But yeah, I always try toremember who I'm representing.
You know, outside of myself Istill you know my mom and Jesus
Christ, and so other than that,I'm just like.
(25:16):
No, like I would talk aboutcertain topics, like during the
pandemic I discovered rightbefore the pandemic, I
discovered Tantric Yoga, and soa lot of that has helped with
being creative.
But I can't go into detailabout Tantric Yoga because then
people will only hear onespecific part of it and it's
just like oh, tim, we're nottalking about it.
(25:38):
Because, I don't think you havethe mental capacity to deal with
everything that deals withTantric Yoga, so I just don't.
TJ (25:44):
Yeah, yeah.
So, with that being said, doyou feel like you in because,
ultimately, in content creationand being a forward facing
public presence, do you everfeel like you have to kind of
quote unquote, protect yourbrand with that?
You as an actor is differentthan you as a content creator
(26:04):
right.
Those are very two specificviews and so if someone goes to,
say, your Instagram or yourwebsite and sees other content
there that is not actor focus oractor forward, do you ever feel
like you have to kind of likeadjust that so that you are
(26:26):
still viewed as an actor first?
Justin (26:29):
Yes, and that's why I don't post it to my website.
It goes to my stories and itdeletes in 24 hours Only because
you never know who's looking atwhat and I don't want that to
be the day to say why he postedabout that I don't know.
We don't want him representinghis brand, but I'm also human,
so I'm going to post things thatmight be deemed inappropriate
(26:53):
or not professional.
But like, let me live, like,get off my back.
If you can't handle those smallthings, we don't need to work
together.
I am not your ideal client, youknow, not my ideal customers,
so I get that.
TJ (27:02):
Yeah, I feel like there's in the creative world, in more so
in TV and film than I feel liketheater specifically.
But I feel like in the creativeworld there's always this level
of censorship and I'm usingthat term not necessarily in a
negative way, but I feel likethere's always this idea that I
have to protect the brand thatis the actor because I'm not
(27:27):
allowed to.
This is going to sound crazy.
I'm not allowed to be human.
Justin (27:31):
And that's the thing about social media.
You still have control aboutwhat you post, who you follow,
what you engage with and certainthings I just don't post on
social media.
TJ (27:41):
And I'm just like.
Justin (27:41):
No, I would rather keep that part, that part of my human
self to myself.
Like I don't think social mediadeserves all of it.
TJ (27:50):
Yeah, so what do you with that being said, what do you
protect for yourself, or what doyou keep for yourself?
Justin (27:58):
I'm more vocal now about my mental health journey but
like things when I say withTantric Yoga and how it has
helped heal a lot of childhoodwounds and stuff, I don't talk
about that on social mediabecause Tantric Yoga has then
become more commercial and I'mjust like that's not the Tantric
Eye Study, so I'm not going totalk about it because it'll turn
into this big thing and I'mjust like don't even worry about
(28:20):
it.
TJ (28:21):
I feel like I've kept close to the chest my spirituality
because and we said this in aprevious episode we grew up very
much in the church and likehave similar backgrounds.
but I've evolved and I feel liketo express the evolution
publicly can be quote, unquote,damaging in a way, and so I've
(28:44):
chosen to keep that aspect of mylife to myself, close to the
chest, because I feel like it'sirrelevant to the work that I'm
doing that if something comes upto where I have to play a
certain character or I'm put ina position that revolves around
religion or spirituality orwhatever, we can have a
discussion about it then.
But I try really hard to keepthat away from my performance,
(29:07):
life yeah.
So, in this idea of tapping intoyour creativity, what are some
of your structures or thingsthat you have set in place to
kind of feed that and tomotivate you, because I feel
like Oftentimes I feel likeartists specifically we can get
(29:30):
into a slump and it becomesreally hard to be creative, even
though we want to be creative.
So what do you do to kind oflike help you get out of rut, or
to help feed the creativity orchannel the energy to be
creative?
Justin (29:44):
So I do honor the moon cycle.
So, like if there's a new moon,blue moon, Mercury, retrograde,
like those periods.
I do honor those and I willfigure out where in my natal
chart it is causing me someblockage or some releasing.
And I honor that.
I also do shadow work.
If I partake in the herbalessence we don't know, and I
(30:10):
will let myself rest and my mindgoes and I just start writing
stuff down.
I have a note page full ofthoughts and I will go back to
it and I'm just like this iswhere I need to create from.
Cause again my creativity ishealing my inner child, and so
(30:31):
it was.
I mean I could I can pull outthe phone now and show you, but
it was some things and I'll talkto my therapist about it and I
would talk to other people aboutit.
But, like those things thatneed to be healed, become a
creative outlet for me to createso that I can heal it, create
so I can honor it, create so Ican release it.
So those are my ways of tappingback into creativity, Also like
(30:55):
things that are trending youknow if it's trending, I'm like
let me try and like I don't likeit.
And if I don't like it I ain'tgotta keep doing it, so I'm fine
with it.
So it took me a while to evenstart a podcast and I was just
like, no, this is not myministry, but I was going about
it the wrong way.
Yeah, exactly.
TJ (31:10):
Okay With.
I do believe that creativityand art has the power to heal
and has the power to shift andtransform us as individuals.
What has been like the mosttransformative moment for you
when it comes to being creative?
Justin (31:27):
I would say the most transformative performance was a
chorus line.
And listen, we were at theaterMemphis and I was Richie, and we
got to that last scene, secondto last scene, where they talked
about one of the characters.
