We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth T. Tawose. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth T. below.
Hi Elizabeth T., appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from a multitude of factors, each one filling in where one may lack some days. If I am to be honest, one of those driving factors is fear. A fear of failure and a fear of poverty. Growing up, my family didn’t have much and my parents always pushed us to be “the best” in school. They believed that was the key to a better life. So I always tried my best, giving everything that I had into whatever striked my interest, be it sports, music, drawing or writing. Since I could remember, I’ve always had lofty dreams and I was driven to create a different life than what I grew up in.
Although, I was always creatively inclined. Writing and illustrating my own stories as a kid. I’ve played the flute for over 10 years, and I like to draw. My dad would always say, “What’s worth doing, is worth doing well.” I’ve always been curious about how good I could get at something if I tried. The fear of not knowing was always greater than not trying at all.
Then sometimes it’s the drive to prove everyone wrong who’s doubted me. But ultimately, the main driving factor is my love for storytelling and the arts. While some of those other driving factors are not the healthiest and fickle, I have been writing and creating for as long as I can remember. Creating is my way of helping other people through life’s struggles and to also create an escape from the very brusque world that we live in. In some ways it is a defiance against the ugly things in the world by birthing more joy and happiness to offset the bad things.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
With over six years experience in the TV & Film industry, I am a Nigerian-American filmmaker, writer, and model from the south suburbs of Chicago. Previously, I have worked on a number of different productions such as Black-ish, Shameless, and HBO’s Juice WRLD doc to name a few. In addition, I run and founded a community organization, Yorùbá Land Connection that connects and highlights Yorùbá people & the culture. My short film, “Sunflower” has already garnered critical acclaim, receiving recognition for its directorial vision and the film’s powerful message. Through my work, I aim to ignite confidence in oneself and encourage individuals to challenge their views of the world, while bringing my Yorùbá culture to the forefront.
Currently, I am focused on writing new projects and pushing out the projects that I have worked on before. My short film “Sunflower” is now available to watch on YouTube in partnership with Bassett House Pictures, founded by Insecure’s Jean Elie. “Sunflower” is also being shown to middle school and high school students in Chicago in partnership with Communities in Schools where we discuss colorism and self-esteem. At the same time, I am working on getting funding to produce another short film that I wrote and will direct. As well as, working on a writing a short YA fantasy story to be published, a novel, and a rom-com feature. On top of all that, I am also working on hosting our first in person event for Yorùbá Land Connection which will most likely take place in Houston, TX.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think being adaptable, persistent, and resourceful have helped me along in my journey a lot. Life will constantly throw you curveballs and things sometimes will not go your way. You could either let it cripple you or you can pivot and let it redirect you to something that might be even better.
It is still something that I am working on myself but I believe trying to trust the process and being okay with where life leads you would be my biggest advice. It is not easy at all, coming from someone who has tried to control every aspect of my career or have it planned out. It’s exhausting when you’re always fighting against the flow of things. However, when you open yourself up to the possibilities of life you sometimes find that you have a lot of tools at your disposal. Everything you need is within you or within your grasp.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My biggest challenge would be the advice I gave earlier. Being okay with where your life is leading you and trusting the process. It is really hard to trust that everything is going to be okay or will work out. Especially when you look around and you’re not too happy with what you see. But I have to remember to trust myself, have faith in my abilities, and trust that it will get me where I need to go. As long as I continue to do the work and stay true to myself, I’ll end up in a better position than I could have imagined for myself. As I get older, I want peace and ease into success. That will only come if I can go with the flow of the direction of my life rather than fight against it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elizabethtawose.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: @mylifeaslizzay
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethtawose
- Other: Link to Watch “Sunflower”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUx0xNmVq4k
