Jay Wood
Eight years ago Jay Wood was on her way to dinner with some friends when their car was hit by a drunk driver. Thankfully Jay survived the accident but she suffered a "catastrophic traumatic brain injury" which saw her robbed of one true passion, music. However, whether it be stubbornness or pure determination Jay has managed to fight her way back by re-learning how to play music again & is now releasing her debut EP, Respire.
Before we dive into the story of Jay's miraculous recovery we must first explore how the passion for music first came to be. Speaking to Pario just a few short weeks before the release of Respire Jay told us it all started when she found a random guitar in her lounge room.
"I remember coming home from school & seeing a guitar case in the lounge room. I didn't know whose it was, but I thought I'd have a squizz & took it out to have little pluck & play," Jay remembered fondly. "Of course, Dad caught me & asked what I was doing. So I quickly apologised & put it away but then he laughed & told me it was for me."
From that moment on 16-year-old Jay, an avid writer, then began to transform her poetry & prose into simple little songs with guitar riffs. She would do this as a hobby, which she kept all to herself & never played music for anyone right up until the accident happened when she was 24.
The accident that changed everything
Following the aforementioned accident Jay was told by the doctors that her injuries would mean that she would be permanently incapacitated & would never be able to work again in any capacity. News that would obviously devastate anybody.
"I was looking down the barrel of another 60 years of just twiddling my thumbs," recalled Jay. "That didn't sit right with me & in that moment I basically decided that that would not be the case... I said well if you're saying I can't, you just watch me. I'm going to do it & I'm going to do it twice or even five times, which I what I've done with the EP & it having 5 songs."
Jay's path to recovery began that day but it was by no means a smooth road.
"I will never forget when I sat down & picked up the guitar again for the first time... I sat there with it in my hands but there was nothing there. I kind of went into shock because I couldn't believe it. Music is a really big part of who I am, so not having that ability was shocking, devastating & all of those types of emotions."
Once again Jay's dad stepped in to help guide her back towards her true love.
"My dad took me aside & said, 'Don't worry, it's in there, we've just got to find it," said Jay emotionally. "That was the beginning of the process for me. I don't know whether it switched something on or if it was just a spark within me but I knew the accident had taken so much from me, but it wasn't taking music!"
Impact on Creativity
Enduring such a traumatic injury Jay's creative process has unsurprisingly been altered forever. These days the simplest tasks in life require a lot more of Jay's time & focus, thus limiting her capacity to be creative.
As Jay explained, "Pre-accident writing songs was always just so easy & free flowing but now creativity is few & far between... it's still there because when you're creative it never goes away, it's just a little more difficult to get it out of me now."
When Jay does get the creative juices flowing she has noticed that her music has even changed stylistically.
"Very slowly, over about 2 years, I've managed to paste everything back together. Some of the songs on Respire are the same but they're also quite different as well. They've kind of morphed along with my brain & my abilities to play."
A true inspiration
With such a remarkable story Jay is a true inspiration for not only people with disabilities but for anybody with a passion. In closing out our conversation Jay left us feeling truly uplifted & motivated.
"Disability is not no ability. I think a lot of people forget that," Jay said with determination. "Although it may be more difficult for people with a disability it doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do... I understand what it's like to feel like you have nothing, or maybe feel like you are nothing, but that's simply not the case. If you believe you can do something, no matter how many people say you can't, you can!
"I never in my whole life thought that I would be playing music to crowds, recording music, putting out an EP or having interviews for magazines & radio. I feel like I'm living in a movie. Although my experience in life was a really hectic one & such a negative thing. If I can make soothing positive from that to encourage people to have hope, resilience & belief in themselves then I am contributing to the world in the best way that I know how."
Follow Jay’s Creative Journey at: www.jaywoodmusic.com
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