Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tamara Mechael of Burbank

Tamara Mechael shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Tamara, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Both! I know my purpose in life and have been walking along that path basically my whole life. I know where I’m going eventually, but I never know where life will need me next. I am simultaneously following a plan and taking it day by day, doing what God tells me to do when He wants me to do it. I’m wandering in the sense that I let the wind blow me where it pleases, yet I am walking the path to a specific place. It is all part of my journey!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a songwriter, screenwriter, author, poet, and all other titles that describe a pursuer of a career revolving around the written word. Words were my first love and I have a natural gift for language (thanks, Jesus). Contrary to many songwriters today, I do not make my own music as a recording artist. What makes me “interesting” (although, I believe, it should be the standard) is that I am what is considered a “non-performing songwriter.” What that means is I am solely a songwriter by definition and that I have no desire or motive for writing songs other than the simple fact that I would like to write songs for other artists for the rest of my life. I am not trying to branch off into an artist career, I do not want the spotlight, and I have absolutely no desire to perform on stage night after night after countless hours of rehearsal and travel with little to no breaks in between (with all the power and respect to artists, though- I don’t know how you all do it!). I am a writer down to the meaning of the word; it’s all I’ve done and all I’ll ever do.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mom. Point blank. She nurtured both me and my sister’s talents from a young age because she recognized the gifts God had given us before we were even able to see it ourselves. I owe everything to her!

When did you last change your mind about something important?
I change my mind all the time. I think it is a disservice to yourself to stay rigid in thought, especially in today’s current landscape. Things change so quickly, new ideas are developed and released faster than people can realize, and literal definitions are being added to the dictionary each year. In business school (shoutout Purdue University), they teach you to readjust your plan and approach every single time you see a result. Thus, my plans are constantly changing with the same end goals in mind. The only thing that remains and will always remain unchanged for me is my faith in Jesus Christ. He is truly the only constant in this world!

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. I have always maintained authenticity as a theme in my public persona. I think there are enough people faking it out there– given how easy it is nowadays with social media, photo editing, and other forms of artificial intelligence. People- especially children- are looking up to not only unattainable edited and filtered photos of falsified people, but literal AI characters and models for inspiration. On a surface level, this is dangerous because it leads them to perform surgical enhancements and procedures to look like what they see online (which is not real). On a psychological level, they compare themselves to unattainable lifestyles and people who pose as virtuous or greater than everyone else. Because this almost outweighs authentic online presence all around, and definitely does for those in the public eye, I choose to present myself to the public exactly as I am.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
My faith in Jesus Christ, hope in His Resurrection, and love for my family, friends, and- most importantly- God.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tamaramechael.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamaramechael/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-mechael-513bb2161/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TamaraMechaelOfficial/