Her Story
About TaMara
I have been an artist for over 30 years and have been working as a lead workshop facilitator and motivational speaker for over 10 years. As a multimedia artist, I am a playwright, screenwriter, author, poet, stand-up comedian, actress, director, visual artist, and art therapy practitioner. I provide mental and spiritual health coaching workshops, facilitate support groups, and serve as a hub linking participants with mental health professionals and resources. Art has saved my life and has been my coping skill since I can remember. My mother was a visual artist and poet, and my grandmother was a politician. I went to school for visual arts and creative writing and was in advanced classes. As a survivor of several things, this work is my give back to the world because I don't like to see other people struggle, hurt, or be afflicted. I have utilized my art to bring healing, laughter, love, and encouragement to other people. I am the author of two books: 'Timeless through the eyes of a poet,' a novel, and 'Wild Rose Blooming, The Testimony for Poetic Life,' a poetry novella, both available on Amazon. My work has been featured in Houston at a festival and I have been in New York off-Broadway for the last couple years, with another play going up in New York by the end of the year.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with TaMara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I contribute my success to definitely the Most High. I'm very spiritual. Because I am a survivor, I know and I believe that I have been able to overcome and conquer, not only because of building my resilience and persevering. I've been able to build my resilience and perseverance because the Most High has secured me, saved me, guides me, and frees me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice that I received was from my uncle, who was like my father. He said, 'You know what, honey? It doesn't matter how you get to the plate, whether you run there or whether you're dragged, as long as you swing that bat and you aim for a home run.' It doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you swing that bat and aim for a home run. That's overall life advice, and I strive, I thrive, and I conquer by Yah's mercy.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To be authentically you. You only have one life. So be you, do you, and do well.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the big challenges right now in this particular field is mental health advocacy, which is still overcoming the stigma of mental health. Mental health has three times the stigma in brown and black communities. That's still a challenge. Health disparities is still a challenge. And then you're dealing with systematic racism, which should be considered a mental health disorder. Because of racism, there are certain challenges that minorities face, and certain mental health conditions like increased anxiety, depression, and trauma need to be identified and healed, and we have to be able to own it. As far as being in the arts, there's more funding that's being taken away for the arts, and that's a major challenge now. We're going backwards. As far as the opportunities, we have more artists and diverse artists. We have more artists that are using their voices to bring awareness, to fellowship, for unification, and to promote healing and resilience. And that's what I love about that. Out of the storms, there's always gonna be beauty in storms if only you look. So as an artist, there's been challenges, but there's also been doors of opportunity as a result of some of the challenges. Answering the call.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think family, overcoming generational strongholds, building generational bridges, and being proactive in healing.
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