A MOMENT WITH
Jessie Swinford
Art and creativity has played a key role in shaping who I am from a very young age. I used to think that what I ‘did’ made me who I am, and that the art I created somehow formed part of my personhood. Which in part I think is true, but it was always the Creator’s artistry that was marking my life. Once I recognized that, I was able to create from such a place of authenticity, knowing WHO I found my identity in and reflecting that through all that I created. Hi, my name is Jessie (yes that is my full name) and I am 19 years old. I am a dancer and I have worn many other creative hats or ‘titles’; but most importantly I am a daughter, created by the ultimate Artisan, purposed to reveal Him in all that I do and all that I create. A bit of back story… I was born and experienced my early childhood years in South Africa and I am extremely proud of those roots. I then moved to the Sunshine Coast, Australia and had many of my formative years in that little beach town, which are filled with memories 132
FAITH FOLLOWS
and adventure. I am currently living in Sydney, Australia and have been falling more in love with this city day by day. I was blessed enough to have taken up dancing at the age of three, as well as having the freedom to put my hand to an eclectic range of art forms such as music, acting, painting, photography and in more recent years, writing. I have a deep passion for creative expression as a whole; appreciating that different people can bring something so unique through their own avenue of gifts. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was that kick started my beautiful and imperfect journey with dance. I like to think that there was a predesigned pull within my soul that drew me toward the wonderful world of expression through movement. I owe a lot of my flourishing within dance to my superwoman of a mom. She made so many sacrifices of time, money, energy and simple support for me to do what I loved most. From early morning drives to competitions to late night rehearsals and all the inbetweens (sewing point shoe ribbons between shows) she truly made my
passions a possibility. I believe that my family has had a major influence on my art and the way that I create. They are far from perfect, but they hold this beauty and rawness within the way that we persistently love each other through everything. I try to let that flow into my creativity, aiming to bring something that has a raw authentic beauty, something real that can leave a lasting impact on people or help them to see the world from a new angle. I am determined to create things that I am proud of, things of meaning that express my soul and draw others home. What drives me to create is the hope that in some way people may see a glimpse of the Divine Creator; that I might open a window to heaven for someone to peer in and see His goodness and truth. I think that is the one thing that keeps me motivated through every season of busyness and grind, within the tension of balancing multiple creative disciplines as well as being a full time student. I no longer create for myself or for the simple sake
