Justin and Patrice Brim by no means imagined they’d encounter tragedy. The dad and mom of two boys, the couple was residing fortunately in Chicago when their oldest son, JJ, unexpectedly handed away. Turning their ache into ardour and devoted to offering the absolute best childhood for his or her second son, Jaxon, the couple got down to accomplish a dream — creating a mirrored image of their kids within the animation area.
Justin and Patrice quickly welcomed two extra sons, Jett and Jhy, and in 2020, they created JOOLS TV, an animated kids’s YouTube channel that blends acquainted nursery rhymes with the energetic vibes of hip-hop tradition. The channel has develop into an enormous success, with over 530K subscribers and 370 million views.
Now, Justin and Patrice are taking over the publishing world. The couple have launched the brand new kids’s guide, “JJ’s Affirmations,” which is devoted to their late son and provides a brand new dimension to the couple’s work. The colourful illustrations and rhyming poetry on each web page assist children overcome self-doubts with the ability of affection and affirmations. The venture features a companion coloring guide filled with posters that assist artists apply the affirmations they be taught within the guide. Altogether, the attractive messaging extends JJ’s life — permitting his youthful brothers and all readers an opportunity to know and expertise his constructive affect.
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Black Love caught up with Justin and Patrice to delve deeper into their journey, unpack their inspirations, and uncover what lies forward for the unbelievable duo. Their story isn’t just about music and leisure; it’s about making a legacy that uplifts and conjures up — so let’s dive in.
Black Love: Are you able to share with us the story behind the creation of JOOLS TV and the event of “JJ’s Affirmations”?
Patrice Brim: Completely. JOOLS TV happened after the delivery of our first son, JJ. We observed the cartoons he was watching and observed illustration was lacking. Once we misplaced JJ, we channeled our ache into ardour. We wrote our blueprint and launched JOOLS TV. It’s been a journey of turning a deep loss into one thing significant for different households.
BL: How has the lack of your son, JJ, formed your journey in creating this guide and music?
Justin Brim: Dropping JJ is one thing we couldn’t put into phrases, so it led us to motion. We knew this loss was going to be one thing we’d undergo for the remainder of our lives, however we didn’t need it to be a demise sentence for all of us. We needed to encourage others and switch our ache into one thing constructive.The journey has helped us in our grieving course of. Ya know, memorializing him, preserving his reminiscence alive and permitting his brothers to be linked to him.
PB: Each day, I grieve for JJ. I don’t all the time know the way my morning or evening will go. However I even have realized to be current within the second, for him and our different kids. The whole lot we put into the guide and music displays this sentiment.
BL: Are you able to describe JJ’s persona and the way it influenced the content material of “JJ’s Affirmations”?
JB: JJ was tremendous vibrant, an actual boyish character but in addition delicate and delicate. The cartoon character within the guide and present is predicated on him. Regardless of being solely three when he handed, his legacy will reside on as his persona shapes the content material of his character within the guide and on display.PB: “JJ’s Affirmations” is a mirrored image of who JJ was – a really affirming, constructive little one. We needed to showcase his spirit, his mild, and what an awesome little one he was. It’s about preserving his reminiscence alive and sharing that positivity with others.
BL: In what methods do you are feeling that JJ’s spirit lives on by way of your work?
JB: JJ’s spirit is in each piece of our work. He was the primary to name me Dad, and his fearless nature is what drives us as entrepreneurs. We intention to seize that very same fearlessness and pleasure he had in life and embed it in our initiatives.
BL: Have been there any specific challenges you confronted whereas balancing the emotional weight of your private story with the necessity to create one thing uplifting on your viewers?
JB: We wish folks to be impressed by the JJ’s spirit. So for me it has all the time been about celebrating who he was as a substitute of specializing in how he’s not right here. The way in which he was on this earth was extraordinarily affirming. I felt a way of peace by bringing consideration to who he was as a child so his affirming spirit can encourage different children.PB: The most important problem was writing the dedication web page. That was the place I crumbled essentially the most as a result of it was a approach of speaking to JJ. …Excuse me. [Tears, silence] It was a second — refreshing, and delightful, however laborious.
BL: How do you suppose “JJ’s Affirmations” contributes to the dialog in regards to the legacy of Black kids in our communities?
JB: I feel all the things begins with self-love. It begins with the way in which you take a look at your self as a result of that’s the place you’re going to place your values. I feel that the black neighborhood has put an excessive amount of stress on themselves to look a sure approach, and we now have fallen for the beliefs of different folks. If we begin off younger by educating our youngsters to see worth in how they appear and the way God made them, it may possibly in all probability assist the black neighborhood itself with the way in which we take a look at ourselves and one another. If we see magnificence in ourselves, then we’ll see magnificence in our neighbors as nicely. Beginning out with our children, our youngsters, our infants, and affirming them that their pores and skin is gorgeous, their hair is gorgeous, is a step in the proper path. However nobody is aware of learn how to utterly treatment the problems we now have in our communities. The whole lot begins with self-love as a result of while you suppose extremely of your self, you place your self in several conditions and make higher choices based mostly on that.
BL: Are there any future initiatives within the pipeline for JOOLS TV that you would be able to share with us?
JB: Sure, we plan to launch extra books this yr, every permitting our youngsters to be authors. We wish to proceed to encourage and inspire others by way of our household’s journey and experiences.
BL: What recommendation would you give to others who’ve skilled related loss and are searching for to channel their grief into artistic expression?
JB: Keep trustworthy and discover the braveness to stand up. Use your expertise to inspire and encourage others. It’s about legacy and utilizing the life we’re given to its fullest.
PB: First, grieve. Take nonetheless lengthy you want. As soon as your days develop into a little bit higher be true to your self and put on your feelings and pour them into your venture. It’s a solution to discover peace and symbolize your misplaced liked one in one of the simplest ways potential. Justin and Patrice Brim’s journey with JOOLS TV is extra than simply leisure; it’s a heartfelt mission. Their new guide, “JJ’s Affirmations,” together with the companion coloring guide, is just not solely a tribute to their son JJ but in addition an emblem of hope and empowerment for households in every single place. We encourage everybody to share this stunning guide with their family members. By doing so, you’re not simply spreading phrases of affirmation and positivity, you’re additionally changing into half of a bigger motion that celebrates resilience, pleasure, and the enduring spirit of neighborhood.
