Like many of his classmates, senior Drew Innis isn't exactly sure where he is going next year.
"Don't worry about tomorrow, it's the best way to ruin today," the laid-back Connecticut resident said.
But after talking with Innis, you realize that with his many diverse talents and interests, he is bound for success no matter where he goes -- and his hobbies and activities at Tufts lead the way.
Innis's primary passion is filmmaking ("with photography a close second," he said), particularly in the extreme sports realm. He is an avid surfer and snowboarder, and uses his camera to capture the thrill and beauty of both sports. He also creates impromptu movies of him and his friends goofing off.
"I love the design aspect of the whole package, putting everything together," said Innis of filmmaking, for which he never received formal training.
In total, he has created 31 videos, which are showcased on www.thedigitalmovement.com, a website Innis created with his friend from home, Blaise DiPersia.
According to DiPersia, building the website is an example of Innis's industrious nature: "Drew and I did our first major installation of our website in one week," he said. "We survived on Gatorade, Bass ale, and hot sausage sandwiches from the S and S Dugout [a sandwich store in their hometown]."
The website also features Innis's and DiPersia's photographs in the "Photo A Day" calendar. Innis's photography further demonstrates his "creative eye," said his friend, Brett Karley, who graduated from Tufts last year.
Innis began his photography career back in high school when he and DiPersia built a darkroom out of DiPersia's closet. Innis continued to follow his photography ambitions through summer classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York.
"He could take [a photo of] some boring situation, like two people standing outside of a house, and make it look like the coolest place," Karley said.
Sophomore Casey D'Annolfo, Innis's housemate and teammate on the Tufts lacrosse team, added that besides creativity, Innis has an intuition for action. "Whenever something pretty entertaining is going to happen he brings out the video camera," D'Annolfo said.
Innis not only works on his own movies and website, but also created the Tufts band Bunk 9's website with DiPersia.
"He doesn't have one look or one aesthetic," DiPersia said of Innis's design work. "It makes it very tough to work with him and also very fun."
"His aesthetic is based in snowboarding and surfing magazines," DiPersia added. "His inspirations come from those magazines and the media that accompanies that -- TV commercials, videos, websites, clothes..."
Innis's influences include surf movie director Taylor Steele, indie film director Spike Jonze, and lesser-known photographers like Jeff Curtis and Kevin Zacker.
Innis is currently finishing a busy senior year as an economics major, midfielder for the lacrosse team, and co-founder of the Tufts Surf Club -- all this, on top of the hours he spends on his movies, meticulously editing footage until he creates the perfect splice of action, music, and memory. "Usually homework gets neglected," he said. "And I don't have time to play video games."
The Tufts Surfing Club received recognition last semester and has gained popularity, attracting 60 new members to its first meeting. Although Innis only recently got into the sport, he feels that "surfing is something I'll do for the rest of my life."
Innis said that the organization brings different people together through surfing. Once it gets warm enough, the club plans a surfing trip to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. "People don't realize good surfing is only 45 minutes away," Innis said.
As a transfer student (from Gettysburg College), Innis credits the lacrosse team for easing his transition to Tufts. His experiences on the team also exemplify his motivated personality. "Drew is a really hard worker. He works hard in the weight room to improve as a player," D'Annolfo said. "He's a good teammate; he'll do almost anything for anyone else on the team... and he has the best abs of the whole school."
In any spare time he has left, Innis likes to draw and also plays the electric guitar, which he picked up eight years ago. All these projects and interests add up to a hectic schedule, but Innis' friends say he's always willing to help out a friend with a website and has a good sense of humor. Innis agreed: "I don't take myself too seriously," he said.
As for next year, Innis may relocate to New York to start a career in business or move to California to pursue his aspirations in film -- it's a decision he has yet to make. Either way, his myriad interests, while time-consuming, will continue to be a part of his future. "I always have to multi-task; I like to keep myself busy and entertained," he said. Innis is constantly on the lookout for the next wave: "It will lead me somewhere, I'm not sure where... given time I'll find out."
