Jayaira Grhim is 'Painfully Beautiful'

In just a little more than a decade, 22-year-old Jayaira “Artistic Genius” Grhim has overcome more obstacles than many of her peers, yet has found her own unique way to tell her story through spoken word.

The Youngstown State University student transformed her trials into triumphs with the release of her book of poetry, “Painfully Beautiful” in January 2014.

“It feels kind of surreal because I never saw myself here with a book and everything. I can’t believe that I am where I am today. And to have people say that I’m inspiring is a great feeling, but it’s also humbling,” she said.

Grhim, who says she began writing as a means to escape the harsh realities of drug addiction and violence growing up in the projects of Campbell, Ohio, developed and honed her skills 3 years ago but never considered herself a poet.

“I [was] always a writer but it wasn’t really poetry. I started writing from pain”. She said. “I moved to the projects when I was 6 from a house to an apartment complex then the violence and the drug abuse started to pick up heavy even in my family".

In her book, she combines the same vulnerable grit that she uses to captivate her audiences while on stage. Her words are unapologetic, yet honest—something she asserts surprised some of her readers.

“A lot of people were kind of shocked when they sat down and read the book. Everyone who got the book can relate to a different poem in the book. I just want to bless at least one person,” she explains.

The outspoken artist has continued to blossom since the early days of her writing, releasing a mix tape, “Raw but Real” and performing across the country such as, but not limited to the Apache Café in Atlanta and True Voices in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been featured as a RAW artist in Cleveland, Ohio, won first place in Warren Ohio's African Festival, second place in Youngstown Ohio's All City Variety Show and performed alongside Christian Poet, Karness Turner in Kentucky's Amplified event.

She is the co-host of S.P.E.A.K (Silence Prevents Education And Knowledge) Up Sundays, which is an event every first Sunday of the month located at the Fresh Oil Community Center (2333 glen wood Ave). It is free and open to the public and provides an opportunity for artists to express themselves.

Though the young artist says she has crossed off many goals on her list, she has no plan of stopping.