Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Orion Phillips II. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Orion, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I got the name Tempered Minds Entertainment based of the mental fortitude one must have to be in the creative industry. Being a singer, actor, photographer, cinematographer or any of those professions where you have to constantly search for the next gig, you will get a lot of “No’s.” Often times those rejections can be for any reason such as height, look, money, availability, union status, you remind someone in a position of power of their ex, your work is not up to par, etc. You have to deal with that feeling of not getting the job. I look at these situations as opportunities to strengthen, or in this case temper my mindset kind of like a blacksmith tempering steel.

Orion, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Being a creative is in my genes. My mother is an artist. She paints, sculpts, metalsmiths, makes jewelry. My older brother was into music as a rapper and songwriter, but also would draw as well. As a result of that I was basically doomed haha. My dad gave me the ability to learn and understand most things I put my hands on. I’m a singer, songwriter, music producer, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. In addition to that I also do voice over, video editing and color grading. Because I do all of these things it makes balance quite difficult, but manageable. I decided for myself that I didn’t want to have a 9-5 job. I’m not built for it. I had to teach myself other skills so that I could still work within the industry I love.

Now one thing that is important to me is to provide a great experience and a great product. I work a lot with my lady and we have this goal of making our clients cry (in a good way though). We range it from little sniffles to the Viola Davis cry. We’ve had quite a few criers. Overall, I want to make a good story that resonates with people.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I believe that the creative industry is very misunderstood and not appreciated to the level that it should. On the photography side, people will try to collaborate you to death or they think your pictures are the result of a good camera. They don’t realize that outside of the cost of equipment, which is easily thousands of dollars, we have to pay for insurance, an invoicing system, online galleries for clients to view, the time we take to learn new skills and perfect those skills. If that’s not enough, we then have to go through and edit those pictures which can take days. Time is an invaluable resource. You can’t make more time.

In other careers like acting, we are the ones that bring stories to life. The writers create those stories. When the creatives are not appreciated or given a living wage for their work you run into situations such as the current WGA stike. Non-creatives need to understand that creatives are sharing their soul with the world. To take advantage of someone’s creativity, time, and effort eliminates the possibility of fostering a healthy working relationship. I can only speak for myself but if I have a client who trusts me to do what I need to do to make them look good and they respect my talent and skillset. I’m much more flexible it in the work environment. I’m also almost certain to work with them again if given the opportunity.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that friends and family are not the ones you need to do business with. Most people who will ride for you and your craft are strangers. I’ve lost many friends pursuing my goals over the years. Some of them I thought were like brothers to me. Not everyone is meant to go where you are headed and that’s okay. The people who say they support you but never show up for you or buy anything you’re selling or even check in to make sure you’re okay mentally and spiritually, they are NOT your friends. Cut them off, forgive them and move on.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.temperedmindsent.com / www.iamorion.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/i_am_orion / instagram.com/orionmckinleyphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/orion.phillips.ii

Image Credits
Purple Eyeshadow and background – Make-up Artist – Tori instagram.com/vca.mua White Paint – Make-up Artist – Monica instagram.com/mojoglowmua