Permission is the cornerstone of J9Joy. It’s about the freedom to explore your creativity fully. That’s why my art is so diverse and varied. It’s about turning off the critic in your head and dismissing the idea that you have to be perfect in order to create something perfectly wonderful. If you’re lucky, determined and willing, you can turn your joy into an adventure. And, if you’re really lucky, you can help other people give themselves the same permission.
The switch flipped for me when I learned that there was more to the saying, “A jack of all trades is master of none.” The full quote is, “A jack of all trades is master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.” I started trying all kinds of things, learning new things, finding my own vision for the crafts that were bringing me so much newfound joy. I also started looking for ways to incorporate my other passions, like recycling and nature.
At that point, I was making lots of stuff and giving it away. One day, my sister told me that I had to “stop calling it crafts, because it’s art.” People started asking to buy the things I’d made, then they started commissioning pieces. Friends asked me to show them “how to.” So began J9Joy.
Recycling, upcycling and nature are often part of my process. I look for opportunities to give bottles, jars, cans, lamps, lampshades, old sheet music, magazines, clothes, linens, books, frames, etc. a new, beautiful, and lasting life. It’s important to reduce what we send to landfills. In addition to upcycling the things we use at home, I thrift, go to garage sales, use and share on local boards. The natural elements I use have fallen or are harvested sustainably. It’s tremendously gratifying to see the joy these renewed and reimagined pieces bring to others. The icing on that cake is in those moments that I get to inspire people to reimagine upcycling in their own lives.
If my art brings you joy, I’m thrilled! If you’re inspired by what I do, I’m delighted to be part of that. I believe that you’re only limited by the risks you don’t take. So, go ahead and try whatever inspires you. You don’t know what you can do or what you may be good at, until you try.
In addition to the art you see, we support Books for Jails, which seeks donations of books for inmates in Los Angeles County Jails. For more information on their mission, go to their website. And please consider donating your old books to this great cause.
—J-9 (a.k.a. Janine / Aaron's & Daniel's Mom / Mrs. Liebman)
About Janine
Janine grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, graduated with a BA in Music from Columbia College and now makes her home in Los Angeles. She is married to Ian Liebman, a fellow musician and partner in J9 Joy. They have two boys and six cats.
While always creative, she only made things for herself or for gifts, shackled by the notion that “A jack of all trades is master of none.” One day, surrounded by things she had created and cabinets full of art supplies, she came across the full quote, written in the 1500s, ostensibly about Shakespeare, “A jack of all trades is master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one.”
With that, the dam built of self-doubt crumbled. She has described this as the moment that she gave herself permission to try anything. Everything became inspiration and the opportunity to learn new skills. Eventually, new and old skills, and even newer skills were combined into new things. People began to see her art, and to request it.
And, here we are. J9 Joy is both an unexpected destination and the start of a journey. Hopefully, you can be moved and inspired to explore your interests and let them become passions. Afterall . . .
“Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.” — G.K. Chesterton
“Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.” — G.K. Chesterton
“I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection.”– Drake
“I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection.”– Drake
“If you want to fly, give up everything that holds you down.” — Toni Morrison
“If you want to fly, give up everything that holds you down.” — Toni Morrison
Music from Janine's CD, Trinkets, can be found on iTunes and all music streaming sites.