We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamea Scales a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tamea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

I make it a point to take at least one vacation a year. It’s like the old saying says, ‘work hard, play harder.’ Since I was a young child I was no stranger to hard work growing up. My parents made it a point to travel, show me new experiences and learn new things in the process. The same thing holds true once I got to college as a D1 athlete as well. My college coaches made it a point when we were on the road playing basketball games that we also indulge in educational learning as we traveled. I have taken those same principles as an adult to continue to work hard and reward myself with experiences and educational learning while I travel. It is imperative to enjoy the fruits of your labor and if you have a family, it makes it even more rewarding.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The last time your readers or anyone has read about me I was in a different business space. However, all of those business traits I took on brought me to where I am today as a Costume Designer. All of the opportunities I was allotted allowed me to continuously be a creative over the years. The discipline and creative works have allowed me to be a successful department head with the talent I have worked with thus far. I started out as a celebrity stylist assistant which then allowed me to style, be creative and direct fashion shows with big box retail companies. I have only worked with a handful of other Costume Designers, however my proficiency in organization, time management and delegation have allowed me to take on new opportunities in the entertainment and film industry. Although, I am known as a creative, being a department head would not be possible without those backend skills. You have to be able to juggle and manage many different areas of costuming and production at once. Are you able to think on your feet? Can you problem solve? Are you able to mange different personalities at once? I want those that read this to know that, being a creative is glamorized, but being able to manage those different areas all at once is a true skill. I take pride in being able to manage those areas all the while handling it well under pressure.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In business I have had to pivot a few times. I started with offering styling and model workshop services, however I knew that wouldn’t be enough in the long run. I had to think beyond that. What products would I be able to add to the services that were offered? How would they be beneficial to my current and future clientele? I developed my own kid friendly self help workbook. This would help the kids of the future be models beyond the runway and help them be model citizens of the world and beyond. I wanted to teach the young generation to think bigger and better, all they needed were the right tools to help them get there and succeed.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

My advice for managing a team and high morale is portraying hard work and having respect for those I work with. I am no stranger to hard work and I make sure my team see’s that in me each day. If I am putting in the work they will as well and in turn will want to continue to learn from me as we go along. When we have a heavy load of a day, I may reward them with lunch on me, smoothie run or even have a contest perhaps. People will give you their full-selves if there is an incentive to do so. Having incentives can be pretty important in a work place. As a former athlete I think it is important to keep the morale up with everyone for the common goal at hand. You are only as strong as your weakest link.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DivaLegs.com
• Instagram: DivaLegs30
• Youtube: DivaLegs Experience

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