He like sprang his ankle and we, just, we all collected.
(31:48):
Who would like it could be us,like any one of us?
Because, springer, in ourcareer, our career as an artist
or creative or performer, wouldbe over.
And I was just like oh we criedI mean, we cried like some
babies in the room and it justmade us appreciate art more and
(32:08):
more.
So, being on stage and havingthat like that moment to escape
from, like Justin, but likecreate a character, I was just
like, yes, like this is why I dothat, even as Mayor Munchkin, I
was like what am I?
A little short, simple, if I'mgonna say it, but it was fun to
just be funny and to be, youknow, a character.
(32:29):
And then, like even now, withcontent creation, I'm just like
I'm being myself, but it's fun,like I'm not taking it so
serious, like I'm just turningthe camera on being myself,
sharing it with people I wouldprobably never meet in my life.
And just being put the wrongway, like I made one reel
recently and I think it's at58.7 K views.
(32:53):
I wish it would stop.
TJ (32:55):
I was excited in notifications.
Justin (32:57):
I'm just like it's the whole dream girl thing and I was
just like, okay, this was funwhile it lasted, but it was
funny and I appreciated it.
So I just I don't know.
There are moments where I'm allin, I'm just like yes, in
moments I'm just like.
TJ (33:11):
I'm gonna go to sleep.
No, I think I told you aboutthis, but I did a show called
Murder Ballad a few years agoyeah, I think it's been three or
four years now and it was afour person musical.
It's rock musical and I am notnecessarily partial to rock
musicals just because I don'tbelieve that I have a rock voice
.
I have a very contemporarystoryteller pad, or song type of
(33:33):
voice.
And that experience really kindof shifted one.
It shifted my idea of who I amas a former, who I am capable of
, but it also put me in a placewhere, in telling that story, I
played the character Tom.
Just a brief description theshow is a love triangle gone
(33:55):
wrong and ends in a murder.
So it then becomes like amurder mystery type of thing
where you're trying to figureout throughout the show who was
the person that killed Tom.
And so there was a moment inthe show I think it was the
second night- that we did theperformance.
There's a moment in the showwhere Tom has like lost
(34:16):
everything.
He's lost this woman that he wasin love with.
He finds out that she'spregnant, the child is not his
yeah, and he is confronting herand the new lover with the child
and he breaks.
He like literally breaks down.
There's the song, is literallyhim like watching them and like
watching them become a familyand all this stuff and he has
(34:38):
this whole breakdown moment.
And it was the secondperformance.
I did it and came out of theshow and was like I didn't know
that I was capable of that, LikeI tapped into something that I
didn't know that I had.
And those are the moments, whenit comes to being creative,
that I'm like I love.
This is why I love it.
Because, it's always changing,it's always surprising me, it's
(35:00):
always evolving and sometimesyou'll surprise yourself.
Do you feel like you've had oneof those moments, outside of
the Richie thing, where you'vesurprised yourself in something
that you've done creatively,whether it be performance or
content creation?
Justin (35:16):
A lot of moments I know, one of which I can't even with
your story.
I wasn't a big fan ofShakespeare.
I was just like, who can doShakespeare?
I did a comedy of errors, baby.
You can tell me none.
I was on stage living and I hada lot, but it was just being in
the moment and grossing thecharacters and I was just like I
could do this I can do.
Shakespeare.
TJ (35:36):
I haven't done my resume now .
Justin (35:37):
So that was one thing creating commercial videos and
getting responses from people.
I was playing around.
TJ (35:49):
I don't know what I was doing.
Justin (35:50):
And I created it and I pressed play and I ran after
church.
I was like I don't wanna hearanyone talk about.
I'm like yeah, and people arelike you did that.
You know, just like, yeah, Idid that.
I was like you're so good.
I was just like, oh, thank you.
But it felt I liked that.
That's when I felt like I'mreally doing this, I'm really on
in it.
But as far as performances, Iknow that comedy of errors was
(36:12):
one.
I know color purple was heavyfor me because I think my father
had just passed and we got tothat last scene and mind you the
whole cast.
We just broke down crying onthis, that one moment, like a
grand or something, I'm justlike oh.
I didn't even be emotional.
I was a wreck.
What else Mary Poppins got me?
Oh well, I was the.
(36:33):
Anything can happen if you letit.
I was living in that moment.
So it's just like those momentsof joy that I got just being a
performer, it's just like I'mproud to do this and I'm happy
to be here.
I love that.
TJ (36:48):
So thank you for joining us on another episode of Teeboot TJ
and, as before, I like to endwith three questions.
Justin (36:56):
So get ready.
TJ (36:59):
If you could tell your younger self anything, what
would you tell?
Justin (37:03):
You gonna make me cry.
Oh God, let's see If I can telllittle Justin it's gonna be
okay, it's gonna work out, yes.
TJ (37:16):
I love that.
What would you say was thepivotal moment for you as an
artist?
Justin (37:24):
The pandemic.
I know it was the best time ofmy life.
TJ (37:29):
Yes, why.
Justin (37:31):
It just allowed me to tap into more creative things,
like I had allowed so manythings that I do just to lie
dormant or become like asurvival thing, and didn't find
the joy in it.
I just saw the money that cameout of it, and now I'm just like
I find joy in doing this.
TJ (37:46):
Thanks, pandemic.
I love that.
I feel like I discovered a lotduring the pandemic.
And then, finally, what wouldyou say has been the most
healing experience so creative?
