We were lucky to catch up with Tiara Lane recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tiara, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
To be honest, I do have a lazy side to me at times, if it’s something I don’t want to do (lol). That’s sort of why I’ve pursued and am still pursuing a life where I’m solely operating in my own gifts and passion. I have a strong work ethic when it comes to things I’m really skilled at or truly enjoy doing (creative directing, modeling, acting, helping people). But, I think I’ve always been somewhat naturally driven. I watched my mom as a single parent juggle her 9-5 working in the police department, and then would pick up side jobs from time to time just to make sure my brother and I were well taken care of, and never went without. She was really big on discipline, studying and developing a lot of independence when it came to me, so those habits she nurtured I guess stayed with me as an adult.
I know she had dreams of her own that she was never really able to fully tap into because of motherhood, so for me I just wanted to find a way to do what I love, and enhance my family’s legacy, seeing what she sacrificed for us.
I would also somehow always connect with people or be exposed to people with a lot of influence, doing major things in the world, so that motivated me too, but I never wanted any hand outs. However, just that exposure to a certain lifestyle and realm of influence showed me that there was so much more out there, and I needed to work hard to get to a certain level.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I like to often say that I’m the epitome of not being “boxed in.” I model, I do creative direction, consulting, I have my life coaching certification and I recently started diving back into acting. Most people don’t know this, but I also teach, I have my masters in Education, it keeps me humble and feeling purposeful in a way, I guess… but I know eventually I’ll have to step away from the field, the more my acting and creative career unfolds.
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 the biggest is being comfortable in creating your own lane. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing, or do something the way other’s are doing it. A few years ago, people would look at you like you were crazy if you mentioned wanting to pursue multiple fields or talents, you were sort of led to believe you had to choose one talent over another. Now, it’s becoming more of a norm to be diversified. However, I would also say make sure you put an equal amount of time and dedication into each of your interests and skills, that was a struggle at first for me, but it takes discipline and focus.
Lastly, I would say understanding that “everyone can’t go,” and letting go of the guilt that comes with that. When you’re in the early stages of building, whether you’re a creative, in business, or another field, you sort of struggle between leaving people behind who are just sort of comfortable with the bare minimum in life. Especially if it’s people you grew up with, or feel obligated to look out for, but depending on the dynamic, they can hold you back because it’s like holding onto dead weight at times, and you can find yourself doing so much for others, but no one’s really looking out for you. So I would say take care of YOU first, and along the journey you’ll meet genuine people who can pour into you, just as much as you can pour into them, without feeling like your tank is always running on E.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes. I would love to collaborate with other creatives… photographers, videographers, models, rising actors, writers – to create some meaningful projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiaralane.com
- Instagram: tiaralaneofficial
Image Credits
Shanai Jenkins (Eyes of Nai Photography) Christopher Zapata
