JP Colin was born in West Covina, California, USA, in 1960. He was raised in nearby La Puente, California, USA. La Puente was a community composed primarily of immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and which experienced issues associated with severe regional political and social neglect such as poverty, gang activity, and ubiquitous hopelessness. After a mediocre academic performance in high school, JP bounced from one academic setting to another, most often without any deep motivation to excel or any clear objective in place. In 1985, after becoming engaged to his current spouse, he joined the United States Air Force, and became a Cryptolinguistic Specialist/Analyst, working at the National Security Agency.

In 1989, he was honorably discharged from active duty service in the Air Force, and he subsequently served in the California Air National Guard in various non-intelligence related roles for three years. During that time, he suffered from what was later diagnosed as severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), related to the work he did at the National Security Agency. After struggling with his own PTSD, and the severe undiagnosed mental illness of his spouse for nearly three decades, both he and his spouse were eventually diagnosed and properly treated.

After being treated for PTSD, and after more than a year of fighting with United States Veterans Affairs agency to receive disability relief, he decided to return to school. He enrolled at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States of America, where he eventually earned a BFA in Studio Art in 2023. He applied to and was accepted into the MA program in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in London, United Kingdom, successfully graduating in 2024. He currently lives in rural Portugal with his spouse of 39 years, where he operates his multidisciplinary art practice and arts-related business.

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