We recently had the chance to connect with James Crutcher and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning James, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I find myself loosing track of time when I’m playing guitar or learning piano. Before becoming an athlete I devoted a lot of my time towards music and I still find a lot of joy in going back to my roots where I don’t feel the pressure of being an athlete trying to create new videos. It almost reminds me how to enjoy what I am doing and tap into my creative side again.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey my name is James, I am a fitness/athletic content creator based out of Salt Lake City who specializes in martial arts Tricking and freestyle tumbling! I started posting online as a way to share my progress with friends and it slowly turned into a platform where I can help inspire others to have fun and explore movement!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Growing up I had stage fright and never thought I would enjoy performing in-front of crowds. Because of this fear I was too afraid to ask my parents to sign me up for gymnastics or martial arts classes. I instead started looking up YouTube videos and began teaching myself all these skills. Later on I started filming and posting videos online of what I learned and as I got more views I realized me posting a flipping video that gets 10,000 views isn’t much different than doing those flips in-front of 1,000 people. This helped me get over my stage fright and later on in life I would end up performing tumbling passes during NBA games being watched by +10,000 people live in person plus the viewers watching live at home! Of course I still get nervous but it’s the nervous excitement rather than the fear that once weighed down on me. In summary I never believed I would perform on staged for huge crowds due to my fears, but now I know I can perform in-front of any number of people and instead of being afraid, I’ll live for those moments!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me the true reasons you should continue pushing forward. Before I tore my ACL, Hamstring and PCL my only motivation toward training was to get clips so I could get paid. I wasn’t having fun with my talents. After getting injured, i quickly realized there’s more to life than getting clips or being the best athlete I could be. I began celebrating the little wins more than I celebrated any other skills I learned in the past. Me walking without crutches or me walking downstairs meant more to me than any other clips I filmed before the injury. Suffering through this new chapter in my life taught me how to appreciate everything life has to offer, rather than being fixated on what clips I need to get, or skills I need to do to stay relevant in my niche!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
One person I really admire for their character is Tanner Braungardt. He is someone who I used to idolize growing up. I loved his YouTube videos and I remember wanting to live the same lifestyle he lived! A few years ago we’ve become good friends and I’ve gotten to know him as a person rather than a public figure and I really respect his work ethic and his ability to be such a positive person who genuinely gets to know everyone he meets, whether that be a fan who is asking for a picture or someone who doesn’t know who he is! He is such a real person it’s hard for me to remember how much I idolized him growing up because of how normal he acts. He never let the fame get to his head and he doesn’t fit in with the same “influencer” crowd people expect when they think of YouTube stars. And although I’m nowhere near the level he’s at, I always wanted to take this same approach of treating everyone with respect, no matter who you are or who they are!
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I remember when I started posting videos on Instagram, my biggest goal was to get 10,000 followers. After reaching that goal I realized that nothing in my life has actually changed. I would later go on to getting +50,000 and continue building my brand but even then my life is still relatively normal. I do really enjoy the opportunity of doing brand deals, sponsorships, and interviews such as this one, but other than that I am a normal person. I am truly grateful for everything I have accomplished and all of the people who have supported me through my journey so far, but I wouldn’t say I am satisfied since there is always more I want to accomplish!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamezboyy?igsh=bWpsbW1nencyanl1
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@jamezboyy?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwL9-_RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp5waFVVLx1nByuvBonqG2F1092fDmCrqRdqCiM5GzINEKVxuMAXe3wnaRD5W_aem_8itaGDe5xIolfezFksOrcg
Image Credits
Zac Brannen
