JADE RYAN

To Jade, skateboarding is freedom. No limits. With a skateboard under her feet, she can create anything she wants and have a blast doing it.

She was born in Sydney, Australia, and later moved to the south coast of New South Wales where she grew up surfing. At 19, she picked up a skateboard and hasn’t stopped since. She lives for challenges. A street skater by nature, Jade seeks out spots that look “unskatable” because it forces her to look outside conventional standards.

She looks at life that way, too. When she’s not skating, she’s writing poetry and finds inspiration in lyrical punk poets like Kathleen Hanna and Jim Carroll. She also likes painting and recently started playing bass guitar.

And like all punk poets, Jade has no problem taking a stand for what she believes in. She’s been an ardent vegetarian for eight years and cares deeply about animal and human rights. She wants to do her part to contribute positivity to a sometimes dark and selfish world.

A flow rider for Elephant Brand Skateboards, Jade didn’t get into skateboarding to enter contests and be judged. But she can’t help but be stoked about the possibility of going pro some day and doing what she loves for a living. 

For Jade, being authentic means being true to herself no matter what. And just because one’s views aren’t popular, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. To us, she couldn’t be more right.

Check out her latest video edit, SKATE AND CREATE 2014 and see for yourself.