Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany James. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tiffany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
Life is interesting. There are so many twists and turns that happen as you find your way and especially as you follow God’s calling and purpose for your life.
For me, it started young. I was always drawn to different things, and now when I look back, I can see that they were all related to social justice advocacy in some form of another. As I became older, this took the form of youth ministry, community outreach, advocating for homelessness prevention, food security projects, involvement in food pantries, and coaching grassroots organizations to either obtain nonprofit status or develop visionary plans for their launch. My work has always been grounded and founded on Jesus’ heart for our neighbors. He was the best example of selfless love and I strive to emulate that in the work that I do.
I definitely wish I would have tapped into that earlier instead of labeling myself as a misunderstood misfit but there’s so much beauty in that as well. In a firm believer in the journey shaping you and it not being a race so I’m grateful for the lessons along the way, the tribe that’s supported me, and the examples set before me. I’m right where I need to be.
Tiffany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Voice4Society, Inc. Started off as an oblige youth mentorship program, focusing on building youth leaders and writers around the globe. We were honored for our engaging writing program called Writer Zone where we had community-facing prompts every month that connected people to their passions and gave them a safe outlet to hone and sharpen their skills. While this program has ended, the contributions are still very rich and remain live on our blog http://voice4society.wordpress.com .
After many years of soul searching and understanding my true purpose in life, Voice4Society, Inc. Has returned to its core roots – advocacy, and because it comes in different forms, it is now a one-woman show, reflective of my journey in the community. It is meant to inspire change, spark creative thinking and planning around activism, and encourage people to dive first into getting involved in their local communities. My goal is to create a safe place where others can recognize their talents and passions and find ways to integrate that into community outreach.
One way I’m doing this is through my other program Kingdom Connections. Through this platform, I take a strategic, faith-based, and individualized approach to volunteerism and help people become leaders in their own social service driven spaces. It’s absolutely rewarding and transformative to see ideas become concepts. Feel free to shoot me a message so we can connect if you have an idea that’s been resting on your heart that you don’t know how to navigate. I’d love to help you! Find out more: http://kingdomconnectionsny.wordpress.com
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Constantly. As a creative, you have to think on your feet, pivot often, and remain flexible. This looks different for every person but it definitely is key to survival and being able to thrive.
When I was in grad school, pursuing my MPA, I had alot of time to dedicate to V4S. It was my baby and I gave it all my time and attention. It was a fantastic time because I was able to sharpen certain skillets that would be needed later in my career, such as building a blog that looked like a website, managing a team of volunteers and keeping them engaged, and being involved regularly in volunteering. I learned so much about myself just because I had the time to their myself fully into it. I also learned many hard life lessons, like how to communicate (without over communicating – still a work in progress!), how to find the right management style (A L O T of trial and error on this one), and most importantly, how to not compare myself to others (my 30s has helped move this one along LOL).
Once I graduated and entered the work force, priorities and my time shifted, and hasn’t stopped. Fast forward almost 10 years later, I’m a wife, mom of 2 little people (my baby interns), and heavily involved in my career and in ministry. My time is divided between way more and proper time management is always knocking at my front door. The reality is that I just don’t have enough hours in the day to devote to every project I want to be involved in… AND THAT’S OKAY! I’m doing my very best and I recognize that I’m still making a difference. This is why V4S needed to change to showing the journey of this process. Highs, lows, messiness, and the in between because this is real life. Transparency speaks volumes.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Being busy for busy sake is a flex.
NO, IT IS NOTTTTT!
The reality is, we make time and room for people and things that matter most to us. Your real tribe will understand that and give you the grace to grow. The flip side of that is doing the same for others. I’ve learned this recently that chapters open and close for many reasons and for many seasons in my life. It’s ok to say goodbye and move on and redefine things for yourself, such as boundaries, interests, and personal growth. If you’re busy pursuing these things, it’s absolutely worthwhile, just remember to communicate that to those who are holding space for you because it can easily be miscommunicated as not caring, selfishness, or other things that might not be true to you. It’s perfectly fine to put yourself first in certain seasons, just don’t forget to tap in and express that so you are covered (especially in prayer) during that time. We all deserve that season where it’s just you and God walking it out.
Don’t shy away from the quiet or busy seasons and don’t get so caught up in being on either end that you miss the lesson(s) that need to be taught and learned. We often stay in a season longer than necessary because we refuse to identify, learn, embrace, and accept the lesson that’s being presented. God is a good good Father. He won’t let you go to the next step in your life if you haven’t conquered your current place. That’s just destructive and messy and “ain’t nobody got time for that!”
Contact Info:
- Website: Http://kingdomconnectionsny.wordpress.com
- Instagram: @Voice4Society
- Facebook: Voice4Society, Inc.
- Twitter: @Voice4Society