NorCal and Shill
A podcast where NFT artists tell stories, hosted by NorCal Guy. https://twitter.com/GuyNorcal
https://twitter.com/norcalandshill
NorCal and Shill
From Medicine to Minimalism: A Creative Journey with Tara Workman
What happens when a physician's analytical mind meets the boundless creativity of photography? Tara Workman, a nature photographer from Barbados now living in the Pacific Northwest, joins us to share her extraordinary journey through art, medicine, and the world of NFTs.
Tara's path to becoming a celebrated photographer began with a simple challenge from her husband to learn how to properly use her camera before buying a new one. That small nudge ignited a passion that would transform her creative life. Despite her success, Tara describes herself as naturally introverted—more like a watchful cougar than her husband's labrador-like enthusiasm—preferring to observe carefully before engaging.
The conversation reveals Tara's initial skepticism toward NFTs during the frenzied market of 2021. She candidly shares how the pressure to constantly promote herself clashed with her authentic nature, leading to a brief hiatus from the space. Upon returning in 2022, she committed to approaching her art with more authenticity, finding her rhythm in the community while staying true to her unique vision.
Most compelling is Tara's insight into how the creative process evolves. When facing a creative block, she stepped completely outside her comfort zone by experimenting with acrylic painting. Though initially disappointed with the results, she discovered unexpected beauty by photographing microscopic sections of these "failed" paintings with her macro lens. This serendipitous process birthed "The Art of Letting Go," her new series that has resonated deeply with collectors even in the current market.
Throughout our conversation, Tara offers wisdom for fellow artists: remember why you create, resist the temptation to follow trends, and recognize when external validation begins to influence your creative decisions. Her journey reminds us that the most meaningful art often emerges when we embrace uncertainty and remain open to unexpected possibilities.
Join us for this thought-provoking conversation about finding your authentic voice in a noisy world. Whether you're an artist, collector, or simply curious about the creative process, Tara's insights will inspire you to see beauty in unexpected places.
Who is this? Who is this guy? Who is this guy? Who is this? Who is this guy? Who is this guy? Who is this guy? Norcal guy. Norcal guy. Norcal guy. Norcal guy. Norcal guy NorCal guy, norcal guy, norcal guy. Norcal and chill podcast. Chill, it's chill time. Norcal and chill podcast. What the fuck? What the sh-. What the sh NorCal and Shill Podcast. So it's shill time. Norcal and Shill Podcast. What the sh-.
Tara Workman:What the?
NorCal Guy:sh-. Hey everyone, welcome to this next episode of NorCal and Shill. Today's guest is Tara Workman. She's a nature photographer from Barbados, currently living in the Pacific Northwest. Her photography celebrates beauty in simplicity. She seeks to ignite the imagination and the viewer's sense of wonder, most often through minimalist abstraction. With a less-is-more approach, she portrays her unique view of the world and the beauty she sees. She is a Nat Geo photographer and board member of Miyamo Art. Everybody, please welcome Tara. Hey, tara, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?
Tara Workman:Hi, I'm good thanks. Thanks for having me.
NorCal Guy:I am good, thanks. Thanks for having me. Uh, you know, I am glad this is happening. Um, on a one-on-one versus a three-on-one with uh what. What happened, though, was that two years ago? Um, yeah, in the comp stomp studio live podcast. That was pretty fun though it was fun.
Tara Workman:Yeah, it was 2022 um. It was jenna and johan yeah, yeah it's a good, good time, first time I met you yeah, yeah, right, right, right with your big backpack, yeah it was my first time doing an in-person interview. It was good.
NorCal Guy:Thanks and had to bring all the equipment, all the just-in-cases, because the last thing you need was everything to be not working.
Tara Workman:Indeed, it worked out well. I remember it's so different this time because I was so nervous, because you build up this NorCal guy thing and I'm just sitting there and I'm like shit, but yeah no it went well and I feel way better. I feel way better this time better this time.
NorCal Guy:Good, good, I was so nervous about that, you know what? Because I was like I think I was a couple minutes late, because I I was like double checking everything at the hotel, making sure everything was working, and like I put in the SD card and I was like reading the time that was left wrong in my, like I was seeing it and I was reading it wrong and I I was like Frank, my, my SD card's not big enough. How is that possible? And it just like was confusing me and I like was sitting there, just like I got, I got to run by B and H on the way over there, like get this like some massive thing, and then I don't know what made me like reconsider the numbers that I was seeing. And then I was like, oh, there's hours worth of time and was like, just, you know, when you're nervous, you read things, you're like looking at things way differently and you're like frank.
Tara Workman:No for sure, especially the first one. Yeah, you did. Great though you did well, so did you.
NorCal Guy:So did you, thanks. Um well, jumping right in. Do you have and use a hardware wallet?
