Daily Inspiration: Meet Tumi Mfoloe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tumi Mfoloe. 

Hi Tumi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I’m originally from Austin, Texas, born 7/11/1995 where I grew up with my parents and twin brother Lerumo. I’d always had a strong leaning towards art, growing up on 90s/ 2000’s cartoons, with anime making an impression that would last the rest of my life. At the age of 10 in December 2005, my family moved to Massachusetts which turned my life around for better and worse. My adolescence became rocky due to change in environment and a hard time making close friends. 

I found a safe haven in art even more, spending most of my time reading manga, graphic novels, and watching cartoons. By 13 I had the idea to create my own comic and spent most of my money buying “how to draw” books from Barnes and Nobel. Throughout high school, I found a love in Christian rock music and theology, becoming the motivational and spiritual friend who people often came to for prayer and advice. When time for college came in 2013, I felt lost. I’d always been creative and wanted to study animation, but the cost of art schools put me off and I went the community college route. 

Although it was fine and I learned general arts like photography, typography, and dabbling in animation, I felt like I was playing it too safe. I was still at home with my parents and decided to take a gap year to figure out what I truly wanted. I worked part-time jobs, and in 2015 moved to Oregon with my family and dad’s job. In the beginning, it was new and exciting, but a combination of things made me feel like it wasn’t something of my own. 

In 2016, my brother moved to Texas and the separation anxiety kicked in. Where would I go? California? college was still something I wanted to do, but my way. With a lot of prayer and trust, I applied to several schools, one in Portland, and a few others, including Lipscomb University, a faith-based college in Nashville TN. I’d never been to Tennessee, but they had a good animation program and was so uncertain. As fate would have it, I got accepted. 

Despite facing a lot of opposition by my northern friends and family, all of whom asked “what’s in Tennessee? Why would you go there?” I went in August 2017. And loved it. I found community in my fellow art classmates, learned more about God, how to form relationships with others, and skills to improve my art. My leap of faith lead to freelance work that helped me visit Japan, I became a self-published author in that time and made friends and memories I’ll always cherish. 

Art has always been a huge factor in my life, whether it’s comics, animation, photography, writing, video creating, all of it are things I use to express myself (I’ve tried and failed miserably to stick to one thing), and I believe being a jack of all trades may not make you a master of any but it can lead to multiple streams of income haha. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth waves never made a strong sailor, right? Several obstacles have been challenges in my art journey. Mental health is a huge topic now and I feel is just now given the proper empathy that it deserves, but back in the 2010s, it was often seen as people were just “crazy” or using it as an excuse. Depression and anxiety mixed with imposter syndrome have been some of my biggest roadblocks throughout high school and my adulthood. 

Until I got to Nashville in 2017, I was the only person I knew pursuing animation, and people didn’t get it. They thought I should pursue graphic design or any other art job they thought was more “safe” or common. 

In 2019, impulsivity brought me back to Oregon and I decided to transfer to a college here because of a job I’d got during the summer. Within the month I was supposed to return to Nashville, I decided not to, then injured my back at work, leading to a chronic back pain that I had to quit work over, be on medical restriction (I couldn’t work from December 2019 to December 2020) and medication. That definitely took a toll on my mental health and made my regrets spiral, then of course, the events of 2020 made everything worse. 

College in Portland was absolutely terrible, I get that everyone is different regionally, but yes, there’s Southern hospitality and to be completely honest, Oregonians make politics their identity. It was like day and night with values, conversations, and of course weather. 

As with most of the world, 2020 was a time of being in survival mode but self-reflection. I decided to go back to school in Nashville in the fall, enjoyed it, messed up my financial aid (turning 25 makes you self-dependent, how fun), and have to pay back for the semester before I can finish school haha. I have one semester left, so that’s exciting. Many many setbacks, but it makes a good success story one day. 

I’m currently recovered of my back pain and in Oregon while I figure out a way to get back to Nashville, I love it too much to stay away. That or California, we’ll see! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a renaissance woman! I first am an artist. I launched my Webtoon “Light and Dark” in October 2021. Originally, I wanted it to be an anime and still have that dream. I also created a short film called “Man of Wisdom” done film trailer style based on the life of King Solomon. I’d also love to see that become an animated series or feature film. 

Second, I’m a YouTuber. I’ve been making videos since December 2014, and have over 20,000 subscribers and 2.9 million total views. I’m very proud of my little community. Even slow growth is something to be proud of. Everyone’s trying too hard to go viral which has its high and low points. 

Third, I’m an author. I wrote my book The Meeting on Wattpad in 2013, and after 200k reads, I decided to rewrite it and publish it on Amazon in 2018. I definitely see a film adaptation in the future. 

What sets me apart from others is not chasing trends. It’s easy to be an Instagram baddie or dance on TikTok, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it ends up being what everyone else is doing. 

I believe I have a knack for storytelling and what I’m the most proud of is my ability to keep pursuing my dreams regardless of finances, others’ opinions, or bad health. I firmly believe that fortune favors the bold and that I could be the next Naoko Takeuchi (the creator of Sailor Moon) 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I don’t think I’m talented at all, everything is the result of endless hours of practice. It’s easy to say “you’re so talented!”, but I don’t like hearing that. I love leisure. I love hanging out and watching movies, but work needs to get done, so I have to push myself to finish projects. People close to me know I love Indian movies; I’ve seen over 100 and listen to tons of Hindi music. That catches others by surprise whenever I say it. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tumiyukii.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tumiyukii
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/tumiyukii

Image Credits
Tumi Mfoloe