An Inspired Chat with Tavyn Lovitt of downtown

Tavyn Lovitt shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Tavyn, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I believe that I’m doing both. I have guiding principles & goals that blaze my ultimate path: love for the natural world & the wildlife in it; devotion to working in a profession that invests in resources that matter, like education; my desire to have a family; my desire to continually grow into a more knowledgeable & kind person; & my need to explore, observe & interpret my surroundings, both near & far. Those are really the only things that set me in a particular direction, the rest is wandering. I prefer to stay open to the notion that I could end up anywhere in the world, for any period of time, & that would still be a “part of the plan” as long as my guiding principles were still at the forefront of my life. I’ve found that having that sort of mindset where you’re open to taking risks & living unconventionally tends to lead you up to all sorts of unique, fulfilling opportunities & experiences.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a Teacher, Artist, &, on occasion, Park Ranger who likes to focus on appreciation for the natural environment. Nature, education, & art have all worked together to mold the trajectory of my life- & they build on each other. When I interact with nature, I want to learn more about it, & then make art about what I’ve learned. & If I make art about nature, I want to get out & interact with it, which helps me learn more. At any given time, I am teaching & potentially working on a mural, a wildlife photography exhibition, or a painting commission. I’m also perpetually running, biking, & getting into random things with friends. Sometimes, I’m just standing around town staring at stuff. I like to camp & hike whenever possible so that I can pretend I live with wolves instead of a modern-day society.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I think that my earliest memory of feeling genuinely powerful was when I began running as a child. The P.E. teacher had us begin a program where we spent one class period per week running laps around the schoolyard. I just felt so good when I ran- I felt strong, excited, & free. Metaphorically, I could outrun many significant things: assumptions about girls being physically inferior to boys, my personal struggle to get through a school day without constantly, frustratedly squirming, pain being a negative thing to avoid at all costs. The objective change in my brain chemistry that resulted from my running created a meaningful butterfly effect that taught me about the power of developing habits that work for you rather than against you. To this day, I put a lot of emphasis on maintaining a physical routine that helps me get energy out, spend time in nature, develop bonds, & set myself up for productivity- because having something that I truly enjoy doing that also reaps positive benefits in my life still makes me feel powerful.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me to have more empathy, humility, and gratitude in life. You never know what struggle someone might be hiding beneath the surface. You never know when you will be dealt a stroke of bad luck. You don’t know how it feels to lose a dream, be isolated, lose faith in something that once loomed so large in your life, or genuinely wonder if it will ever get better-until it happens to you. And you don’t realize the importance of the small things in life until you’ve had to rely on them to get through an intense period of disenchantment or suffering.

During my darkest days, it has been small moments—strolling through quiet neighborhoods with my dog, watching the sunrise during a run, painting my favorite animal, recalling the dumbest I Think You Should Leave skits with a friend, listening to old albums, or having French press coffee during a bubble bath while my cat paws at the water from the edge—have reminded me that, despite any struggle, life continues and is worth it.

I try to keep gratitude for these little things and remind myself to prioritize them. I also want to remember how lucky I’ve been to have good people extend small but meaningful acts of kindness to me during hard times, & pay it forward.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
One important truth I believe in is that the next necessary shift in humankind & global culture- one that could only yield benefits- is a revolution centered on respect for animals. From an objective survival perspective, there is a collective “we” that makes up the biological functionality of this planet. Humans must learn that we rely on animals to play specific roles in their local ecosystems & that everything is interconnected within this massive, fragile system. Simply put, if we want an enjoyable & habitable planet, we need animals- & they need habitat.

From a moral standpoint, all animals are sentient & deserving of our respect. Kindness toward them should come naturally to us, since they, like us, are living, feeling beings striving to survive. Therefore, for both objective & moral reasons, human beings need to abandon the ancient, false narrative that we must dominate all. We need scientific research, wisdom, & respect- not domination over so-called “lesser” creatures.

I think many people believe they’re empathetic toward animals- & we often are, especially to the ones they have direct relationships with. You can see it in how people treat their household pets as though they’re family members, or how they flock to zoos to observe wildlife in poor imitations of natural habitats. Clearly, we have a deep-rooted curiosity & empathy toward other animal species. They ignite our imaginations.

However, we rarely put this inclination into practice where it truly matters. If entertainment, luxury, or convenience come into play, it’s easy for us to ignore the plight of beings who don’t communicate exactly as we do. We can pretend their suffering isn’t as great as ours since we can’t fully process/recognize it as well as our own species signs of distress. & if we aren’t educated on ecology, then it’s not as natural for us to be logically concerned with the habitat & well being of different species. If more people could see behind the scenes- or look ahead to the future consequences- of industries that rely on animal exploitation, whether it’s the mass cruelty, land use, & pollution of factory farming or the habitat destruction caused by mining & urban sprawl, recalibrating how we buy, vote, live, & eat would become a higher priority.

If we more clearly & objectively understood how closely the thriving of our own species is linked to the thriving of others, we would all be more environmentally minded. In many ways, the consequences humanity now faces- climate change, the spread of zoonotic diseases, pollution, & diet-related illnesses- are the deserved results of our collective missteps: some innocent, like accidental overpopulation; others more sinister, like greed & the pursuit of convenience.
I believe that increased education about the impacts of animal exploitation could help humans expand the respect & care we show our domestic dogs to other species- & that shift could transform society in profound & beneficial ways.

The “Respect Mother Earth” stance has long been considered “hippie-dippie,” but I think there’s a stark difference between the hippie “just go with the flow” mindset and the belief that we need specific shifts in action for logical, objective, measurable, and moral reasons. I think respect for other living beings and for our planet is probably one of the most basic and logical stances a person can take.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I hope that people can sincerely say that I was a person who tried for the sake of trying, regardless of whether it resulted in reward or failure. I want to be remembered as someone who had curiosity & energy about life- that I sought out a variety of experiences. I want them to say that I exemplified that one can feel deeply while still being strong. I want them to say that I didn’t give a crap about “being cool”- I was true to myself. Above all, I want to be remembered as someone who fought to promote education, & that was my main form of extending kindness & respect. I want my students to share stories about fun things they learned to do & crazy stuff I said during lessons. I want my loved ones to share stories of times I was a complete nerd or mush for animals, times when I was there for them when they needed me, & times when I made them laugh.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tav-makes-stuff.com
• Instagram: mclovitt_

Image Credits
Second photo (Tavyn with Lou Dog, taking photos at Grassy Ridge Bald) by Iván Raigosa- García.