Tara Workman:write in. Do you have and use a hardware wallet? I do. Um, I actually had one. So I've been around since 2021 and I had one for a really long time and I I remember setting it up and then never putting anything on it and then I was forced to use it when I think it was some open sea fishing thing and everybody was freaking out and I remember my friend Jared called me and was like you need to get everything off your MetaMask.
NorCal Guy:Get everything on your ledger.
Tara Workman:I was like I don't even know where it is, I don't know how to use it. I was like I don't even know where it is, I don't know how to use it. I was freaking out, so luckily nothing got hacked. Nothing got finished and now I use my ledger all the time.
NorCal Guy:Oh man, I think that was when they switched their contracts or something. Yeah, I remember something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tara Workman:And it was, I think it was I was working or something. Yeah, I remember something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it was, it was, I think it was I was working or something and I was. Just I didn't even know where the the actual uh ledger was.
NorCal Guy:I had to go like hunting uh yeah, oh man, oh man, after this, after this, I got to send you something about Jared Nice. No, I can't.
Tara Workman:What were your first thoughts when you heard about NFTs? So, yeah, I was a big skeptic. I was in it, for actually I wasn't even in it. I was in it for actually I wasn't even in it. I basically was encouraging my friend Jared to to get started and you know, I set up everything but not really thinking it was going to be anything. I actually didn't pay much attention. I minted, but I didn't really I didn't get it and I was pretty skeptical and I was was like this guy, vince, is buying everybody's stuff.
Tara Workman:If, if he buys my stuff, great, if not, I don't know. So I was a huge skeptic to begin with and I don't think I really I've told you this before but, like 2021, I did not enjoy. I didn't like the frenzy. I didn't like just like my personality is, I don't, I don't like to show myself off, I don't like to talk about myself. Um, ironically, here I am, um, but so so I didn't really get it, I don't think, until probably the beginning of 2022. I'd actually disappeared for a bit in the fall of 21. And then I started looking into it more. I started learning more about crypto and you know blockchain technology and all that, and eventually, you know, something clicked but I didn't want to come back. Unless I could come back, you know more authentically like me. And so in 2022, I actually got onboarded to SLOICA and I just basically came back slower paced and yeah, I, you know, yeah, been pretty good since then and yeah, that's good.
Tara Workman:21 was mania like insane yeah, I was not good at. I was not good at that at all.
NorCal Guy:Neither was I oh, that's debatable so neither was I. Oh, oh, that's debatable so why did you choose art, or what brought you to art?
Tara Workman:so that was pretty accidental. Um, so I'm a family physician full-time and I always liked taking pictures, but I never knew how to use a camera. So one year I think I was 16. I decided I wanted to buy a new camera, and rightly so. My husband challenged me and was like what do you need a new camera for? I don't even know how to use the old one. So I was like I just need a camera that I can grow into. He was like yeah, well, you need to actually learn. And so he pushed me to do a course.
Tara Workman:And then I pretty much got obsessed. I just I loved the whole process of it and I you know I've connected with a group of equally obsessed photographers and I don't know I just it just kind of took off. I'm pretty sure we used to play golf and stuff. I'm pretty sure he regrets pushing me in this direction. But here we are and you know it's interesting, like I never really thought that I was creative, um, and then a couple years probably like three, four years ago, I don't know I just started to try to try to see if I could make a more unique take on nature photography, because there's a lot of photography out there that's relatively similar, um, and I wasn't as fulfilled doing that anymore, um, so I kind of started to divert in my, in my uh, artistic view and I don't know. I started to like muck around with the camera a little bit and started to actually enjoy it more.
NorCal Guy:Yeah, yeah, got me here. What jobs have you done along the way? I know you just mentioned physician, but what else?
Tara Workman:yeah, so I'm pretty boring. So I grew up in barbados and well, yeah, that that's pretty, that was pretty sweet but, like, very, very fortunate in that, you know, education was free, um, up to med school, so I didn't really have to have a lot of odd jobs and so it was school for the most part. I worked for my dad, just doing, you know, clerical work here and there some of the summers and, uh, taught at a vacation bible school for one of the summers, which, yeah, yeah, but that's good, that's good. Yeah, I don't know if I'm qualified for that, but I did it, but I didn't do. I didn't have a lot of like the cool weird jobs you know growing up or anything, just med school residency and yeah.
NorCal Guy:Hey, that's all right. That's all right. So if you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Tara Workman:So I've thought about this one. So I tend to be I tend to actually like people see me, they think I'm, you know, super chill and super bubbly and you know people person and all of that but I'm actually a pretty introverted person and I actually love my solitude. So my husband and I always joke that he's like the lab, he's like this dog and he's super nice and super like everything is great and I'm kind of the cat personality worries about everything is like this needs to be changed, this needs to happen. Um, I also in web three, like to lurk a lot, so I think I don't know, probably something like a cougar or some sort of cat. You know that just is is looking at everything, processing everything. Might not be seen, but I'm around.
NorCal Guy:So you're like I'll let my husband be the dog at the house and you're like I'm going to be the cougar out in the wild.
