Think Outside the Box & Work Hard

Today, more than ever, with the internet breeding more noise and people screaming for attention, you must learn to think outside the box.  The digital world has taken over and people are crawling out of the woodwork claiming to be the expert; expert of what?

Photography, Hair, Makeup & Set Design by Tamarah Ellen  |  Modern Dancer/Actor Margaret Alice

We have coaches; business coaches & financial coaches along with personal coaches.  We have people claiming countless home-based business opportunities and motivational speakers.  Every opportunity is the best, every coach is going to save you and every speaker will be your savior.   I love all these opportunities and and have met some great coaches and financial advisors, etc., but there is so much to see with the internet, how do you choose?   You have to pay attention, not to what someone says, but to how much they care and how are they living?   Are they living better than you?   Are they walking the walk, or just talking about it?   Pay attention!

Money, Money, Money

With the digital world, came digital photography, which made it more affordable for people to tinker with cameras and photography; only to find the Uncle Bobs of the world claiming their fame as the experts of the field. Don't get me wrong, as I am all about people exploring new dreams and turning passions into new careers; just be careful of the predators and remember you get what you pay for.   Don't expect to pay a quality and experienced person what you would pay Uncle Bob, or the newbie who is looking for a quick buck.   Paying cheap prices can put you at a risk!  If you think quality doesn't matter anymore, then you better rethink what you are paying for.  It could cost you dearly.  You are gambling with yourself. 

Countless people went out and bought mediocre cameras, little knowledge and then labeling themselves as professionals, only to saturate the market with low quality, less knowledge, fewer artists of the trade, while driving the price down;  quality goes down and so does the price.  Soon, burnout will follow along with the passion, right out the door!  Some will eventually flop out of sheer exhaustion.   You can't keep up the pace of fake it til you make it forever.  At some point, you'll have to work hard.   Don't poop out before you get started!

When I got married many years ago, we knew who the experts were, and we paid for it!  Quality was what we got and amazing imagery of memories, is what it was all about.  Pt was about photograph albums to cherish and portraits on the wall.  When I was modeling, fashion photographers in an area were known and each were true artists.   We knew who they were.  

 Photography by Tamarah Ellen  |  Model Kristin Wampler

For my entire life I have recognized quality and I have never been cheap, even when I perhaps, should have been.  I believe you get what you pay for and I recognize quality.   This gift has enabled me to create my Internet Show Tamarah’s Closet.  For that, I am grateful.

Photography by Tamarah Ellen  | Tamarah's Closet Live Interview Show

Today, one can buy an instrument, make a video, write a poem & call it a song, calling themselves a singer/songwriter and BOOM; more experts!    This fast-paced world of the new millennium has driven quality down and claims of expertise up.   No one wants to work hard anymore and pay their dues.  We are in the ‘get rich quick’ and the ‘everything should come easy’ journey to fame and fortune.  

Not everyone is like this.   In my research for talent for my Internet Show I recognize those who work hard and those who don’t.   It’s not that hard to do.  I just pay attention. I have found some incredibly talented people and what they have in common, is they all work hard.  When you are willing to put in the time, the money will come as long as you have true passion.

Photography by Tamarah Ellen  |  Singer/Songwriter/Producer Imani Pressley

Well, the fame will be hard pressed, and we know the fortune will be lost to this new easy breezy mentality of entitlement.   There are no shortcuts to success, unless you win the lottery, and even then, one would need to know what to do with their new fortune and how to manage that money in order to keep it!   Well, that takes work too.

Photography by Tamarah  |  Citizen Shade | Lead Singer William Purgason

Our world is forever changing and the only thing that hasn’t changed is this:  In order to get to your destination success, you better be willing to put in the work, or you will fall on your face; new millennial or not.   We are seeing businesses pop up everywhere trying to create their American Dream!  I am all about people starting their own business.   It takes courage and it takes work.   You've got to be prepared to face obstacles, failure and then pick yourself up again! 

Hair salons are popping up on every corner, and hairstylists with little experience are racing to the new fad of “studio suites” calling themselves salon owners.  They find themselves only to crash and burn, realizing they haven’t built the necessary foundation to sustain business, at the crashbox cookie cutter suites springing up everywhere.   

When I started out in the hair-cutting world, I was an assistant for over a year in the top salon in the area.  I paid my dues and worked hard, by staying late learning from the master stylists after hours, then finding myself finally earning a chair to work in.   I continued to work hard, working until 9 and 10 at night, becoming the top income earner at the top salon in my area.    I worked hard for it!   Even during that time, I never thought of myself as the best.  I have always been hard on myself and my own worst critic.  Perhaps that is what keeps me on my toes.

Hair, Makeup & Photography by Tamarah Ellen  |  Model Kristin Wampler

TODAY, I am starting over in life.   I know that I will constantly have to be learning through hard work to continually reinvent myself.  I still work hard and since I am from the ‘generation work hard’ for your money, I am aware of the hard work ahead, knowing that in the end, I will be the last woman standing.   The millennial will burn themselves out, after trying to bypass education & hard work, and undercutting the expert’s prices, only to crumble and fall.  It’s inevitable.  They will crash & burn.  When you have a saturated industry with low quality & low prices, the only ones who will last are the experts.   When the fallout happens, the experts who are still standing will be left, and quality will once again be in demand.  Prices will rise back up as quality too, will once again be popular! 

Photography by Tamarah Ellen  | Singer/Songwriter & Nashville Recording Artist  Michael Ken

Quality over quantity is what survives an industry.   If you want to attract success you must demand quality, stand in patience, and in your virtues with high value.  Never settle.   The strong survive.   When the millennials demand quick fixes and shortcuts to money, their true motives will be transparent.  The ones that are truly passionate and know it takes hard work will be easily spotted by their passion, dedication and their talent!

 Photography by Tamarah Ellen  |  Actor Michael Williams

Nuno Bettencourt said it great.  He says, “When you do something your passionate about long enough, the money will find you.”  I believe & know, when someone only does something for the money, failure will follow.    That’s how it works. 

Once you’ve made the decision to hunker down and work hard, you then must learn to think outside the box, to bypass the noise of the internet!   The quick fixers of the world are focused on easy, so you focus on standing out!   You can fake talent or creativity.   Don’t follow trends but set them.   Stay three steps ahead!

Photography by Tamarah Ellen  |  Model Kristin Wampler

Don’t fall into the new millennium mindset of shortcuts to success, sacrificing quality, education and hard work.   There are no shortcuts.  Shortcuts lead you to cheap trends.   Timeless quality is what you should be after.  That will come with hard work and passion.  Passion is what will drive you to work hard.   If money is all you are after, you better start buying lottery tickets, for you will have as much luck trying to bypass hard work, as you will winning the lottery.

Tamarah Ellen