We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tasj-Mari Myers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tasj-Mari, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I officially started my creative career around February 2021. I had been playing with photography a couple years before that but in high school I was of two minds. I was fixated on either becoming a field biologist or an international business major. Once Covid hit, I fell into a deep hole and I pretty much forgot about any dreams I had. TikTok was booming during this time, and small businesses were getting a spotlight. I had a few ideas and models that I was working on in high school. I was very interested in sustainability and the circular economic model. I created a brand called Erin & Grace which sold natural skincare products and hand dyed masks. I was working on eliminating as much plastic as possible in the packaging. I designed the logo, the labels, and did a lot of research on recipes. I started taking my camera out and doing product photos. Fast forward a few months later, I get an unexpected call from my boyfriend’s aunt asking if I could take photos for her upcoming album project, as I had taken photos at their family gatherings a few times. This moment changed my life. It reminded me how much I love portrait photography, and I haven’t looked back since. There are times when I wish I had honed in on this craft earlier so that I would be much further than I am now. However, as I continue to grow I see that it was necessary for me to sit on my ideas and build on them. The older I get, the more I revert to doing what I loved and dreamt of as a child.
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
I am a creative director who specializes in editorial and portrait photography. I have been shooting for about 3 years and have been doing it professionally for about a year and a half. I love the process of planning shoots and working on set design. I take the time to research concepts, create mood boards that are specific to my models/clients and if needed I gather materials and build the set myself. Aside from photography, I love doing digital work. I create websites, and I have experience creating marketing materials for small businesses.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I followed and supported accounts on Instagram that fit with the niches that I was interested in – if you continue to post your work, people will look at the accounts of who’s following and liking/commenting and they will follow back if they like your work. I joined many photography and model groups on Facebook and did online networking – from there I went to meet ups that were posted and physically met with others in the industry. Meet ups are the best way to build lasting support groups. This works for other events – if you bring your camera with you or just let people you end up talking to you know about your craft you can gain followers and or potential clients. Another unconventional method I used was to use a Bumble Biz & Friends profile to advertise my business and make friends with like-interests. I still have the clients and friends I made from there.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect about being a creative is definitely being able to see the physical manifestations of your ideas. You spend so much time developing a concept, communicating with models or researching how to achieve certain effects. There are a lot of ups and downs during the creation process, sometimes your equipment fails, your dealing with time constraints or you decided to try something you’ve never done and it just isn’t working. There is a lot of beauty in these moments because I find myself happily surprised with the outcome or I learned something to take with me for next time. It truly is a blessing to be able to experience life through art.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/purplefishtm
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/purplefishtm
Image Credits
Andrea Cordero, Hannah, Cycy, Sue, Myself