Justin (37:59):
The most healing experience as a creative, I
think, the rejection.
I know it's like counterwhatever.
But the rejection allowed me togo.
It kind of punched me and itwas just like why are you doing
this?
Get back in the game.
But like, learn the lesson anddon't do it again.
(38:22):
And so the rejection kind ofhelped shape me to who I am.
TJ (38:26):
Gotcha.
I love that, so I don't let nofriends.
I'll see you next week andthat's our show.
Friends, thanks for joining uson Tea with TJ.
Please rate, review andsubscribe, and you can find us
on Instagram at tea with TJpodcast.
(38:47):
And, as always, stay kind, keepsipping and remember we're here
.
So good night as well.
Do it and I'll see you nextweek.
I'll see you next week.
Hey friends, it's TJ, and you're listening to Tea with TJ,
where our love for tea,conversation and
self-improvement intersect.
So let's take a deeper diveinto my cup and let's have a
chat.
Hey friends, it's TJ.
(00:35):
Welcome back to another episodeof Tea with TJ, and we have
back with us this week Justin GNelson.
Justin (00:44):
Hello, thank you so.
TJ (00:46):
You were such a great guest on the previous episode so
wanted to bring you back.
Justin (00:51):
Okay.
TJ (00:53):
And touch on a subject that I think is something else that I
think you have a lot ofexperience with and can speak to
tapping into your creativity.
So I'm curious to know, fromyour perspective, how do you
because you are amulti-hyphenate and content
creator and performer how haveyou figured out a way to really
(01:15):
kind of delve into and tap intoyour creative side?
Justin (01:20):
Therapy.
Therapy is just like the themeof my life right now and I spent
so much of like my earlieryears not shining my light, I
guess.
And when I think of beingcreative, I think of being, you
know, a light and in doing so,like, I've had to just really
(01:43):
find what works for me.
Like you know, going to schoolfor music, I studied a lot of
classical music and so I wasable to get that, that
foundation, because you knowwhat I'm saying, belay is the
foundation of dance, classicalmusic, yadda, yadda, yadda.
So, like you know, you can readmusic too.
So, like having that as afoundation and then growing from
(02:06):
it, it just allowed for so muchmore creativity.
And music is kind of like to me, the root of a lot of creative
stuff, like dance and acting,because from you know, one style
of dance you can birthsomething else, and from one
thing you can birth somethingelse.
So I use it in life Like onething can birth so many
(02:26):
opportunities.
And even through books, like youknow, we interpret things so
many different ways.
And I might read Green Eggs andHam and, just like you know,
ham didn't get enough love andyou go.
I don't think the exit and it'sjust your interpretation.
So I take that and put it withcreativity.
I never what's the phrase yucksomeone's yom, that whole thing
(02:51):
like I'm listening.
If you love it, I love it foryou.
I might not like it but if itbrings you joy, if it brings you
some sense of happiness, I'mhappy for you, because we need a
little more of that in thisworld.
TJ (03:05):
Because, yes, so I feel like I've been on this path of like
really kind of tapping into mycreativity and exploring other
options that are outside ofperformance and outside of
acting specifically, and duringthe pandemic I kind of fell in
love with like voiceover work,just because I've always I've
always had this interest andthis year for sounds.
(03:30):
I don't know where it comes from, but like I've always had this
appreciation forward of likehearing someone's voice or
hearing like someone sing andhow people can do like different
characters and all that kind ofstuff and how they can affect
the voice.
When it comes to voiceover work,and the pandemic kind of pushed
me into that, because theaterwas done, you know, so many of
the performance spaces were justgone and shut down, but
(03:53):
something like voiceover youcould completely do from home,
you can completely do itremotely, and so I kind of like
fell into this rabbit hole ofreally exploring that and kind
of like figuring out thebusiness and you know how to do
things and how to like use micsand the soundboard and all that
stuff, stuff that I had not goneto school for necessarily, and
(04:13):
so it kind of just opened up mymind to this whole new world of
creative endeavors that existedfor me.
Have you found something thatis like that for yourself?
Like, have you found somethingthat is performance adjacent or
that allows you to be creativein a different way?
Justin (04:33):
Yes, and I attribute that to killing my inner child.
I as a child listen, have youmet me as a child?
I love computers.
I loved what?
Okay, I love playing oncomputers.
And this is gonna sound sad,but like I have a lot of friends
(04:55):
in my neighborhood.
I grew up in Bethel Grove and itwas dangerous in the streets,
like I would rather stay insideof me safe and go outside and
get like mug.
And so I found a lot of fun oncomputers.
And then I was a creative child.
I would take, um, uh,construction paper and make
things out of it, but then I gotbored real easily.
(05:17):
Then I switched to somethingelse.
But as an adult I realized thatthose things brought me joy.
So now I've gotten into, likegraphic design, I've gotten into
video editing, I've gotten intoweb design, I've gotten into
blogging, like those things thatbring me joy, that I allow to
(05:40):
lay dormant as a child, evendance Like I didn't go to school
for dance, I took two balletclasses, no, I took one ballet
class into modern dance classesbut, everything else just came
from, like those third grade uhsock hops and those um fourth
grade things.
Now I will say a lot ofrejection at an early age had an
(06:03):
impact on my creativity,because I wasn't like the most
popular or I didn't have likethe best clothes or the best
things, like I felt like Iwasn't worthy to let my light
shine.
And I never forget, um, it wasfourth grade, fourth grade
(06:23):
Christmas program and I had adance solo.
