Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tasj-Mari Myers

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tasj-Mari Myers. Check out our conversation below.

Tasj-Mari, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
My day to day has changed quite a bit since becoming pregnant, especially when it comes to creating or working on my business. My time is no longer spent running around doing heavy camera work or building sets and running demanding events but more so spent connecting with the community and building a brand that is able to withstand change. My lens has shifted from not just building something for myself that is fun or something that gets me by, but more so how can I build a legacy for my son and cultivate a career that has real legs and impact?

To do this, I need to be grounded in myself and wellbeing. That usually looks like starting my day slowly; I make my bed first thing in the morning and have some breakfast and maybe some tea. I feel like if I can just have one task knocked off regardless of the day, having a clean bed and room space makes me feel clear headed to start the rest of my day.

I work from home most days, creating assets and doing administrative work for Purple Fish Studios; handling bookings , events, and classes. I’ve also been really interested in furthering my education and have begun coding courses to diversify my skillset.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I started Purple Fish Studios a few years back because I wanted to cultivate a space where ideas became reality. A place that provided tools not only for myself but for artists who were hungry and passionate about the work they believed in. As a soon-to-be mother, I think a lot about what it means to nurture—not just a child, but also the voices and stories that will shape the world they grow up in. At Purple Fish, we do more than produce films, photography, and branded content. We create space for artists to be seen and heard in their most authentic form. We work with people who carry culture in their voices, in their art, and in their stories, making sure that what we build together feels true and lasting.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I’ve molted, shed, and grown into so many different versions of myself over the years. I was always a girl who wanted to try; who wanted more. However, I was walking around aimlessly and often stayed in the shadows or followed people who I felt had a better grasp on making things happen. It just seemed to come naturally to them so I felt that I could leave the decision making, networking etc to them while I worked and solely focused on my craft. The truth is, the only way to really make an impact in this world is to really get your skin in the game, connect with people, make mistakes and sometimes build out in the open where you feel vulnerable.

I also found myself desperately wanting someone to do the things that I dreamt of WITH me to the point where I delayed projects waiting for creative partners to be on the same timing as me. It’s allowed me to be better at planning and creating foundations for projects but it is time to give myself permission to create when I am ready to and truly live the reality of my dreams.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There’s this saying that goes, “you can’t truly appreciate the sunshine if you’ve never danced in the rain.” As artists, we often find the most inspiration for the work we do through the pain that we’ve experienced in our lives. Suffering, hardships and just generally failing miserably has taught me the meaning of endurance and just how strong I actually am. I’ve tested the limits of my capabilities and I have bounced back. I have felt what it feels like when the tunnel is so dark it feels endless but ultimately feeling this tug on my heart that still yearns for more and having the strength to put one foot in front of the other to move forward. I was in a very deep hole after my divorce that left me flailing and not sure that I would have the ability to keep my business afloat. I used those painful feelings to complete one of my dreams by writing a script and creating my first short film. I’ve since had multiple film screenings, and been on panels speaking on my work —which have led aspiring filmmakers to come to me for advice and inspiration. As I continue to grow and fail and grow again, I will have real evidence and knowledge on the inner workings of this industry as I have lived it myself.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
We live in a time like no other. We have constant access to each other and to celebrities or people that we look up to. Our algorithms are flooded with curated content and new features for us to interact with each other. However, I believe that we have had this thing called social media long enough now to where it’s not as shiny or interesting any more. We have new vocabulary and psychology terms like “parasocial” relationships that show just how much our culture and society has shifted around technology. We have had enough time to process that many of us are facing addictions to our phones and many content creators over the years have done detox trends where they delete apps or don’t use their phones for a period of time. At first, it was just a few people doing things like this, then startup companies began creating apps to combat doomscrolling, and others have created phones that have reduced features. The short form content limit has gone from 30secs to 90secs for uploads across platforms as creators have begun more in depth storytelling. Blogging is becoming much more popular on apps like substack and there has been a growing commentary online about the fact that we no longer have as many third spaces etc. the list goes on. People crave real connection. We are foundationally shifting over to a new relationship with our devices and the ways in which we interact with each other.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I only had 10 years left, I would stop worrying about little things like what people think and how I appear in people’s eyes and instead focus on how I can spend this time with my family and build something that will last for them when I am gone.

I would create solely to tell my story and work on projects that are meaningful and inspiring.

I would grow a garden and teach my kids the beauty of starting things from scratch and how rewarding it is to work on something with your hands.

I would live, truly and authentically.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pfstudios.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purplefishtm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasj-mari-myers-55601b1a0

Image Credits
Juliet Rosa