Meet Rin Faith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rin Faith.

Rin, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began writing poetry when I was twelve years old after experiencing depression for the first time. During this stage in my life, I had a really hard time communicating. I couldn’t explain my feelings well and it frustrated many of the people around me, so I turned to writing to try and overcome it. I was a huge fan of Wattpad so at first, all I wrote was cringey love stories similar to the Y.A. novels I was reading at the time.

I couldn’t tell you the exact moment that I became a poet, but it happened somewhere between drowning myself in cringey Tumblr quotes and discovering Button Poetry. The poets who inspired me to start (and continue) writing are Danez Smith, Porsha Olaiywola, Olivia Gatwood, Rudy Francisco, Blythe Baird, and many more. To me, the most influential thing about all of these people was their ability to get on stage and speak clearly about taboo topics and be an inspiration to others.

So, during this time period in my life, the main thing that helped me in my search for a healthy coping mechanism was realizing how diverse mental illness is. For example, many poets struggle with depression, but it wasn’t until I found seven different poets speak about depression in seven different ways that I realized, I truly wasn’t alone in what I was going through. So I figured, if they could be an inspiration to me, I could be an inspiration to the next twelve-year-old alternative black girl who didn’t feel like she had a place in the world.

I am also a photographer, creative director, youtuber, and sustainable fashion connoisseur. I started working with cameras when I created a YouTube channel at fourteen and attended a summer program at the New York Film Academy when I was fifteen. My love for photography sprang into action when I met my best friend, Jonathan Vizionary, my junior year in high school. We would skip drama club together and take pictures on the tennis court. Small acts like that turned into both of us now having our own photography businesses in Atlanta that specialize in videography as well.

My interest in creative directing recently blossomed when I met two creatives, Brandon Flowers and Bria Maiden, at my current university, North Carolina A&T. Together we’ve shot a handful of concepts that have received a lot of engagement on our social media platforms. They both helped me dive deeper into the photography, editing, and directing skills that I didn’t even know I had.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth pursuing ever comes easy. There have been many trials I have and have yet to face. The most important thing I’ve learned within the first few months of 2020 is that nothing is linear. No matter how much we expect or want it to be. And that freaking sucks. But it’s the truth. One of the many challenges I’ve faced when it comes to my poetry is how it makes others feel, specifically the people in my life. I can guarantee you that if you’re one of my family members, a friend, or a past lover, I have written something about you, whether you’ve heard it or not. However, the main person I have affected is probably my dad. This is mostly because the poems I write about him tend to cast him in a negative light, but all of my work is based on truth. I cannot apologize for the mistake’s others have made or how they made me feel. The only thing I am capable of is addressing them efficiently and moving on regardless of how the other person takes it.

Please tell us about your work.
So, I am a poet first. I am the current poet laureate of North Carolina A&T State University and on the E-board of the university’s poetry team. I have spent the last two years cultivating my two manuscripts while simultaneously developing my writing style. On-campus I am largely known for my poetry and YouTube videos. I am very proud of the rising success of my YouTube channel and the heights I have reached in the two years I have been in college. I have changed for the better in numerous ways and while there have been many misfortunes, I am continuing to move forward to get where I am destined to be.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I feel like perseverance is the most important characteristic that I possess. This is because when I look back on previous situations, I realize that while my conscious mind did not want to go on in those moments, my subconscious mind did. And I think that that is all that matters. My work ethic is another one of the personality traits that has taken me to new heights. I know what I need to get done and I can efficiently prioritize my next move because of that. While I have achieved many things on my own, the friends and family that continue to support me throughout my adversities play a large part on my road to success.

Contact Info:

• Email: trinityfharris@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rinthewriter/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/trinityfaith611

Image Credit:
Bria Maiden & Jonathan Vizionary

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