Artist Spotlight - Christie Grimes
HarmoNNY is excited to share our August Artist Spotlight, Christie Grimes. Christie is a poet, author and Assistant Professor of English at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, NY. Christie was highlighted in our April Quarter Notes event with her piece “Thoughts on the End of Lockdown, March 2021.”
Christie is originally from Clear Lake, TX and currently resides in Sackets Harbor, NY. Christie has enjoyed writing since she has been in grade school. Her big moment as a writer was seeing her work in print. Christie shared that what helps her as a writer is creating a routine similar to that of a workout. To make progress with one’s art, some kind of commitment on a daily or near daily basis is necessary.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Christie realized the importance of fueling one’s creative side. She now plans ‘artist dates’ where she does something fun that fulfills her playful side and helps inspire her, whether that be walking through nature, going to a museum or farmers market, swinging on the playground, listening to live music or more. Christie shared that she is inspired by the energy of a live performance. She will typically go see a live performance and something will speak to her so she will have to pull out her journal, or an old receipt, and jot down some notes. Ms. Grimes also uses music to create an atmosphere when working on her writing. She is currently working on writing a supernatural thriller set in Sackets Harbor and gets immersed in the writing process by listening to the soundtrack from Silence of the Lambs.
Christie performs her works at open mic nights or poetry/book readings. Prior to COVID-19, she also hosted First Fridays at her home in Sackets Harbor with her husband. First Fridays showcased a blend of music and spoken word. Each month they highlighted a couple of local artists and featured at least one original piece per artist.
Christie’s words of advice for aspiring artists are “be willing to share” and “celebrate what you have created.” She encourages writers to always continue creating and to immerse oneself in creative endeavors as you can pull from all different experiences and interactions.
For any aspiring writers, be sure to check out National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. This national program has a group that meets in Watertown, both virtually and in-person, to discuss topics and ideas. The goal of this program is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Although this is a feat, many use this to kickstart their work and gain momentum and ideas, which goes along with Christie's advice to always keep creating!
Be sure to check out Christie’s poetry books Last to Leave and Finding Fruit Among Thorns available through Amazon. To find out more about Christie, watch the full interview and be sure to check out her website using the link below.
