We recently connected with Tianna Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tianna , thanks for joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
Since I was younger, I have always felt misunderstood and different from the people that I am around. I grew up as an athlete playing basketball. I’ve tried all kinds of sports including high diving but my passion has always been fashion. I just didn’t get the chance to explore it until my senior year of high school when I officially stopped playing basketball. I was never the fastest or tallest player on the team, but I think that’s where people definitely underestimated me and my skills. When I finally started modeling, I finally felt like I had found my true passion working in the fashion world. I quickly realized I was misunderstood and underestimated in the fashion world as well. Once again, I was not the tallest or the skinniest. It affected me for a while, and it still affects me sometimes to this day mentally. I had to quickly realize that these industries are tough and are definitely not for the weak. Always being misunderstood and not taken seriously by people motivates me every day to want to do better, and prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. I have only been in the fashion industry for a couple years now, but I can honestly say I’ve learned a lot through my experiences, and by the people who have helped me along the way. All of these events have encouraged me to want to help people grow within the modeling industry in the future. People who think they cannot model because they’re too short or not skinny enough. There is a place for everybody within this industry no matter what you look like.
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.
My name is Tianna Williams. I am a model, actor, and a college student in the process of getting a Fashion Merchandising degree. I have always been a lover of fashion. I knew it was something I wanted to do as a career. I just did not know exactly what I wanted to do with it. I first started when I graduated from high school in 2020. I was working at Francesca’s Boutique as a stylist, where my coworker introduced me to my first manager, Jessica Meshaun from Meshaun Model Management. I was with Meshaun Models for a year and learned so much. I had no clue about anything within the modeling industry when I first started. I just knew I liked clothes and looking pretty. Within my first year, I got my first cover on a magazine, walked in many fashion shows, including one in New York. In addition, I got to network and meet so many different models and photographers. After that year, I was ready to explore new things so my manager introduced me to my current mother agency, NFG Models, ran by Lari Nelson. I have been with NFG for over a year now and have also had new experiences and learned a lot from them. Joining NFG definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. I was never interested in acting and stepping out of the box before I joined NFG Models. I got to attend the prestigious Model and Talent Expo in Dallas where I had met many agents from all over the country and was even awarded Actor of the Year. From the exposure at Expo, I ended up meeting and signing with The Clutts Agency in Dallas, Texas for acting. Since then, I’ve filmed some commercials, have pictures up in a mall and even have a billboard in Corpus Christi with my face on it. Within almost three years of modeling, I have accomplished so much and it makes me excited for what the future has to come. I am most proud of the confidence I have gained throughout the years. I am also proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things which has led me to many amazing accomplishments. I have always struggled with anxiety and depression so these experiences mean so much to me. I hope one day I can help young models grow and be able to teach them the techniques and skills I have learned throughout the years. My biggest goal out of all of this is just to be happy at the end of the day. I have always wanted to become famous one day so I can be that person I never saw when I was younger to look up to for someone else.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I can definitely see where people who are not in some type of creative industry think that these types of jobs aren’t as hard to do compared to having a 9 to 5 job every day. Creatives are definitely underestimated. The work is just as hard. I cannot speak for the music, dance, and art industry but I know for a fact they are all challenging. For the modeling industry side of it, models often get compared to influencers or people assume we just take pictures look pretty and go home then our day is done. So much work goes into modeling every single day, even when you’re not on the job. I like to compare modeling to being an athlete. You have to keep up with your appearance and what you put in your body. You also have to keep up with your social media and how you dress every day. Network, keep up to date with your digitals, agents, and then finally do your actual job which is the long, tedious photo shoots and fashion shows. Being a creative is definitely a mentally and physically draining job. You have to take mental health breaks otherwise you will not make it and that is the dark truth a lot of people don’t talk about. I believe, where people who are not in these types of industries get confused, is the social media aspect of it all and how we all make things seem so perfect. Nobody wants to see the dark side of things and the hard times. We go on social media to get away from those things. This year, I really want to focus more on building my social media up in a more positive way and not just posting perfect photos all the time. For a while that mentally shut me down. I continued to play perfect online like I wasn’t completely drained mentally. Depression is something all people in general go through but no one wants to discuss because it scares us but it is something we can turn into a positive so we can all grow and build each other up.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Personally, for me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is getting to live out my goals and dreams while helping others along the way. A couple of years ago I never thought mentally I could accomplish the things I have today. Being able to accomplish so much in a small amount of time has mentally help me gain confidence and grow into a stronger person. Getting to meet other models and help each other out along the way is so beneficial for the all of us. It is extremely exciting to know that we are all doing what we love and making our dreams come true.
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Image Credits
Al Zavala Henry B. Creative LLC Danny Batista