Now let me tell you, it'll bevery specific, it was a little
hip thrust and that was it Okay.
But when I tell you they partof like the Red Sea, and I came
down to the front and like boom,the audience was like Ooh, I
was just like I could get usedto this, like I love this, and
so that sparked a lot ofcreativity.
(06:45):
But you move here and you haveeverybody doing the same thing
and I'm just like, okay, let me.
Let me get back to that innerchild and what brought me joy.
So like that's why I startedNelson design lab to kind of
honor my dad but also honor myinner child.
TJ (07:01):
So I'm curious to know.
I've had a similar experiencewhere theater was not what I
grew up with.
Um, I was a music kid growingup like band, and that was my
thing, my original vision for mylife was to be a composer and I
was going to move to LA and Iwas going to score films and all
that stuff.
So when you move it, okay,that's, it's no longer the dream
(07:23):
now, because I I fell intoacting and I fell into musical
theater and fell deeply in love,because then it merged my love
of storytelling and musictogether.
And then I realized in thatdiscovery that I didn't know
what to do, that I knew that Ihad a singing voice growing up,
(07:44):
but I never really explored it,I didn't put any training into
it growing up, because mythought was there's no way to
make a living out of that Right.
I knew that there was proof inthe pudding of being a composer,
being a musician, because therewere musicians around the world
and composers around the worldand that was a thing that I
could actually make a living outof.
And so when I fell into this,this idea of theater, it really
(08:09):
kind of like opened up my mindand rusted me into this whole
other world that I had noexperience with and no clue
where to start or where to begin, but I knew that I loved it and
it was so shiny and new and Iwas like I want more of this.
And so I went to school, did allthat, came to New York and I
(08:33):
think really when I moved hereis when I kind of discovered
what theater actually was, andthat's a whole another topic of
discussion.
But, but this, this, this loveof acting and this love of
theater and musical theater grewwhen I came here.
Like it grew, you know, leapsand bounds compared to when I
(08:55):
was younger, and so I'm curiousto know from from you
specifically has has thatjourney from being in the music
world to kind of shifting intothis like Dancery, performer,
musical theater performer has?
(09:16):
How has that really likeimpacted your impact at your
life and what, what valuablelessons have you like taken from
that?
Justin (09:27):
So I went to school for music education as a safety net,
because I was afraid ofpursuing vocal performance.
Remember, in the last episodewe talked about church hurt.
Yeah, that happened.
Because of that, I was toldthat my singing voice was not
good enough, you know, and whenI went to classical red, it's
(09:51):
just like you're not going toget a job doing that.
So I was just like, fine, I'llteach it.
So I went to school for musiceducation and I moved here and
then I noticed that you knowwhat you see on the Tony Awards
and what you see on TV andthings, just it's not the same.
And I feel like.
TJ (10:07):
That's a very skewed view of what the industry is.
Justin (10:11):
And so being here and being in those rooms and those
workshops and those classes andthe dance classes and the voice
lessons, you see it's aninvestment, yeah, and it's also
an emotionally exhausting careerwith the amount of rejection
that comes with it, but it'salso rewarding at time because
(10:34):
you're able to tap into othergenres.
So, like singing I know I'vejust recently did a rep coach
session and listened to songs.
I was just like this resonateswith me, like why isn't this in
my book?
TJ (10:46):
And even dance like I go to these auditions.
Justin (10:50):
I'm just like this isn't the Broadway.
I remember from 10 years ago,like when did hip hop become the
standard on Broadway?
But also why everything got tohave tap in it.
Like can we just do a two stepand get off stage?
Like it's all this stuff?
But I've learned to appreciatethe choreographer or the music
director or the composer liketheir creative input for these
(11:14):
things and just realized there'smore to life than what I know
and I have to be open to it andflexible with this industry
because it's changing,everything is changing.
I mean, ai is scaring a lot ofpeople, but it's either you get
with it or you get lost behindit.
TJ (11:30):
I agree and I feel like that's it with this whole idea
of AI taking creativity from thehuman.
I don't necessarily agree withit because I feel like it has
allowed a lot of mediums to useit in a way to to let you be
more creative.
Justin (11:50):
Like.
TJ (11:50):
I'm not.
I'm not a visual artist, but Ican describe something in a way
that I can see in my head, yes,but I have.
No, I don't have the means orthe technique or the talent to
necessarily draw it out.
But in using something like midjourney, I can create something
with just using my words, andso I feel like I agree in that
(12:11):
that there there is space for it, but I understand why people
are so apprehensive about usingit.
Justin (12:18):
Yeah, but no, like I appreciate AI, because I
appreciate it, at times Somepeople become lazy and depend
heavily on it, on it, but otherpeople know how to use it for
its enhancements.
And so, when it comes tocreativity and this industry and
being a performer, it's just amatter of being flexible and
(12:38):
being open and not defensive,because I can be super defensive
when it comes to an audition ora cut or feedback, but it's
it's for the higher purpose andlike again, not yucking
someone's yam, just like OK,like I've never looked at it
that way, let me take a stepback, let me process it and let
me get back to you.
TJ (12:58):
So how do you pivot like an end with all that being said,
how do you pivot with andadjusting to other ways to be
creative or other ideas, knowingthat, in the industry that we
work in, the creativity is there, but it's limited to a singular
idea?
Justin (13:18):
Create your own stuff.
That's how I deal with it.
