Today we’d like to introduce you to Jada Wilson
Jada, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Atlanta, Ga but raised in both Decatur and Thomasville, Ga. The core of the year, when school was in, I was in Decatur with just my mom and brother. My father chose to be absent, so my grandmother was very essential and impactful in my upbringing. Most summers and holidays my brother and I would stay with her in Thomasville, Ga , which is where both sides of my family are from. I attended DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts majority of elementary and middle school; 2nd-7th grade to be specific. When I attended, students graduated in 7th grade and from there you could audition and apply for the high school; DeKalb School of the Arts which was also a top high school in DeKalb county curriculum wise.
Like I mentioned, my mom was a single parent so she worked 2 jobs most times to provide for my brother and I. Due to my hustlers ambition and desire to go above and beyond, I made the most out of that situation by exploring almost every art form and taking my education seriously. I began to have an interest and passion for creativity in all of its different art forms. From elementary to high school, if I wasn’t dancing, singing, and acting at school I was active at my church, New Beginning Full Gospel Baptist Church. There I was a cheerleader for the basketball team in my younger years, but also ministered through step, dance, and singing all throughout grade school.
I graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA, but the arts and I had a brief break up. I went on to attend the Illustrious Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL on an academic scholarship, where I majored in Biology Pre-Health and minored in Chemistry. There, I thought I could just keep at the books but my creative passions wouldn’t allow me to let them go. So, I joined Delta Phi Delta Dance Fraternity Inc. which is the only Greek dance organization that is big on uplifting the community and advancing the craft of dance. I also worked as a student assistant/cinematographer on the creative/advertisement side of our athletic department. I became the Executive Vice President of Digital Communications and Media for the University Programs and Activities Board as well. Throughout college I worked at Burlington Coat Factory back home. In addition to working the summers, I would travel the 2 hours back home 1 weekend a month in order to keep the job. But once senior year of college approached, I knew it was time to get into the health field and began as a cashier at Walgreens. After a month I became a Pharmacy Technician but, little did I know what I had gotten myself into.
I graduated in May of 2020, Magna Cum Laude and moved back to Metro Atlanta in August. Between being an essential worker during the beginning and prime of COVID and the environment at Walgreens not being the best, I went on to be a certified pharmacy technician for Kaiser Permanente. Although some things had progressed with that decision, I found myself in the same predicament. I enjoyed helping people and being a pharmacy technician but the sense of belonging felt off. I got referred by a coworker for a remote job and that was still within the health field, but it allowed me more time and energy to figure out what I truly wanted to do. Since then I’ve been able to get active with my creative passions.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. My adolescent years were challenging. Aside from not having a present father and understanding the potential of that love, I had several different ailments; the common ones like asthma, eczema and allergies. But the not so common one was Scleroderma, which is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes poor circulation of the blood, thickening and hardening of the skin and other tissues, as well as joint pains. Although this disease is rare and often found in women 30-60 years old, I was maybe 2 or 3 when skin started to harden and thicken on the side of my foot.
As we were trying to get a handle on things, more spots started to form. We attempted so many treatment options ranging from topical creams and ointments, to pills, to shots. We even tried a chemotherapy-like treatment where I had to go in for an IV treatment 3 days in a row, but they couldn’t remove what’s called an PICC line, until the final day of treatment. I was a third grader having to perform activities of daily living such as sleeping, bathing, going to school, etc. with a needle in my arm. One of my biggest challenges was trying to be a normal kid but having to live a not so normal life. Having so many appointments and different doctors, it impacted us financially and we couldn’t afford much training outside of school. This ultimately affected my confidence to believe in myself and the talents God had given me, but also that I worked tirelessly to foster and nurture as much as I could. This I believe caused my brief break up with the arts.
As of my young adult years , my health is so much better as I’ve grown out of some things and others have managed properly. But, there’s been a struggle for me to balance craving stability and being a creator. At all of my jobs I always snuck an AirPod for music, planned out choreography in my head , or just dreamed of what my next creative venture would be. Those jobs kept money in my pocket and allowed me to help others, but I didn’t quite have the capacity to really begin tapping into those ventures.
Of course when things get good, life comes at you twice as hard. Not even a year into working from home, planning , and getting a handle on some ideas, my brother Josiah D Pennington passed in a car accident in August of 2023. I thought losing my grandmother in 2013 after she had beat ovarian cancer was hard. But, this has truly been the biggest struggle for me to date. On this present day we are still grieving tremendously from losing such a loving and vibrant spirit. Earlier in 2023 I spoke to my brother about how I wanted to began a clothing line as a sector of my big brand, but I wanted him to spear head it. We spoke briefly about minor details like some designs and meanings, but never really got to work. So, once I had my head on straight enough I started a new at home job and birthed Life’s Unique Vibe Collection LLC which is a luxury streetwear brand in commemoration of my beloved brother. The L.U.V. Collection emphasizes that connection and community are important because we are all alike in some way shape or form. But at the same time, we must not forget being your Unique self is just as important. Even if you are wearing the same shirt or hat as someone else, how you style it can be a visual representation or passionate expression of your Vibe. We’re all special in our own way but identifying with others gives us comfort and helps to remember we are not here to do this thing called Life alone.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well , I’d like to say I’m a jack of all trades. I specialize in dance which as of more recently I’ve been getting my groove back if you will. But, as previously stated, I’ve explored so many different art forms that I’d say I’m pretty good at. These include creative directing and curating, photography and videography, modeling, acting, and singing. Now, we can add clothing design and creative advertisement to that list.
Life’s Unique Vibe Collection has been such a proud venture for me because although it’s only me doing the physical work, within this brand I am but a vessel. A vessel is one that is able to be used for a higher purpose. Essentially, love and community are being sent through me as channel to the people in the form of fashion. And this I could not be more grateful for and honored to be.
Something that warms my spirit is referring and recommending my people to each other, you know, encouraging that sense of community. Because I’ve been fortunate to explore such a wide variety of fields, I figured what better way to show love and help put my people on, than to help curate and post digital billboards. My girl Kaylyn P. was a pioneer for me personally, and so with her guidance came JJay’s Billboards. The way my big brother Josiah showed his love and support was grand, especially for his little sister. Clearly in his almost 30 years of living he was such an inspiration that I wanted people to be able to still witness and experience such a feeling. With him being in heaven, and me on earth, the billboards in the sky are where we meet in the middle.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many ways I would love to collaborate with other creatives and entrepreneurs. It could be anything from a dance concept video, to curating a billboard, to joining forces with another brand for a special collection. Collaborating is a form of support to me because I stand firm in encouraging others that we are greater in numbers. Any way I can assist in uplifting others is a win for me personally, because it fills my spirit. In addition to that it is the exact representation I want for myself and my businesses. Any collaborative efforts can be made through my main IG page @jayduh.w which is my main hub at the moment. My business handles are @luv_collectionllc and @jjaysbillboards.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Jayduh.w ; luv_collectionllc ; jjaysbillboards
Image Credits
Main Headshot Keldrick Johnson
