We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jada Tuffin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jada, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
For all of my life up until last May I’ve been a practicing creative as well as a highly competitive athlete. Depending on which version of me people are accompanied to, I’ve experienced unfair assumptions and stereotypes. For example, I’ve had coaches make fun of me and doubt my dedication or grit as an athlete because they saw my paintings. In either field, but mostly as a competitive athlete, people have unfairly assumed that because I participate it multiple sectors of interest I am incapable of holding the proper passion and dedication in any singular sector to succeed at a high level. Despite the set backs and unfair conclusions people draw about my credibility, I make it a personal point to continue defying people’s assumptions and publicly be me by living all my passions to the fullest.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been a competitive student athlete my entire life and recently got to take my dream to the collegiate level as a member of the Boston College Women’s Soccer program. Aside from my athletic pursuits and academic interests involving Environmental Geoscience, I’m also an incredibly creative artist. My earliest spurt of love for art involves 5yr old me begging my mom to print out sketches of horses for me to color in crayon. Little did I know then that 10+ years later I’d build an entire AP painting portfolio based on my connections to horses as a lifelong equestrian. I think the thing that really sets me apart is that I have so many passionate and complex sides to me. Three months ago, my career as a collegiate athlete came to end (not by my own wishes). Even though I have several insanely involved sectors of my life, I feel that every complex part of me has been in mourning since. I can’t help but question if these events tie back at all to unfair assumptions about my athletic dedication because of my artistic and academic pursuits. Nonetheless I am most proud of myself for where I’ve been. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going but I know it will have meaning. Most of all I’m proud that in this reality crushing event: I am honest, true to myself, and constantly looking for the good.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Creating has always been an outlet for me. Through the roughest mental patches or the highest joys of life I tend to turn to journaling, writing, painting, or even crocheting when I experience intense emotions. I think it’s important that people tap into the creative sides of themselves, and they shouldn’t judge too hard. Just like anything in life, it’s a learning process. You should look to the arts as an outlet. As a way to communicate. To feel. A way to say the words you don’t know how to speak yet.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’ve had a lot of heavy and difficult decisions to make since my athletic career ended. This has definitely been the heaviest and most dramatic pivot of my life thus far and I’ve learned a lot in my attempt to deal with it. Mainly, getting my passion for soccer to translate into something else has been incredibly difficult. It’s often feels like a distraction, a lie, a cheap attempt at filling a hole that doesn’t want to be touched. I often get angry and frustrated. I’ll hate what I write, can’t even bring myself to pickup a paintbrush, and get burnt out working with horses at the barn. There is so much love, dedication, and drive inside of me but the hardest part is figuring out how to use it for something other than I had primarily intended. I was supposed to be a soccer player, a teammate, a leader. A damn good one too. But nonetheless, it seems the world has a different purpose for me. I’m on another path. So I want to cheers my resilience. Even after I was shattered, I’m picking up the pieces and seeing if I can build a new puzzle. I’m pivoting the best anyone knows how.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadatuffin?igsh=eDVnMzJvejRncml0&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jada-tuffin-8a0512310?trk=contact-info
- Other: https://shoutoutla.com/meet-jada-tufifn-collegiate-athlete-student-and-artist/
Image Credits
Jada Tuffin