We recently connected with Tara Adkins and have shared our conversation below.

Tara, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

As a child, without an ounce of talent, I was drawn to art and dance. I remember drawing stick figures with circular heads (that were terrible) but were hung proudly in our living room. Art classes were my favorite moments at school.

At a young age I took a few dance classes and got to perform in a very casual recital. I remember it being fun, but dropped it to have more time to dedicate to swimming. I didn’t return to dance until my 20’s. At that time I had just graduated college, where my focus was on drawing, painting, graphic design and photography. Art was an essential part of my life. I had developed an ambition for music photography but found more work creating book covers and pursued photography full time.

Although I’ve never been great at specializing on one thing. The second I became pretty good and got to a professional level in one area, I’d switch directions and turn all of my attention to something else entirely.

These days I enjoy combining different passions. I still have a love of photography and often seek out amazing natural settings, or beautiful architecture to pose in front of. I take dance and yoga self portraits, sometimes making my own costuming to showcase within my photography.

Tara, 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?

I started practicing vinyasa yoga in 2004 and teaching in 2008. Although I enjoyed it, the more I advanced in my practice, the more I felt things were off in my body. I just happened to find my way into a Bowspring class in 2017 and it changed my world. It was different from anything I’d ever tried. My mind was confused but my body felt great. That was all it took! I dove head first into this new style of yoga and never looked back. I’ve been practicing and teaching Bowspring ever since.

What I love most about it is it helps my students get out of pain – more than anything I‘ve ever experienced. I’ve helped people with herniated disks, sciatica, neck, shoulder and hip pain. It offers a way to strengthen muscles, gain flexibility and relieve pain all at once. It’s truly a fantastic practice for athletes, those who love to move and/or those who might’ve collected some injuries over the years. I love sharing it with others. I teach both in person and online classes.

My dance career has definitely shifted since I’ve had kids. Traveling as much as I once did is no longer an option but I take advantage of local events. I’m currently working with a choreographer on an upcoming show and can’t wait for the final outcome. A little while ago, I was able to complete a pretty special video project with some amazing artists. I’d really love to pursue more collaborations like these with photographers, videographers, musicians, dancers and creators. Making art with those who have a similar passion keeps my heart alive!

It’s been truly amazing passing my love of art down to my kids. This year I created an elaborate octopus costume for my son. We drove to the Salton Sea to photograph him in that costume, while simultaneously teaching my other son how to photograph him with a large format camera. It’s so incredible to create and share art with my kids. I love it!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My online presence started small with only those I knew in real life. It slowly grew and grew. Although by no means do I have a large following, I did notice that I was starting to gain an interest and followers were leaving nice comments. Although I’m grateful for this, it’s kind of a mixed bag. It doesn’t always allow for real feedback anymore, but I crave honesty. Last year I pretty much abandoned my known platforms and started a new one elsewhere. I have recently been posting to my old accounts again, but there’s something about being anonymous that is so refreshing.

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

It’s ok to be different and not to follow the path.

I somehow seem to find small niche/unknown areas of everything I do.

I started with traditional yoga and now couldn’t be farther from it in the yoga world. Unlearning and re-learning how to move in a healthier more functional way takes quite a bit of mindfulness.

I also started with a more well know style of dance and quickly shifted to a lesser known form. Viewers don’t really know what style of dance I’m performing and often assume I have a background in forms I’ve never studied. Which is honestly a huge compliment and I’m grateful every time I hear it.

I enjoy doing my own thing. It’d definitely be easier to follow the paved road and can occasionally be lonely out here in the quirky world I’ve submerged myself in. But sometimes that’s where the best ideas simmer to life!

Contact Info:

• Website: TaraAdkins.com
• Instagram: @unfoldintoyou
• Facebook: Tara Dances
• Youtube: @taraadkins8932
• Other: Old dance YouTube @bertscud

Image Credits
Zen Panda Photography, Robert Stone Nadel Photography, Project Midium and Rebecca Rubinstein. Self portraits taken with the assistance of Bodhi Adkins, Jared Adkins and Susan Kearney.