Transfiguring with Travelling Toes

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We speak to 28-year-old barefoot adventurer, Tarryn Jolly, about her Ubuntu spirit and her new documentary, MetaMorphosis, a series of eight episodes that chronicles the lives of different people.

At the age of 24, and armed with a fierce never-give-up attitude, which she says she inherited from her mom, Tarryn Jolly built a house completely from gathered second-hand materials for a woman in a rural community north of Durban.

‘I didn’t have money or knowledge about building, but I had a vision, a voice and a choice! More than 300 people donated towards this project and it was incredible to witness and learn how powerful our choices and actions can be.’

In the same year, Tarryn wrote, directed and produced an international award-winning documentary called Raising the Future, which focused on the story of her mother – a missionary with a heart for Africa’s children.

‘My mother has been one of my greatest inspirations. When I was 10, she followed her vision to convert our little home into a ministry for abandoned babies. This is where it all started for me. She has taught me so much about what it means to be a compassionate human and to be of service to others. To never, ever give up, and to keep moving forward.’

Two years later, Tarryn built another home in a rural community near Tongaat, this time using an eco-friendly method known as Earth Bag Construction. She was guided by an experienced builder and joined by a great group of friends she’d rallied to help. ‘Through this project I learned the power of unity and community. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my family, friends and even the strangers I am surrounded by.’

Not always this positive and productive, Tarryn has faced many challenging and traumatic situations and says she allowed the pain of these experiences to be the guiding force of poor choices. ‘Every choice has a consequence that we live out, but also offers us an opportunity to learn. One of my lessons was choosing to shift my perspective and attitude – when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.’

A fine example of the true Ubuntu spirit of South Africa, her journey is paved with intention and a choice to be the change she wishes to see in the world. She expresses her love for travelling, exploring and experiencing nature and other cultures around her, through the art of writing, photography and short documentaries that can all be found on her inspirational blog site Travelling Toes.

Tarryn’s most recent acclaimed documentary, Gold Dust, is a powerful representation of this. It was placed in the  Top 20 at the Jozi Film Fest and in Discovery Channel’s Real Time competition. Her documentary, Raising the Future, was entered into an international competition called StoriesLived that went on to win the Personal Passions category, so the Durban North-born lass knows how to capture an audience.

‘I am so grateful for my own hardships and experiences, because it led me onto the path of self-discovery, healing, forgiving and loving. We can choose to use our adversity as a catalyst for change. We all have a journey and a story to tell, the only difference is whether you choose to write the story of your life, or let life write your story for you.’

It is through her own journey of transformation that Tarryn was inspired to create her up-and-coming documentary, MetaMorphosis, that chronicles the lives of different people who have experienced their own pain and trauma and chosen to become better versions of themselves because of it. An orphan who becomes and inspiring musician, a sick and diseased young man who becomes an internationally renowned health guru, these are some of the individuals Tarryn has met along her travels and felt the urge to share with the world.

She hopes that these stories will encourage and inspire people to persevere through their own trials and adversities.

‘Many of us get stuck in the darkness of the cocoon – our circumstances and challenges. It is a painful and messy process. I want these episodes to highlight the importance of the darkness we each experience, because the adversities we face can either keep us in this darkness, or make us strong enough to escape it – and that is our choice, one that requires courage and endurance.’

MetaMorphosis docu-series will be released monthly from July 2021. You can watch the episodes on YouTube: Travelling Toes or follow Tarryn on FB: Travelling Toes or IG @jollytarryn or visit http://travellingtoesafrica.co.za/about-travelling-toes/

 

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