We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tara Sanders Brooks. Check out our conversation below.
Tara, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
When I started writing my first novel, I was afraid of branching out to a new creative field. While I have a minor in Creative Writing and I have always wrote prose and poetry on the side, I had focused solely on my filmmaking pursuits from a career perspective, up until I started writing the novel. It was a risk to put so much time and effort into something completely different, but I felt so passionate about it I kept with it, despite the fear. I am so glad that I did, because I think honing my creativity in one field only helps me heighten it in the other. Writing a book is so much like making a film, even though it’s radically different as well– the heart of it is still trying to tell a story that sticks with people.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a cinematographer and novelist living in Los Angeles with my wife and three black and white cats. I have my MFA in Film Production from USC. After spending four years as a staff writer at American Cinematographer, I am fully a freelance filmmaker, now. When I am not on set, I am working on my second novel or training for a half marathon. My debut novel It Will Last Longer came out in September. The book follows a struggling fine art photographer who stumbles across a crime scene in a back alleyway in Los Angeles. When she impulsively takes a photo of the scene and posts it online, she is reviled by the internet until she is unexpectedly cast as a hero for her role in helping to solve the woman’s gruesome murder. Relieved when her work catches the attention of a powerful film producer-and intrigued when an LA Times reporter wants to learn more about her story-the photographer seizes the chance to revive her sputtering career. But she never expects that this newfound lifeline will pull her into an underworld of death photography and haunting secrets, alongside the tenacious young journalist who can’t seem to resist following her deeper down the rabbit hole.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I’ve learned a lot about the peculiarities of work as an artist through my teachers and mentors– and all that has been invaluable. When I think back to childhood, though, there was never a time I didn’t know what hard work and passion looked like. My father owned a veterinary clinic in Ahwatukee, the suburb of Phoenix where I grew up. He was at the office at least six days a week, and if an animal needed to be checked in on at night, he would go without complaint. The most important thing I learned about work from watching him, however, wasn’t just to work incredibly hard for something that you care about. My dad knew how to balance work with the other important aspects of life. He never missed a performance of mine. He assistant coached my high school tennis team. He had the privilege of being able to do this because he was his own boss, but he didn’t have to do it. He wanted to. He worked exceptionally hard, and he also never let that encroach on what was most important to him. That is what I would love to emulate in my life.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would love to be able to talk to my younger self and tell her to throw any kind of career timeline out the window. She wouldn’t listen, but I would like to have tried. I’ve always been incredibly impatient, and I spent too much of my twenties feeling behind when that hasn’t been the case at all. It takes time and patience and luck to make a successful career in both filmmaking and writing, and there are many things I would love to be able to achieve that I haven’t yet. That’s ok. There is no one blueprint for success in the arts, and comparison can become the thief of sanity.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Petting cats and drinking good whiskey. Besides that, hopefully they would say being a present and supportive force for those who are in my life. I believe Victor Hugo when he said “To love anther person is to see the face of God”. Whether that is being someone the people in my life can turn to, or trying to create art that says something and makes a difference in the world, the goal is the same– to show love and acceptance.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Unfortunately, I think that is a lot of what being an artist is about. Putting your all into every audition, every pitch deck, every interview, even if all you get back is radio silence. A lot of the day to day is showing the world what you are capable of over and over again until someone gives you the go ahead and the resources to continue on with one of the myriad of ideas you’ve put forth. It’s incredibly hard. When I put together a deck of ideas for a film that I really want to shoot and I just get a simple “we decided to go with someone else” back, it is easy to start thinking really negatively of my abilities. You have to find a way to know your worth, especially when no one else is praising you for it. It’s the only way forward as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tarasandersbrooks.com
- Instagram: @tarasandersbrooks
