About Me — Tavian Jean-Pierre

Out of all the articles I have written this has been by far the hardest one to write. I even had to get some help from those who know me well to put this one together. It is extremely hard to write about yourself while also adding value to you the reader.

Nevertheless, I have finally worked up enough courage to write an “About Me” story. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this deep dive into my short story of how I came to write.

My Difficult Childhood

Being born and raised in the city of London teaches you a thing or two about the hustle and bustle of the world. Especially when you are not as privileged as the other kids. I owe my life to my mother’s determination. She was only sixteen when she had me and had to play the role of mum and dad as best she could.

My childhood was all about surviving for the next day. I will never forget the day we had to complete an hour walk home because of a lack of bus fare money. Or when my mum had no one to help her when she was pregnant with my little sister but my two small arms.

Growing up in a single-parent household as a black child was not ideal. My mum had to move me from two nurseries because I was being treated differently from the other children. I was not the best-behaved child. I had a bad temper and would often lash out at other children and teachers who did not give me my way.

The problem was not that I was an innately bad person, but my circumstances caused me to have a short fuse. Despite this, my mother did the best she could to provide me with the resources I needed to become my best self.

The reason why I tell you this part of my story is because it will give you a deeper understanding of why I do what I do.

My Hopeful Teenage Years

Before turning sixteen I remember moving to a smaller area on the outskirts of London. I had never come across an area with such a divide in wealth in status. We lived on the poor side of the area. Here we had to deal with drugs, gangs and sex trafficking.

But, about a five-minute walk from my house was the other side of the area. Here there was glamour, wealth and flashy cars. As a teenager, I would find myself every weekend walking to the paradise I so desired. I remember picking out the houses I liked and the cars I wanted. It was here where I found freedom.

I no longer wanted to be a “gangster” and hang around with all the other teens on my broken estate. After seeing paradise enough times, I realised that that is what I wanted. I figured that if I work hard I could get it, but my mum would always tell me that it was not easy.

Sometimes she would hold back from encouraging me when I would tell her that one day I would get her a house. For me, the plan was simple, get into a high paying job (STEM field) and work until I collapse.

My Pursuit for Meaning

Things were going well, a bit too well to be true. I worked hard enough to get into an elitist college, and I was about to study aerospace engineering. At this point, some of my friends were already in prison, whilst others were up to mischievous behaviour. So I thought I was much better off than they were.

But whilst on my way to college one day, I thought about something deeply troubling. The problem was simple, I wanted to achieve wealth and fortune, but I needed to do that without selling my soul. I realised slaving in the system did not bring any intrinsic value to my life. At that moment I felt empty.

I had to be honest with myself and find out what I really wanted to do. Paradise was important for me but so was being creative and learning. It was then I realised that physical paradise was not what I really wanted. It was an internal paradise.

All my life I was surrounded by poverty and negativity. And all of these things kept me in a prison cell. Physical paradise represented freedom from the cell I was in. However, I realised I was seeking something much more meaningful than a nice house and a car. I was seeking true freedom within myself.

Why I Write

I write to express my freedom. There is a deep connection between my childhood self and my writing. To truly understand why I write you have to know where I am coming from.

My younger self always lacked something. Whether it was the new flashy shoes every child was wearing, or good friends to point me in the right direction. But writing has no boundaries, it has no lack. When I write I am in complete control of what goes down on the paper.

I write to show the world I am free, free to express my thoughts and insight on certain topics, and free to create and be me.

What I write

Now you know enough about me, here is what I enjoy writing about:

• Philosophy: The subject is an expression of free thought within itself. The ability to use freedom of thought and reasoning is why I enjoy the subject. I also love to inspire others through the views of other philosophers.
• Creativity: Some of my closest friends are content creators and do a tonne of work in the creative space. As a creative, I help people understand the value of creativity and try to encourage them to create.
• Life Lessons: Although I am young, my experience of the world has taught me much. My experience growing up has caused me to view the world uniquely. I like to share how some of my outlooks have shaped my ways of thinking. Some of them have worked for me, others against me. It is all life lessons at the end of the day.
• Organisational Behaviour: I enjoy the world of business and seek to use philosophy, creativity and my life lessons to enhance companies. I specifically enjoy the subjects of productivity, innovation and leadership.

Where I am Currently

I have recently joined medium after writing on my blog for about six months. Here on Medium I am hoping to broaden my reach to readers like you. My ambitions are to impact as many people as I can through the power of writing.

I have also written a book that is in the backlog. And I am still editing it with hope to publish it within the next two years.

Where I am Going

I am fascinated by the world of business and the human psyche. After completing my studies, I aspire to complete a Masters in Entrepreneurship Management & Innovation. And then a PhD in Organisational Behaviour.

Over the next ten years, my plan is to release five books that I have in the pipeline.

Finally, I wish to continue pursuing knowledge to help myself grow. Through personal growth I hope to become a source inspiration for others.

A List of Places You Can Find Me

Instagram: Tavian Jean-Pierre (@tavian.jeanpierre)

Personal Blog: Home — Tavian’s Blog — Creating New Ideas for Better Solutions

Facebook: Tavian Jean-Pierre | Facebook

LinkedIn: Tavian Jean-Pierre | LinkedIn