If I don't see it and it ain'tmaking me happy and I know
behind the scenes it's only gotto do with money politics and
putting some money in somebodyelse's pocket Not mine I'm going
to create my own stuff.
I'm just going to go home, I'mgoing to cry about it and I'm
going to put on my little cameraand just create.
Like I appreciate a lot of thecontent creators now on TikTok
(13:43):
who are saying don't, don't,don't tag SNL on my stuff or
don't try to pitch me to thesebrands because at the end of the
day, they're making money offmy creativity.
Like, I want my own rights, myown money and I think that's why
Kev on stage has a huge like Irespect him so much as an artist
because he was just like I'mgoing to create my own stuff and
(14:04):
I'm just like, hmm, and he did,and now he's a host for
something I don't remember.
Tabitha Brown same thing.
Like she really created home,home thing.
And Tabitha is a multihyphenate Key, key Palmer.
Like she, she's been in theindustry her whole life, so
don't get me wrong.
But she keeps a bag and shefinds other ways to pull pour
(14:26):
into her creativity, becauseshe's going to keep a check.
TJ (14:29):
Yeah, yeah, I feel like that that's content creation within
itself has kind of taken offover the past few years, and I
was.
I will admit that I was veryagainst it in the beginning
because I grew up in a worldwhere it didn't exist and was
tethered to this verytraditional idea of how to be
(14:49):
creative.
But I've realized in the timethat I have, as I've become a
content creator, essentially thefreedom that exists in that, in
in the, the amount of spacesthat you can inhabit from the
back of your phone, essentiallyis leaps and bounds more than
(15:09):
the traditional trajectory of,say, an actor or musician or a
writer.
And so, as as a content creator, as well.
I'm curious to know what is yourin a perfect world like?
What is your vision foryourself when it comes to, like
content creation?
Justin (15:29):
You know I want for earthy and culture like I want
to out my always fine tuning thepurpose or the vision and
mission for it, but, like,through my content, I want
people to feel safe, feel seen,people to heal, because our
(15:49):
community, the black community,we carry so much trauma and we
carry so much like I don't wantto say darkness, but like it's
always something heavy, and Ijust want to create a space for
people to just leave it thereand just focus on the joy, focus
on the peace, focus on thehappiness that comes, because so
much of our stories are rootedin trauma, pain, something, and
(16:13):
so, with earthy and culture,like I want to be able to heal
through eating, heal throughyoga, heal through these things,
and I hope, you know, over thenext couple of years, I'm able
to create more content centeredaround like plant based healing,
holistic medicine or holistictreatment and wellness, so that
people can heal in this life.
(16:35):
And like I'm always focused on,like, do what you can in this
life, whether it's creativity orjust you know whatever just
heal in this life.
TJ (16:47):
I feel like I've come to this place in my life now
because I've shifted my orpivoted into these other ideas
of how to be creative in my life.
I feel like I've had this momentrecently, in the past two years
, where I realized that what Isigned up for when it came to
(17:11):
performance and acting andmusical theater is that I was
giving voice to other people'sstories and I was not and I
wasn't necessarily aligned withtelling my own stories or
stories that are similar to mybackground, and I think that
that realization out of thepandemic and in the past few
(17:33):
years has really been kind oflike at the forefront of my mind
in creating this podcast and,you know, becoming a content
creator is that I want to givevoice to one, to my story
specifically.
Yes, because I do believe thateveryone's story is very unique
and very specific and I love itand completely of value, yes,
but then also to give room andspace and appreciation for other
(17:55):
people's stories were similar,mm-hmm, or, if not necessarily
similar, of a similar trajectoryand can I just point out, like
something you mentioned a Lot oftimes, I'm always talking to
our friends.
Justin (18:07):
Just like you know, we grew up or society has in a way
groomed us to think we can onlydo one thing.
Mm-hmm, you get a nine to fiveand that's it you you're gonna
go to work, you're gonna comehome, you're gonna take care of
your kids and you're gonna do itagain for the rest of your life
, until you retire.
Yeah, that ain't fun, mm-hmm,especially when the other people
on the other side of the tablethat chillin, they, they, they,
(18:29):
traveling the seven seas, youknow that live in their life,
because I am grinding to makesure their company stays afloat
and so that don't bring me joyand that that hinders our
creativity.
Yeah, by sticking to aone-track mind in a way.
You know, like you go to highschool, you go to college, you
go da, da, da, da, da, that's it, which is interesting, because
(18:51):
I feel like the essence ofcreativity is not that like.
TJ (18:54):
I feel like the essence of creativity is to be More than
just one thing.
Yes, right, most of the greatartists that exist in the world
are not Restricted to onesingular idea when it comes to
their work.
Justin (19:06):
Oh yes.
TJ (19:07):
Yeah.
Justin (19:09):
And that's why I'm always just like I'm gonna
embrace this multi hyphen is.
But like I do again, I have tokind of restructure things
sometimes but I know at the endof the day I just can't do one
thing yeah.
TJ (19:21):
I be miserable.
Yeah, and I think thatrealization of reopening
yourself up to Allow yourselfbecause, I also feel like we've.
Sometimes we forget to givepermission to ourselves To walk
into these other ideas and we'relike, oh no, but I've done it
this way, mm-hmm, or I was quoteunquote supposed to do it this
(19:42):
way, so I have to stick to thisand I have to see this through,
mm-hmm.
But I'm like both things can betrue.
Yes, right.
You can be really great atsomething, but also really good
at something, or even not.
