Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Harris
Hi Tammy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
So l love to refer to myself as a Creative Joymonger…
First things first…I was born and raised in Houston, Tx. I attended North Shore HS, and graduated from University of Houston Downtown and I also worked for the City Of Houston during college so I yes, I’m a hometown girly through and through! Now that Ive gotten that off of my chest…My love for making people smile through creativity began when I was in middle school where I was presented a challenge in class in to create a commercial about our planets and I knew I wanted to do the most comically informative presentation and I knew I absolutely nailed it! The response that my teacher and peers gave me provided me with all the fuel I needed! I knew from that moment forward that there must always be room for creative and comical release in my life. At the age of 12 that commercial was only the beginning. I channeled through college and multiple jobs searching for the career space that would allow me the flexibility to continually spread joy. Shortly after graduating college in 2011 | landed my career as a flight attendant in 2012 with a major airline and I have been in my happiest space since. I lived in San Francisco during the first 7 years of my career and fully immersed myself in art, freedom of expression, modeling, and exploring every avenue of my job where I could completely be myself. With that, I was able to land my coolest flex of being able audition with Sony and Marvel to land a very short speaking role in Spider Man Far Home in 2017. Also in that same year, I had the privilege of being a part of an American Eagle modeling campaign that expanded itself to Times Square. Needless to say, 2017 was a good year for me. As I continued to pursue numerous other ventures within the next years of my life, it was in 2020 after I was placed on furlough with my job at the airline, that I began to lean on my social media lifestyle more than ever. While I initially started posting videos as a way to laugh to keep from crying with everything that was happening at the time, it quickly turned into a business. That business is now known as Sunflowers And Rays Inc.; a social media company I founded back in 2020 to turn my passion into profit. This year through Sunflowers And Rays, I’ve been able to snag a few fun Houston features as well by participating in photoshoots at the Houston locations of the Color Factory and Sloomoo. Ive now had the pleasure of balancing both careers as, flight attendant and content creator by simply creating fun and joyful content surrounding my day to day life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road most definitely has not been smooth! As a now 35 year old woman that loves to create videos on social media, sometimes the greatest defeat can be imposter syndrome. Friends, family, and even coworkers have given me such a hard time because they think that my page online is a waste of time. Many don’t understand that even when Im not making money, I do simply enjoy the craft and well, it brings me joy. Also, the social media platforms are extremely unpredictable. Last year, in 2023, I was on a roll in the first two months of the year with great engagement and multiple brand deals lined up when all of sudden I had a flagged video that I still don’t understand why it was flagged. that flagged video, placed so many restrictions on my account including, taking away my monetization features on Instagram for 9 months. Durning this time my engagement was at an all time low and Ive just recently been able to see an increase in my numbers since that time, now one year later. Thankfully my flight attendant career allows me so much flexibility that I able to continue to work on my passion during these downtimes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My day job aside from content creation is being a full time flight attendant. Ive just began my 13th year as a flight attendant and I couldn’t have chosen a better career for myself. I love people and I love giving my best shot at brightening someones day! I absolutely love when passengers come onboard and tell me that they remember me from a previous flight because of my smile and my fro 😂 and I always say that “joy and afros go together”! Though there are many moments over the course of my 13 year career, I’m most proud of my ability to keep a good attitude in spite of the day to day challenges each flight may bring. In my social media adventures, this year has been the most rewarding my with three brand trips this year all centered around things that I love! Recently, I had the pleasure to attend a trip to La Crosse, Wisconsin, visiting a brand that I’ve been partnering with for two years now, Organic Valley! (Their products are all over my cooking content) My next trip is with the airline… so stay tuned!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
To be honest, I have attempted many times to switch over to different departments at the airline and something always reminds me that I’m in my happiest place and position! Within the last two years I was invited to join the company’s community of content creators and therefore, I’ve officially been able to marry my two passions! Being able to create content with my airline is both rewarding and fulfilling! I now love my job more than ever and there’s so much more to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunflowersandrays.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflowersandrays/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sunflowersandrays
