We were lucky to catch up with Tamara Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tamara , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
The most important thing my parents did right was to instill the idea of self-determination in me. When I was a child, our family was not well off financially. However, my parents encouraged me to pursue any goal I was passionate about. I think the fact that my parents were my biggest cheer leaders, helped me develop enough confidence to see past the obstacles and continue to chase my dreams. It was never a question in my mind if I would achieve my goals, it was more a matter of time.
There was a time when my sisters and I had to step up and take responsibility for our lives at a young age, when our parents divorced. It was a time of many unknowns for all of us, but we had the tools needed to get through it fairly unscathed due to our motivation to succeed.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have been interested in interior design and decorating since I was a child. I remember loving the look and feel of the sofa we had in our living room that was both retro and luxurious. My sister and I had a Barbie Dream House when we were young, and I asked for every accessory for the house that I could get my hands on. I didn’t really care about the dolls, it was the decorating I was obsessed with.
Fast forward to adulthood, I became a licensed childcare provider when our children were growing up, so my design and decorating aspirations had to wait until I had more time on my hands. When our children were teenagers, I stopped providing childcare services so our daughter and I could travel and get her modeling career started. I took an 18 month certificate program in Interior Decorating and Design, and studied when I had time between trips.
When our children became adults, I started creating wallpaper art to decorated the walls of our house. I love buying used frames from second hand stores and refurbishing them, and bringing them to life with upscale wallpaper from UK wallpaper houses. The art is what brings life to our builder beige house. ;)
As I worked to decorate our house, I started to share the projects I was working on, on Instagram. My work was noticed by brands including Pottery Barn, Kirkland’s Home, and ZGallerie, and I started working to create ads for others like Viridian Bay & Seven 7 jeans. I have also created art to sell at craft shows and flee markets, and enjoy making custom art pieces.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I have always been a deeply empathetic person. I have found it can be an asset and a curse. The past 8 years in this country have taught me to take my pent up frustrations with the lack of empathy around us all, and channel it into my creative endeavors. It is incredibly calming to look around your house, and online, and see the art that makes your heart sing. I love being able to give this same feeling to others, and to companies that have the same goals of creating calm and comfort for their customers.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I have a very particular design style that resonates with me, and I have had to expand my mind to appreciate a more minimalist style, while my style is clearly more maximalist. I remember when I was recommending pillows to a client and she said, “those really aren’t my style.” My response was, “right, they are my style.” We both laughed and moved on. I believe being open minded in all areas of life will help you hold on to a sense of peace. It has certainly helped me see differences in opinion in design as a learning experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.prettypeacockcurations.com
- Instagram: miss.tammy70
Image Credits
All photos by me, Tamara Thomas