Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanieka C.
Hi Tanieka, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Other than being in preschool pageants and taking JcPenney or JcPenney-like studio photos growing up, my story hasn’t been all fluff and frills. Exposure to many things, the good, bad, and ugly has allowed me to see what was possible on all ends of each spectrum and somehow made me believe that ANYTHING was possible.
This reality placed me in positions where I had to choose between different outcomes. Let’s just say in my younger years, I chose poorly and my life was on a destructive trajectory. There was a turning point in my life though that some would say was a “come to Jesus moment.”
It truly changed the game for me. As a result, I knew that not only was there something/someone greater than me, but I felt this pull to serve a cause greater than myself. For me, this call was via more than one avenue, and film and acting were one of them. I simply asked God to order my steps.
That was the simplest part. Following was another but whenever or wherever I got off track, I relied on Him to bring me back on course and this is how I started and got to where I am today. My steps have quite literally been ordered, via connections, open doors, opportunities, being in the right place at the right time, etc.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As simple as the belief part seems, in actuality it wasn’t. What started as childhood, childlike faith, became a lot of me getting in my way.
A huge part of that came with what people would say, allowing people to get in my head about who I was and what I should be doing, or letting people in who couldn’t be with me on this journey because maybe they didn’t believe and or struggled with their own insecurities.
On the contrary, there are people who truly, truly blessed me along the way even if they were a part of my journey for a season. Their words, support, prayers, and encouragement as well as genuine, random phone calls made all the difference. They are and forever will be rainbows in my clouds.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a storyteller. Whether I’m acting, producing, or flowing in any other aspect of my creativity, I aim to tell vibrant and powerful stories. I am currently known for my comedic role in “Just My Type”, a mysterious role in the movie, “Bae Night” and as producer and executive producer on an award-winning documentary. This documentary is the body of work I feel most rewarded for; serving a cause greater than myself.
What sets me apart from others is that I am me. It’s been an uphill battle silencing the noise and other’s expectations about just who that is but I’ve been truly discovering the depth of being fearfully & wonderfully made. Fearfully, I am made in God’s image.
In Hebrew, this means morally to revere. Wonderfully in Hebrew means to distinguish, put a difference, show marvelous, and set apart. There is no one on the face of the earth like me. Embracing this and showing up in this way is my superpower.
What were you like growing up?
Like most of us, there were layers to me. I think it might’ve seemed more obvious in my world, at least in my mind. Close friends and family often recount the kind of kid I was growing up. I had a big personality, I sang, modeled on occasion, choreographed dances, sent demo tapes to Michael Jackson and was somewhat of a bully.
I was known for standing up for others. That would make me a “good bully” right? Thus the aforementioned ‘somewhat.” Others thought of me as quiet and shy or super funny and sweet. I guess it depended on where I was and or who I was with at the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.IamTanieka.com
- Instagram: @IamTanieka
Image Credits
Bjoern Kommerell, Paul Smith Photography, and Kim Ruoff Photography
