Early years, balance, and advice from Ginelle James

In honour of her recent debut album release "Last Call", who better to feature on the Women in Ag blog then Ginelle James.

Early Years

Ginelle was born and raised in northern Saskatchewan where her only connection to the agriculture industry was visiting her father back home on the family farm near Borden every other weekend. After obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan, she entered the corporate business life. She soon realized that an 8-5 office job was not quite what she wanted, so she gave up the desk job and began farming full time. From there she took a job managing a territory with a seed company and now finds herself in Calgary, Alberta managing a territory for an ag chemical company.

Music is not a new passion for Ginelle, it has always been in her blood. Her musical influences growing up included her mom who was in a band at a young age, her step-dad who played guitar at various events and her dad who was a huge John Mellencamp and Steve Earle fan.  On top of that, Ginelle’s sister recorded country music in Nashville and influenced her music career.  For Ginelle, what started as solo performances in her living room quickly evolved into playing at weddings, graduations, Telemiracle, talent competitions and whatever else she could convince people to let her sing at.

Balancing It All

Having a busy life always requires balance. We asked Ginelle how she balances staying on top of a long list of priorities.  Her initial response was: “Balance… What does that mean?” In all seriousness she finds that as long as she is doing something that she is passionate about, balance somehow happens. She keeps several to-do lists and day planners for everything she has going on, and she does make sure to have plenty of “me” time as well. Hot baths, travelling and visiting with friends/family are what truly keep Ginelle balanced.  

The Music Industry

When comparing the music industry to the agriculture industry there are many similarities. Both industries are based on building relationships, and respect is vital for success.  Looking back, Ginelle wishes she started her music career sooner but fear of failure and judgment are what held her back. Hard work and resilience are characteristics that Ginelle learned early on while working in agriculture, and these qualities have carried through to other areas of her life including her music career. Ginelle’s motto:  “Anything worth doing is going to be hard and if it isn’t difficult, everyone would be doing it.”

Advice

A piece of advice Ginelle has for someone who might be considering a music career is to just START, and not to let fear hold them back. Make mistakes, learn from them and carry on.  Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. For every one person that tells you that your wasting your time by chasing a dream, there are 10 other people watching you that are encouraged to chase their own dream.