Meet Tanaya Ree

We were lucky to catch up with Tanaya Ree recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tanaya, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

As an anime fan, I’m really into Japanese culture, and I recently learned the word ikigai, which means “reason for being” or purpose. It connects your mission, vocation, profession and passion. It ties in what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. Many spend their whole lives trying to find what this is, and thankfully I discovered it really young.

Growing up I wasn’t the most popular kid. I had a few friends, but I was largely considered an outcast by my peers because I didn’t quite fit into a box despite being 5’1” ½. Unfortunately that’s another thing they didn’t like about me. Apparently Oompa Loompas are not all the rage.

But I digress… my interests were all over the place. I loved anime as I aforementioned, video games, comics, participating in athletics and really enjoyed learning. There were a few of my peers that didn’t like the fact that I would raise my hand and engage with the teacher. They also didn’t like that I wouldn’t follow their status quo. I was a hodgepodge of jock, nerd, and outcast. Consequently I would get bullied a lot for being this way. Then I’d come home and deal with tremendous amounts of stress, so to find solace, I turned to escapism in the arts.

My upbringing was very similar to Quentin Tarantino’s in that way in that I would often be sat in front of a television, but instead of brain rotting as people imagine one does when they do that, it lit up all the neurons in my brain that I felt were dying. It gave me joy and it gave me meaning. Most of all, it gave me awareness that there was more to life than whatever I was dealing with in that current time. All in all it inspired me to start making similar content that could make people laugh or imagine an environment that was different from their current one.

So I started writing a lot. I did musicals, poems, raps, screenplays, reviews, essays, short stories, and jokes. Since it was hard for me to have a voice in a place that didn’t want to hear me let alone see me, I created that place. It led me to comedy that saved my life. It also led me to telling stories in documentaries from people that are often misunderstood: artists, addicts, eccentrics, and mentally unwell.

Ultimately that experience led me to my purpose — using my creativity and my need to create spaces for people to be seen and heard. Nowadays I often find myself blending the two seamlessly in my profession as a Content Creator where I build communities on platforms like Twitch as well as working in the Film & Television industry bringing meaningful stories to life. My creations by and large focus on wellness, community, comedy, spreading knowledge, and being your authentic self centering around what I believe is my ultimate purpose — to show others that you can be many things in this lifetime as long as you choose to be unabashedly yourself. There is only one you anyway and no one can tell you who that is but you.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Since I have many interests when it comes to the arts, it’s found me in many different roles behind the camera and in front of it. I’ve worked professionally as a Director, Editor, Writer, Creative Producer, Line Producer, Graphic Artist, Web Site Designer, Art Director, Videographer, Photographer, Host, Actress, Content Creator, Brand Ambassador, and Comedian. I currently work as a Producer and Video Editor on contract projects as well as a Content Creator on platforms like Twitch and TikTok. I am also soon to be adding Author to that resume as I’m working on my first novel called, A Great Swimmer which with a name like Rivers, my legal last name, I feel is pretty fitting. The book will detail navigating the ebbs and flows of adolescence to adulthood while learning not to drown. If interested, you can sign up for my mailing list for the book in the link provided. You can also peruse my saucy videos on Instagram and TikTok. Hopefully that entices you to do the former thing too. Tee-hee!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most important qualities that were most impactful to my journey were the following:

Adaptability – Bruce Lee always said to “be like water” and to unabashedly promote my book yet again, I do think learning to be a great swimmer is an important part of the journey as life will always have these ebbs and flows. Bodies of water are a constantly changing thing in nature so at times it is better to swim against the tide, and other times it’s better to just float to see where life takes you. I think the more willing I am to change and adapt, the more it has progressed me. There is also more in nature than water that tells us that change is good — the moon is constantly going through phases, the seasons alter, so too should I change.

Creativity – Using my imagination to get me out of my own suffering was integral. Creativity is the part of the human brain that is often able to find solutions and there are so many ways in which that can be utilized. If ever you feel emptiness in your life, creativity could be the very key leading you back to what makes you feel alive. Every time I create I gain a sense of confidence. Confidence doesn’t come from others, it comes from being who you are unapologetically and doing what you love. Our egos are not meant to shrink, they are meant to expand, and then expand others. This is what I believe helps grow my social platforms the most. Empowering others with social media seems like a no-brainer to me. Everyone very successful on social media does that to some capacity whether you like them or not. That’s the benefit of a large ego when it’s healthy — it means you know life isn’t just about you being the center, it’s about you putting yourself first so you can create an environment where you can be centering to others and yourself through what you create.

Empathy – Due to bullying, it took me a long time to realize being sensitive was not a curse, it was the cure. It was the cure to my own suffering because I was able to understand that everyone is dealing with their own plight, and to take things less personally. It informed me of those around me, but also gave me compassionate insight into myself and what I truly needed to feel joy. I always say self-care is the best care, and empathy led me to learning about how to practice self-care via psychology, sociology, religion, meditation, spirituality, arts, fitness, nutrition, community service, and cosmetics. It also gave me interpersonal intelligence which I believe is the most important soft skill someone can have in any profession. It’s the key to charisma knowing what other people need and being able to give it to them. A lot of the time it ends up being a sense of belonging and I’m very happy to have created that in my Twitch community especially. The Homies, as I call them, are a diverse group of people who are compassionate, funny, intelligent, resourceful, and generous. They, much like me, are people looking to be heard and I’m happy to provide a community where they can be.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Recently I read a book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and it compelled me to start writing my own book. People had been recommending this book to me for a long time, but it wasn’t until last year that I finally got around to reading it. I will say it was divine timing because I was in the headspace of being way more receptive to what was being said than I would have been in the past. It imparted great wisdom about the four most important things we can do to be our best selves:

1. Be impeccable with our word – Do what you mean and mean what you say.

2.Don’t take anything personally Everyone has their own problems, and sometimes they make their problems other people’s problems.

3. Don’t make assumptions – We can’t assume anything since life is unexpected and people can be unexpected, but we can always intend to…

4. Always do our best – Some days it’s really hard for me to do some things. I’ve struggled mentally, I’ve even struggled physically having Rheumatoid Arthritis, but we all have our cross to bare. We can either choose to be a victim or use our circumstances to motivate us to do amazing things. Most challenges really are for us to be the best version we can be because it certainly brought out the best parts of me that I’m embracing and I’m excited to see where that takes me. Maybe a new career in life coaching? Who knows?

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Bill Nash Photography
Miss Ash Productions

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