Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayy Jenkins.
Hi Jayy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Hello,
My name is Jayy Jenkins. I am 34 years old from Denton, TX. My pronouns are He/Him. I am a parent to 5 children that I gave birth to five years in a row, and I am a bonus mom to 5 other children who I helped raise & love as if they were my own. I am a former Police Officer, and I have an extensive background working with special needs children and adults. I am currently working as a Life Coach, and I have been a Professional Photographer for 20 years now. I started my photography business when I was 14 years old, and I am still going to this day. The pandemic, amongst other events, took a huge toll on my photography business. I lost several clients and haven’t really had any business since. Here is some more information about my life story. I am married to an amazing man who has served almost 20 years in the Texas Public School system as a teacher and Administrator! My husband is an East Texas Native near Tyler. Texas. We met on Facebook several years ago, and we’ve been living our best lives ever since! My husband and I are both Transgender. He started his transition 7 years ago, and I started my transition 3 years ago. We were both assigned female at birth, but now live full-time as our true selves. I had an extremely hard life growing up. I could write a book about it, but in the end, I overcame all of the obstacles that came my way. I am now living my best life as my true authentic self, and just want to help teach others that they can do the same!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
On March 31st, 1989, I was born in Denton, TX to a 14-year-old drug addict teen mom who was forced to give me up for adoption immediately. I was given to a Catholic Orphanage in Fort Worth, TX, shortly after birth. A few weeks later my mother’s parents changed their mind, and they decided to let her keep me. They drove back to Fort Worth to get me, and the rest was history. I was raised by grandparents because my mother was so young and didn’t know how to care for me very well. My mother always put men and drugs before me, but after all these years, I have always maintained a good relationship with my mother. My Father (or who they said was my father) was very narcissistic and abusive to my mother and I during their marriage. They divorced when I was 9, and I stayed with my mom. In 6th grade, my mom abandoned me to run off to Lubbock, TX to live with her boyfriend. I came home one day from 6th grade and didn’t see or hear from my mom again for three years. She didn’t leave a note or anything. I thought she was dead. When she didn’t come home that day, I was forced to live with my dad and his new wife in Krum, TX for my 7th & 8th-grade year. I didn’t hear from my mom until I was a freshman in high school. She called my dad one day and acted like nothing had ever happened. She said she loved me and missed me and that she was pregnant with a baby sister. She said she was in Lubbock, TX, all this time but that when she returned, I could live with her. All throughout middle school and high school, I was raising babies and going to work after school. I was having to raise my baby sisters because my mom was too high on meth and several other drugs to take care of them. My parents went to jail and prison several times. Eventually, CPS took my siblings away, and their dad’s parents finished raising them. We all had different dads. My mom was really bad on drugs and had so many boyfriends and marriages. When I was 14, my mom told me that the man I called dad all my life wasn’t even my biological father at all. When I asked, “Well, who is my dad then!” She responded, “I don’t know. I was too much of a whore; I don’t remember.” I went on a search for my biological father since the age of 14 years old, and the abusive man that raised me then walked out of my life forever. I later found my biological father at age 24 years old. I am currently on my 3rd marriage. I didn’t have my first real friend until I was 30 years old due to having such a traumatic life. I experienced lots of abuse, rejection, and neglect until the age of 30. I am now 34 years old and a proud Spiritual Healer! I have grown through many trials and tribulations, and I now help others who have been through trauma to heal themselves as well! This is just a small fraction of my life story… I am extremely transparent and will answer any other questions you may have 🙂
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been doing Professional Photography since I was 14 years old. I have always just wanted to capture the beauty of creation all around me! When I look through the camera lens, I see what our creator sees. I see the good in things! I see how beautiful people and things really are, and I like to capture that moment! I also love to dance, sing, produce music, and do many other forms of art! My husband and I have a business together where we turn furniture into art and also take photos to show what we see as the beauty of creation! I am most proud of having a business run by two members of the LGBTQIA+ community who do all of their artwork with 100% good intentions. We just love to bless others in any way that we can, but especially with our artwork!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Your mentor will always find YOU! That’s the best advice I could give!
Contact info:
- Instagram: @prismofartism
Image Credits
Jayy Jenkins
