We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tai’Leah Marina. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tai’Leah below.
Tai’Leah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?
The kindest thing that anyone has done for me, really was to give me Grace. There are moments when I am not able to or I just have not shown up the way I’d like to or the way I intend to — and it was really the person who allowed me to be where I was without judgment, and even may have extended a helping hand or a kind word or gesture at a time where I felt I was most undeserving, feels at the time like the kindest thing anyone can do for me. It matters to me so much as someone who has suffered with so much low self esteem, lack of self confidence and a lot of emotional abuse when it came to making mistakes and not being perfect. I’m always open and willing to offer Grace, Empathy and Understanding where I can, especially when it involves another person. I’m still a little hard on myself, but honestly I’ve realized that it’s because I require excellence from myself. And I am learning to find the balance between giving myself Limitless Grace while implementing Discipline and accepting consequences where applicable. Now that I’ve learned the valuable lesson of offering myself Grace as an act of Self Love, I’m better able to extend Grace and offer it to others where it may be challenging or difficult.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Tai’Leah, I’m a multidisciplinary self taught artist and business owner who has used Art as a form of Wellbeing, Holistic Healing and Creative Expression for as long as I can remember. Artistic skills and talents came very naturally to me and for so long I had no idea what and who I wanted to be — all I remember is not being able to make up my mind on just ONE thing I wanted to do for the rest of my Life. I knew I wanted to create, and I knew I was good at it. Getting somewhere with that, was a long tedious process; although there was one underlying theme: Childhood Trauma & Adversity. It affected how I showed up in my livelihood, my adulthood & life experiences that I encountered. Adversity became the gateway to my awakening. Through therapy, self reflection and healing practices like artistic expression, I safely learned how to transmute negative, heavy and painful emotions using the tools. One of my favorite forms of artistry is photography & fashion. The combination of these two passions and a grip load of Faith, led me to starting my own media production company, SoulfuLight LA. We started off doing pop up portraits with my friends in high school nearly 15 years prior to establishing this business and with the support of my community, I was able to expand my business in ways I never knew possible. The pandemic’s affect on society allowed SoulfuLight to continue transforming and expanding, adding and refining services that cater to our Artistry + Wellbeing theme. I got certified as a Reiki Master and shortly after began training to teach Yoga to infuse these services into my business and since then, we’ve coached individuals of a variety of backgrounds. We introduce new topics, reinforce our knowledge through practice and are able to demonstrate healing sessions when applicable depending on the clients conditions & needs. Ultimately, our goal is to increase awareness of our energy, ourselves and the world around us. Whether an artist is looking for personal and professional development, an overworked employee looking for self care, or a parent is looking for time and techniques to add into their day that will leave them feeling inspired with long lasting energy, we’ve educated our audience on holistic health and alternative methods that can make huge shifts and give us the fulfillment we’re looking for. Most recently, SoulfuLight has even hosted in person and online workshops, classes group hikes, and brunch events for recreation & entertainment. Not only do we work with a majority of black women freelancers on our projects, we connect and collaborate with folks of all walks of life. We’re determined to give back and share the wealth of knowledge, information and access to resources for our business family. Overall, I’m so proud, happy and so well pleased with how we’ve grown; I’m even more excited for the things we have yet to accomplish. There are so many things that I would want readers to know, and it starts with knowing, deciding and being everything you wish to be and more. No matter where you come from, or what you experienced; whatever has happened to you is to be used as a catalyst to get you to where you want to go. Sometimes we just aren’t thinking creatively enough. Thinking creatively has a lot to do with thinking positive, staying optimistic and thinking outside of what the world will tell you how to think. Getting out of your ego, and living through your soul with your heart wide open. The vision starts with you, and this story should teach you that if you believe, you can achieve. Whatever you wish to do or be, just speak it and let it Manifest. It’s all about staying on course, with your thoughts and your feelings. It may be a struggle to see your vision Manifest but don’t give up. It may be an even bigger struggle to be patient as you work on your dream and be patient with yourself if you don’t get everything right; I challenge you to trust and lean into the belief that we’re always right on time, never early or late on our journey. See how Life shifts for you. Last but not least, and this is the most important — Trust your Self. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and energy if you are as honest with yourself as possible. There are a lot of times I find it hard to make decisions, and this is because ultimately at its’ core, I live in Fear about making a mistake or making the wrong decision. If I would have let this go a long time ago, I wouldn’t have wasted so many years sleeping on myself and my talents, not living in my fullest potential and hating myself for not showing up as perfectly and as effortlessly as I wanted to. Life will put us face to face with an uphill climb, we may rest as much as we need, but one thing is for certain — we damn sure getting up this mountain, because it can be moved. This is your proof to know that you can do it too.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Building a reputation can be quite a challenge if your insecurities are showing up in your business. Establishing and maintaining an individual practice for me is the best way to build a reputation within the market. No matter where you’re marketing, if you’re in constant practice with yourself, you’ll always know what you’re talking about. It’s especially necessary to expand outside of yourself and perhaps practice with your immediate friends or family members because we’re all different and everything affects us differently. If you’re not practicing with yourself, it could be a signal of Fear or self doubt. The only way to combat our insecurities is to dive straight in directly towards them, even if it means we won’t be good or look good at something initially. It always takes a little practice to accomplish something that may be outside of our comfort zones or brand new. It shows our love, determination and passion when we’re confident in our craft. Confidence always comes from action and repetition.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I believe that just the simple act of being a business owner and showing up as one is a constant illustrated act of resilience. This may look fun and cute on the outside, but it is the biggest responsibility I’ve ever come into contact with. It’s power, and magic at the same time. It’s so imperative to use our power and our magic for good because we all create a ripple effect. We’re gonna see how others are affected by what we do and how we show up — the fact that I’m showing up for myself and my business everyday is an act that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Life is hard enough; maintaining growth & discipline in a tough world is difficult. That’s why it’s the most radical act we can take.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soulfulightla.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/soulfulayuh
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/beingsoulfulayuh
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/soulfulayuh
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/soulfulayuh
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/curlyytee
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@soulfulayuh [email protected]
Image Credits
@_visualvin_, @taylaurambrene, @skylane.studios, @laurennign