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

Tanzania, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

Looking at who I am today, I often do wish that I would have began my modeling career sooner. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy I’m where I am today regardless but I wish that the confidence I have today was a part of me back in the day. I wish younger Tanzania had the courage to brush off the naysayers and doubters, and went hard for myself like I do today. I’d say I’ve made my younger self proud though, regardless. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone. Ive put the opinions of those who felt I was not worthy of modeling because I was too big, or not pretty enough to the side. Those comments don’t effect me and my passions negatively anymore. It makes me go harder if anything. I just know if I were to have started sooner, I’d more then likely be much more ahead then I am now, but that’s okay, all things come with time and I am willing to continue to work for and towards my goals and dreams with modeling.

Tanzania, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey Readers :) so my name is Tanzania. For modeling I use Tanzania Akia. I came upon that decision because apart of me coming in to loving myself, I had to do so with my name as well. My parents named me Tanzania Akia and I’m so in love with it now and thought it would stand out for my modeling career. I started modeling about 4 years ago when I was approached my a clothing designer who needed a plus size model for her line. I modeled her line on the runway and the rest has been history thanks to networking and staying consistent in working with others. The discipline it takes in the right industry is definitely real. You have to stand out, be creative, prompt, respectful of everyone you work with, and consistent. I mainly do freelance, commercial, fit, and runway modeling currently but am always looking to branch out in other types of modeling. What I am most proud of is all progress. To me all progress is huge progress. I went from wishing I could be a model to now having worked with huge brands like Savage x FENTY, Fabletics, etc. I am also proud of the relationships I build with people. I am always blown away when people tell me that I inspire them to step out of their comfort zones.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When it comes to building your audience on Instagram, my recommendation is to be as authentic and creative as possible. I have done so many creative shoots. I try to keep my grid on my profile as professional and work oriented as possible. I always try to think, what is going to make people stop scrolling and say “ahh this is amazing”! Posting high quality, great work, that is also aesthetically pleasing to your audiences eye will make them share it, so then their audience sees it, and then comes the new followings and the growth of your work.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I would say the best and most effective way to growing my clientele has been through networking and also my social media. For modeling, I would say attend fashion shows, castings, workshops and meet ups. There are always going to be new faces for you to meet and hopefully build rapport with.

Social media is also a great way for growing your clientele. I post my work and often times I receive message requests from creatives who want to set up future projects.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram.com/Tanzania_akiaa

Image Credits
Akina Clarke Wildflower Lovings John Alongo Black Queen Photography