We were lucky to catch up with Tommy Vohs recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tommy, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
It certainly isn’t easy to walk your own path. Expectations can restrict our natural inclinations and make us question many aspects of our life. Fortunately, I found out early on to think beyond what was presented and expected of me. I had a curiosity that needed to be fed but I realized that my family had no desire to nurture that hunger. I left home at 18, got an apartment and a job and had no direction or goals. When I turned 20 I left the small town for the big city. I had $700 and no where to live or work but I was optimistic. Everything fell into place for me almost immediately, I was very lucky. After a few months I got a job on the railway. It was challenging from the start. Few women worked as brakemen or conductors or engineers but I didn’t dwell on that. There was no support for me if I failed so quitting wasn’t an option, Over time, I realized that even though I’d been told I was useless and wouldn’t amount to anything, it wasn’t true. This was my life and no one else had the right to control how I lived it. I developed strategies to overcome being introverted and a big part of that was not giving the space to the negative voices or fears. There was no shortage of people telling me I was taking a man’s job, or was I a “man or a mouse” (this after I was visibly upset after we hit a child off a bridge and he died shortly after I got to him). Most of the time, I faked it. I became a different person, who exhibited the confidence needed to complete the work. Over time, I couldn’t deny that ”fake persona” really was me in the end. It proved I had whatever I needed to be anything and not be afraid to fail. Just stepping outside of myself and developing different perspectives, believing in my intentions and seeing the value in my actions gave me great confidence. I came to see that thinking ‘if they can do it, I can do it’ was a valuable tool in taking first steps. I’m not afraid too. That is also important. Living in fear is not living at all. I dig deep and feel my intention and I know my worth.. ‘
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was born overseas but Toronto has been my home for years. I’m a locomotive engineer for Canada’s national passenger railway, Via Rail celebrating my 37th year. I was initially hired by CN Rail as a brakeman then conductor before transferring to Via. I’ve worked massive freight trains from Toronto into Northern Ontario, Go commuter trains and road switchers, and finally, high speed passenger trains. It was the best and worst job for someone like me. The challenges and focus required to safely operate these powerful machines never gets old. But it’s not all good. Fatalities and near misses are too frequent . The damage a train does to a body is nothing short of disgusting. Railway culture used to dictate keeping a lot of secrets about the accidents. “Just pretend it never happened dear” was what the engineer said to me after hitting the child off the bridge. When you deny trauma, it has a nasty habit of eventually blowing the lid off any efforts used to deny Its reality .In 2010 I hit a truck carrying boulders at 60mph with a 16000 ton freight train. It was life changing for me as i could no longer deny my grief. I went to therapy twice a week for 2 years to finally deal with all of the accidents and face my trauma. A friend suggested I get an Iphone and after discovering photo apps I used photograpy as a way to calm myself on the way to therapy. I discovered an on-line community and found my place there. Since then I’ve been in photography shows in the US, Canada and Asia. I’ve had numerous honorable mentions in international photo competitions, been showcased in digital magazines, and had my work used on the front covers of several on-line magazines. I was also interviewed by Digital Photography magazine and the App Whisperer and been lucky enough to have my work exhibited in several Toronto galleries. The joy photography brought to my life is not lost on me. It was extremely important for me to maintain an avenue to creativity which wasn’t always easy when I was bogged down by layers of trauma. Currently, I like to shoot scenes from the back of the streetcar of people and city life or down on the boardwalk amid the bustle of the seasons. Capturing the beauty of mundane moments and surrounding it in color is what I strive for. There is something so alluring in those whispers of memories and snap shots of a moment. It is so important to have outlets in which you can remove yourself from routine and do things that make you come alive. Taking the time to fulfill your needs is necessary to happiness. It doesn’t have to be in a gallery or appeal to anyone else as long as you enjoy what you’ve created. You can find my colorful creations on Instagram under the moniker tomtomvohs.
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?
Most impactful on my journey both personal and professional was having a plan with a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the beginning, I focused on learning everything I could by watching other peoples approach and sharing in their knowledge. Taking things bit by bit instead of all at once makes it manageable. When learning the 1000’s of miles of track, it was overwhelming to look at all of it at once, so breaking it down into smaller portions was a great help. Learning how to frame a photo to make it something interesting and direct focus without losing sight of my style, took time and I gave that to myself. I turned the volume down on the naysayers and believed in the value of my creativity. In the middle, I looked at what my end game was going to be and how to make that happen. Planning and prioritizing what needed to be done all the while still learning. You can’t place a value on the importance of a good work ethic and discipline without also acknowledging the need for space away from it. Although that can create stress, focusing on the negatives detracts from what is positive. When people questioned my abilities, I worked harder so there was no room for doubt. I put the work in and familiarized myself with what was needed to become above average. The end is a direct product of the effort we commit to. It is the culmination of years of building and output. I think it is also necessary to be considerate and generous with our time and help others connect to the spaces we create. In doing so, we are able to benefit from their sucesses and offer support during failures
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed at work there are resources available to use for support although taking that first step can be difficult. If i’m struggling because of a near miss or fatality, I know the importance of dealing with it now. Just thinking these events are nothing and they will go away by themselves almost cost me my life in the past. My company has a great platform and peer support that I can access to get what I need to move on. Talking about it with people who can relate gives a lot of peace to me. In my personal life, when I’m feeling overwhelmed I walk with my dog. We travel a lot of miles together and it gives me clarity and perspective I can’t get anywhere else. I’m very much an in-my-head type of person who doesn’t easily ask for help. I’m working on that but it is difficult after so many years of being independent. I also grab the camera and go for a ride and get lost in the moments, like i did on those nasty trips to therapy so many years ago.
My advice to anyone who is struggling and scared to make the first step: do it now. Stop talking yourself out of it. Is it hard: YES. Is it worth it: YES. Take the time to find someone you connect with and then commit to doing whatever they ask. My strategies worked for me for a while then worked against me. It’s never too late to change.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomtomvohs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tommyvohs/
Image Credits
Tommy Vohs.