If, if you're not necessarilygreat at something else, mm-hmm,
something else may have be, maybe of interest to you.
Yeah, that is worth exploring,yes, and to give yourself time,
space and energy to explore,that, I think is, is very, very
(20:05):
valuable.
Justin (20:06):
But sometimes, sometimes on the other side of the door,
we met with imposter syndrome,yeah, and we feel that we're not
good enough for it.
And then we let depression orfear or guilt or doubt like
creep into this room when itwasn't there to begin with, like
we were.
We open that joy with the doorwith so much passion and
(20:27):
happiness and then, once we gotit, just like, oh, this is a lot
of work, like I didn't realizeit.
TJ (20:31):
Let's do it.
Justin (20:32):
Yeah, just give yourself permission to be yeah, that's
it.
TJ (20:34):
So, as a creative, how do you deal with this idea of
imposter syndrome?
Justin (20:39):
I'm sorry.
What?
Listen, okay, therapy, um, Iit's it.
It comes and goes.
I would not lie, I would notget on this podcast and say that
I'm a perfect Peter.
I am not.
There are days that I get numbfrom imposter syndrome Because I
, if I will say, there are timesI look at the likes or the
(21:01):
views or the shares, just likewhy am I doing this?
Yeah, like no one wants to seethis stuff, I'm just sell these
microphones.
If you don't just like no, likeyou're gonna be happy, and like
I've had brands reach out Say,hey, can we use his video?
My, sure, like, hey, it's mine.
And so it's just again like thebigger purpose, the bigger
(21:24):
Mission for what I do is just to, you know, advocate for mental
health and for people to healand be happy.
And so it might not take offthe way I wanted to, but I know
that I am worthy of the spacethat I want to take up and I
might do it.
No, it's my space, not thewebsite, but like my space space
(21:45):
, yes, mm-hmm, okay, great.
TJ (21:47):
So with this, so with this idea of being a multi-hyphenate,
Mm-hmm and having all of thesecreative outlets, do you ever
feel like one is Kind of held inhigh regard over the other?
Do you feel like they're all onany cool playing field like
what is?
What is your process?
Justin (22:06):
So it's funny, you accent.
I'm always Like shufflingaround what's important, and it
was just I think last week or acouple of weeks ago I was just
like I have to make one apriority and everything else
with Eden food.
So right now I've madeperformance.
Mm-hmm back been because that'swhat I moved to New York, or I
can be a graphic designer for meto wear, but I moved to New
(22:28):
York for performance and I need,I needed to be reminded of that
and just go okay, this is thefocus.
Everything else will trickledown into that, and something
that the entertainment fund hasstarted recently with their
Classes and workshops that theyoffer.
They were just like we, you allhave to have like multiple
(22:49):
streams of income, mm-hmm.
I was like yes, and then wejust like so, figure out a way
to do it.
And so that's why I was justlike, oh, okay, well, that makes
sense, I'm doing that now, butI needed to stop and say
performance.
We will be the main thing andeverything else would feed into
it, but content creation, in away, is perform it.
Yeah and so what I do for earth,in culture, in Nelson design
(23:09):
lab Comes from me being aperformer.
So yeah, I just makeperformance the main thing now.
TJ (23:15):
And then everything else beats into it interesting
because I feel like I've gottento this place where I'm holding
space for all of the things, andI agree that like they kind of
feed into each other, because mymy interest and journey into
voiceover work Came out of mylove for like singing and then
on stage and using my voice inthat way, and so, even though
(23:39):
it's slightly different andslightly nuanced, I feel like it
.
It feeds that side of me that Iwould want to be on the stage
singing.
To use my voice to createcontent, to give a voice to a
character or to do a commercialor any of those kinds of things,
to still use that instrument,so to speak.
And so I've, I've, I've foundover time that, like this
(24:03):
podcast, for example, even inthe absence of not having
voiceover work, it still givesme the, it's still feeding the
hunger of like wanting to dosomething behind a mic, mm-hmm,
and, and to use that skill andthat technique in a certain kind
of way.
Yes, so, as as a contentcreator, do you ever feel like
(24:26):
you have to censor yourself?
Justin (24:30):
I censor myself only because I don't want that one
thing to become my brand or tobecome what I'm known for, and
so I always have to make sure Idon't wanna say keep it safe or
keep it PG, but I always have tomake sure it is something that,
if it goes viral, I would notbe ashamed for or 14 years from
(24:50):
now and someone's not digging onTwitter just like.
Well, you know what you see ina twin, I know what I see it.
TJ (24:55):
Cause I typed it.
Justin (24:55):
You wanna be proud of your writing Right, so I wanna
be proud of it.
However, thanks for like Patreonyou know, you can say some
things behind the wall, but I'mnot there in my life.
So here we are.
But yeah, I always try toremember who I'm representing.
You know, outside of myself Istill you know my mom and Jesus
Christ, and so other than that,I'm just like.
(25:16):
No, like I would talk aboutcertain topics, like during the
pandemic I discovered rightbefore the pandemic, I
discovered Tantric Yoga, and soa lot of that has helped with
being creative.
But I can't go into detailabout Tantric Yoga because then
people will only hear onespecific part of it and it's
just like oh, tim, we're nottalking about it.
(25:38):
Because, I don't think you havethe mental capacity to deal with
everything that deals withTantric Yoga, so I just don't.
TJ (25:44):
Yeah, yeah.
So, with that being said, doyou feel like you in because,
ultimately, in content creationand being a forward facing
public presence, do you everfeel like you have to kind of
quote unquote, protect yourbrand with that?
