A BALANCED LIFE
Meet New York Based Jamie Grimstad, the tastemaker who proves you can in fact enjoy a healthy balanced lifestyle in the fast paced world of fashion.
WORDS BY JACK FREEMAN & IMAGES BY GINA KIM
Initially launching her site littlejamieg.com as a mere personal blog, within months it quickly spiraled into an Internet sensation, gaining hundreds of thousands of views. Grimstad a contributor of Teen Vogue and a social media powerhouse regularly shares moments within her own personal lifestyle including the latest street and activewear geared towards healthy wellbeing, recent travels to Aspen Colorado and Mallorca Spain as well as nutritious food options.
Currently attending the Ivy League Columbia University in Upper Manhattan, Grimstad looks towards a bright future as she savors her thriving success as she continues to merge with likeminded designers and mega brands developing the ultimate balanced lifestyle combining wearable high-fashion, organic dinning, travel, fitness, art and music. As her brand continues to expand Grimstad say’s “I don’t know what’s in store and I am actually really excited about that”.
What are you currently inspired by?
I’m constantly inspired by the people that I am surrounded by. The conversations that I have, and the places that I go. My creative process always happens on a whim and I get the best ideas in the most unexpected situations. A lot of my inspiration comes from doing the things that I love — which is essentially what I write about.
Where do you currently call home?
I’m originally from Nashville, Tennessee, but I moved to New York going into my freshman year of high school. Therefore, because it’s most recent to me, New York City is definitely what I currently call “home”. I can’t even put into words how much I love New York there’s something about it that makes me so happy. I love being able to take a cab from 114th street at school downtown to Soho and feeling like I’m in an entirely different city. The vibes of New York, the fashion, the food, the people that it attracts, are all what make it such an incredible city.
All time favourite Destination?
To be honest, If I could choose to be anywhere in the world at anytime NYC would be my choice. I love it. But, I’m a city girl at heart so, I love going to London or Paris. If I don’t end up staying in New York later on in life, I see myself living in one of those two cities.
Where to next?
My blog has brought me so many opportunities to learn new things and improve on my writing; however, while I have tried to focus on my brand so far, there’s so much more I want to experiment with. Not to mention, so much room to expand — content wise and creativity wise. The past few months have been crazy! But in terms of moving forward, I don’t know what’s in store and I am actually really excited and happy about that. Maybe a book is next? Or a design collaboration with a major brand?
Tell us about Bandier and your blog, what made you decide you wanted to be apart of the fitness/lifestyle space?
I got involved with Bandier when they opened their first store in Southampton, almost three years ago now. I remember walking by it and being in shock at the incredible aesthetic of the store. I’ve always been a huge fitness person and loved the idea of bridging together my love for working out with style, so I reached out to the Bandier team and since then, we have worked on a lot of fun stuff together. My work with Bandier helped me really expand into the fitness/lifestyle space — a space that I believe hasn’t really been that tapped into at this point and a space that has been super important for me. Fitness has always been a huge part of my life, and I have been a competitive runner for almost 5 years now. With that being said, the fitness-based aspects of my life are obviously something that I prioritize sharing with my readers.
The whole mantra of my site is connected to this idea of self-confidence, owning who you are and being proud of it. Leading a healthy lifestyle is so connected to this.
What would be your top 5 necessities?
Portable charger: My friends make fun of me for carrying around this “block” but it literally saves my life all of the time.
Nike Air Force 1: I’m low-key a sneaker head in my own ways (yes, I’d rather buy a cool pair of sneaks over a pair of Louboutins or something) and these shoes are not only so comfortable but just make every outfit look cool.
Journal: Writing is one of those things that always makes you feel better. I write so much and go through so many notebooks its embarrassing…haha…but I almost always have a journal on me to jot down thoughts, quotes, and even to free write (I actually write a lot of poetry).
IPhone: crazy that I’m putting this down as a “necessity” but in all honesty, I don’t know what I would do without my phone. I’m Instagram-obsessed, love taking photos and always want to be connected with what is going on.
Coffee: I’m not an addict but a cup of coffee is one of those simple things that makes me so happy. When I go to sleep, I look forward to waking up early and having some.
New Years Resolution?
I’m always thinking about ways I can improve on what I’m already doing and even more importantly, how I can change things that I’ve been doing really wrong. I find it super important to self-reflect even though its super hard for me to do sometimes. Come 2016, I think I need to sleep more.