You as an actor is differentthan you as a content creator
(26:04):
right.
Those are very two specificviews and so if someone goes to,
say, your Instagram or yourwebsite and sees other content
there that is not actor focus oractor forward, do you ever feel
like you have to kind of likeadjust that so that you are
(26:26):
still viewed as an actor first?
Justin (26:29):
Yes, and that's why I don't post it to my website.
It goes to my stories and itdeletes in 24 hours Only because
you never know who's looking atwhat and I don't want that to
be the day to say why he postedabout that I don't know.
We don't want him representinghis brand, but I'm also human,
so I'm going to post things thatmight be deemed inappropriate
(26:53):
or not professional.
But like, let me live, like,get off my back.
If you can't handle those smallthings, we don't need to work
together.
I am not your ideal client, youknow, not my ideal customers,
so I get that.
TJ (27:02):
Yeah, I feel like there's in the creative world, in more so
in TV and film than I feel liketheater specifically.
But I feel like in the creativeworld there's always this level
of censorship and I'm usingthat term not necessarily in a
negative way, but I feel likethere's always this idea that I
have to protect the brand thatis the actor because I'm not
(27:27):
allowed to.
This is going to sound crazy.
I'm not allowed to be human.
Justin (27:31):
And that's the thing about social media.
You still have control aboutwhat you post, who you follow,
what you engage with and certainthings I just don't post on
social media.
TJ (27:41):
And I'm just like.
Justin (27:41):
No, I would rather keep that part, that part of my human
self to myself.
Like I don't think social mediadeserves all of it.
TJ (27:50):
Yeah, so what do you with that being said, what do you
protect for yourself, or what doyou keep for yourself?
Justin (27:58):
I'm more vocal now about my mental health journey but
like things when I say withTantric Yoga and how it has
helped heal a lot of childhoodwounds and stuff, I don't talk
about that on social mediabecause Tantric Yoga has then
become more commercial and I'mjust like that's not the Tantric
Eye Study, so I'm not going totalk about it because it'll turn
into this big thing and I'mjust like don't even worry about
(28:20):
it.
TJ (28:21):
I feel like I've kept close to the chest my spirituality
because and we said this in aprevious episode we grew up very
much in the church and likehave similar backgrounds.
but I've evolved and I feel liketo express the evolution
publicly can be quote, unquote,damaging in a way, and so I've
(28:44):
chosen to keep that aspect of mylife to myself, close to the
chest, because I feel like it'sirrelevant to the work that I'm
doing that if something comes upto where I have to play a
certain character or I'm put ina position that revolves around
religion or spirituality orwhatever, we can have a
discussion about it then.
But I try really hard to keepthat away from my performance,
(29:07):
life yeah.
So, in this idea of tapping intoyour creativity, what are some
of your structures or thingsthat you have set in place to
kind of feed that and tomotivate you, because I feel
like Oftentimes I feel likeartists specifically we can get
(29:30):
into a slump and it becomesreally hard to be creative, even
though we want to be creative.
So what do you do to kind oflike help you get out of rut, or
to help feed the creativity orchannel the energy to be
creative?
Justin (29:44):
So I do honor the moon cycle.
So, like if there's a new moon,blue moon, Mercury, retrograde,
like those periods.
I do honor those and I willfigure out where in my natal
chart it is causing me someblockage or some releasing.
And I honor that.
I also do shadow work.
If I partake in the herbalessence we don't know, and I
(30:10):
will let myself rest and my mindgoes and I just start writing
stuff down.
I have a note page full ofthoughts and I will go back to
it and I'm just like this iswhere I need to create from.
Cause again my creativity ishealing my inner child, and so
(30:31):
it was.
I mean I could I can pull outthe phone now and show you, but
it was some things and I'll talkto my therapist about it and I
would talk to other people aboutit.
But, like those things thatneed to be healed, become a
creative outlet for me to createso that I can heal it, create
so I can honor it, create so Ican release it.
So those are my ways of tappingback into creativity, Also like
(30:55):
things that are trending youknow if it's trending, I'm like
let me try and like I don't likeit.
And if I don't like it I ain'tgotta keep doing it, so I'm fine
with it.
So it took me a while to evenstart a podcast and I was just
like, no, this is not myministry, but I was going about
it the wrong way.
Yeah, exactly.
TJ (31:10):
Okay With.
I do believe that creativityand art has the power to heal
and has the power to shift andtransform us as individuals.
What has been like the mosttransformative moment for you
when it comes to being creative?
Justin (31:27):
I would say the most transformative performance was a
chorus line.
And listen, we were at theaterMemphis and I was Richie, and we
got to that last scene, secondto last scene, where they talked
about one of the characters.
He like sprang his ankle and we, just, we all collected.
(31:48):
Who would like it could be us,like any one of us?
Because, springer, in ourcareer, our career as an artist
or creative or performer, wouldbe over.
And I was just like oh we criedI mean, we cried like some
babies in the room and it justmade us appreciate art more and
(32:08):
more.
So, being on stage and havingthat like that moment to escape
from, like Justin, but likecreate a character, I was just
like, yes, like this is why I dothat, even as Mayor Munchkin, I
was like what am I?
A little short, simple, if I'mgonna say it, but it was fun to
just be funny and to be, youknow, a character.
(32:29):
And then, like even now, withcontent creation, I'm just like
I'm being myself, but it's fun,like I'm not taking it so
serious, like I'm just turningthe camera on being myself,
sharing it with people I wouldprobably never meet in my life.
And just being put the wrongway, like I made one reel
recently and I think it's at58.7 K views.
(32:53):
I wish it would stop.
TJ (32:55):
I was excited in notifications.
Justin (32:57):
I'm just like it's the whole dream girl thing and I was
just like, okay, this was funwhile it lasted, but it was
funny and I appreciated it.
So I just I don't know.
There are moments where I'm allin, I'm just like yes, in
moments I'm just like.
TJ (33:11):
I'm gonna go to sleep.
No, I think I told you aboutthis, but I did a show called
Murder Ballad a few years agoyeah, I think it's been three or
four years now and it was afour person musical.
It's rock musical and I am notnecessarily partial to rock
musicals just because I don'tbelieve that I have a rock voice
.
I have a very contemporarystoryteller pad, or song type of
(33:33):
voice.
And that experience really kindof shifted one.
It shifted my idea of who I amas a former, who I am capable of
, but it also put me in a placewhere, in telling that story, I
played the character Tom.
Just a brief description theshow is a love triangle gone
(33:55):
wrong and ends in a murder.
So it then becomes like amurder mystery type of thing
where you're trying to figureout throughout the show who was
the person that killed Tom.
And so there was a moment inthe show I think it was the
second night- that we did theperformance.
There's a moment in the showwhere Tom has like lost
(34:16):
everything.
He's lost this woman that he wasin love with.
He finds out that she'spregnant, the child is not his
yeah, and he is confronting herand the new lover with the child
and he breaks.
He like literally breaks down.
There's the song, is literallyhim like watching them and like
watching them become a familyand all this stuff and he has
(34:38):
this whole breakdown moment.
And it was the secondperformance.
I did it and came out of theshow and was like I didn't know
that I was capable of that, LikeI tapped into something that I
didn't know that I had.
And those are the moments, whenit comes to being creative,
that I'm like I love.
This is why I love it.
Because, it's always changing,it's always surprising me, it's
(35:00):
always evolving and sometimesyou'll surprise yourself.
Do you feel like you've had oneof those moments, outside of
the Richie thing, where you'vesurprised yourself in something
that you've done creatively,whether it be performance or
content creation?
Justin (35:16):
A lot of moments I know, one of which I can't even with
your story.
I wasn't a big fan ofShakespeare.
I was just like, who can doShakespeare?
I did a comedy of errors, baby.
You can tell me none.
I was on stage living and I hada lot, but it was just being in
the moment and grossing thecharacters and I was just like I
could do this I can do.
Shakespeare.
TJ (35:36):
I haven't done my resume now .
Justin (35:37):
So that was one thing creating commercial videos and
getting responses from people.
I was playing around.
TJ (35:49):
I don't know what I was doing.
Justin (35:50):
And I created it and I pressed play and I ran after
church.
I was like I don't wanna hearanyone talk about.
I'm like yeah, and people arelike you did that.
You know, just like, yeah, Idid that.
I was like you're so good.
I was just like, oh, thank you.
But it felt I liked that.
That's when I felt like I'mreally doing this, I'm really on
in it.
But as far as performances, Iknow that comedy of errors was
(36:12):
one.
I know color purple was heavyfor me because I think my father
had just passed and we got tothat last scene and mind you the
whole cast.
We just broke down crying onthis, that one moment, like a
grand or something, I'm justlike oh.
I didn't even be emotional.
I was a wreck.
What else Mary Poppins got me?
Oh well, I was the.
(36:33):
Anything can happen if you letit.
I was living in that moment.
So it's just like those momentsof joy that I got just being a
performer, it's just like I'mproud to do this and I'm happy
to be here.
I love that.
TJ (36:48):
So thank you for joining us on another episode of Teeboot TJ
and, as before, I like to endwith three questions.
Justin (36:56):
So get ready.
TJ (36:59):
If you could tell your younger self anything, what
would you tell?
Justin (37:03):
You gonna make me cry.
Oh God, let's see If I can telllittle Justin it's gonna be
okay, it's gonna work out, yes.
TJ (37:16):
I love that.
What would you say was thepivotal moment for you as an
artist?
Justin (37:24):
The pandemic.
I know it was the best time ofmy life.
TJ (37:29):
Yes, why.
Justin (37:31):
It just allowed me to tap into more creative things,
like I had allowed so manythings that I do just to lie
dormant or become like asurvival thing, and didn't find
the joy in it.
I just saw the money that cameout of it, and now I'm just like
I find joy in doing this.
TJ (37:46):
Thanks, pandemic.
I love that.
I feel like I discovered a lotduring the pandemic.
And then, finally, what wouldyou say has been the most
healing experience so creative?
Justin (37:59):
The most healing experience as a creative, I
think, the rejection.
I know it's like counterwhatever.
But the rejection allowed me togo.
It kind of punched me and itwas just like why are you doing
this?
Get back in the game.
But like, learn the lesson anddon't do it again.
(38:22):
And so the rejection kind ofhelped shape me to who I am.
TJ (38:26):
Gotcha.
I love that, so I don't let nofriends.
I'll see you next week andthat's our show.
Friends, thanks for joining uson Tea with TJ.
Please rate, review andsubscribe, and you can find us
on Instagram at tea with TJpodcast.
(38:47):
And, as always, stay kind, keepsipping and remember we're here
.
So good night as well.
Do it and I'll see you nextweek.
I'll see you next week.
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