Tara Workman:And I'll just attack him sometime. Not that kind of cougar but yes. Yeah, I mean, I can see myself being like some sort of cat, like a cougar, like a tiger or something. Yeah, all right, majestic quiet. You know, not really seen much.
NorCal Guy:So have you seen any in the wild? Because you'd be out hiking out there. I have not.
Tara Workman:I freaked out thinking that there were some. I'm I'm grateful that I haven't, like, I've seen bears and stuff, but no cougars. If I saw a cougar, I I don't know, shoot, yeah, I don't. Yeah, well yeah probably. If I'm seeing it, it's probably the end true, true, they probably have seen you, though.
NorCal Guy:True, true, they probably have seen you, though, I'm sure.
Tara Workman:Yeah, I mean with photography.
NorCal Guy:You're out, you know early mornings, late nights and yeah sure.
Tara Workman:Do you have a favorite food? Anything sweet anything. It's not good for me. I love dessert. Yeah, tiramisu is what I think is the dessert that I've been craving the most recently, like lighter, you know, yeah, but sweet Anything. Sweet, all right.
NorCal Guy:That's a solid one. What's the?
Tara Workman:best piece of advice you've been given. So, um, easily assume goodwill meaning, and I actually got this from a training at work. So, you know, in medicine you see a lot of people, um, some people are grumpy, some people are rude, but you never know what you're going through. Right, right, I kind of I take that with me. You know, I'd rather you prove that you're really not nice, and I prefer to kill you with kindness and let you show me that you're really not nice than to just assume that you know, yeah, that what, what I see at face value, is actually accurate. And you know, you'd be surprised, like if you call people on it, like you know, I hope you have a better day or are you doing okay. You'll be surprised at the reactions that you get. So that's probably it for me.
NorCal Guy:Yeah, that's a solid one.
Tara Workman:I mean a lot of people could use that advice I mean, you know, a lot of people have been burned, that's the one thing that I've realized, you know um, yeah, so do you have advice for artists joining the crypto art space?
Tara Workman:Oh, it's such a tough one. It's so tough because, even if you get the advice, it's hard to follow it. I think the big things for me be yourself, which is really really hard to do, especially when you see everybody flaunting their wins and you're tempted to do what they're doing. But the reality is, the most successful people are the people who are doing things their own way, and they're they're, you know, carving their own path. So be yourself as best you can. And I don't know. Just just just keep trying to remember why, why you do what you're what you do. Like what, what got you into this space?
Tara Workman:Most of us is art and you know money is great, but at the end of the day, we do the art because we love the art, and a monetary, you know, price tag isn't going to make you feel better if, if, you're just producing art for other people. So just just why you're there? Um, and it's, it's interesting that, like I, I see myself as one of these really self-aware people, but seeing actually putting Bryce Dyke on my art actually changed how I was shooting. And yeah, and recently, you know, like I tried to, I tried to figure out how to get myself back there, and only recently I've been coming out of that. So you know it's hard. You can know that you should shoot for yourself or create for yourself, but it's harder to do when you're seeing. You know everything around and you want to sell it.
NorCal Guy:If you could live or move anywhere, where would you live and why?
Tara Workman:I don't know. I think this is going to, this is going to be. This is a bit of a cop-out, but I'm one of those people that I probably could live most places if I'm comfortable enough, Like I grew up in the Caribbean, you know beautiful beaches. Moved to Oregon, Beaches are not as beautiful, but they're beautiful in a different way. I'm not swimming in the air, but you know it rains here, but I'm surrounded by good people, good food. There are a lot of places that I love, like New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland I enjoyed. There are a lot of places. I don't know that there's anywhere that Barbados is always home for me. When I say Barbados, I think of home. I've been here for a couple decades but it's still home. So I don't know. I could probably live anywhere, just as long as I'm surrounded by good people, All right.
NorCal Guy:No, that's fair. That's fair. Yeah, I feel you on that. And if there's like a Costco in Trader Joe's, then you're good.
Tara Workman:Yes, Cut the comforts like the little things. You gotta be comfortable.
NorCal Guy:You gotta be comfortable do you have any questions for me?
Tara Workman:I do. The big one, honestly, is like what kind of kid were you like were you? And without doxing yourself? Only child. Were you the mischievous woman? Kid were you Like were you? And without doxing yourself, only child? Were you the mischievous one? Were you like quiet nerdy jock? What kind of kid were you.
NorCal Guy:I was the oldest, oldest of two. I have a sister, a younger sister, and I don't know I didn't, I didn't, I wasn't a jock, I don't know, I didn't, I didn't, I wasn't a. I played some sports, but it wasn't like my, my primary thing. I had A lot of my friends were, the Were really in the sports, so I went to like their games and whatnot. But I did like, uh, in school, in high school, we had like this industrial arts program, um, so I did that.
NorCal Guy:It was like a four year thing, like if you signed up as a freshman, you had to do it all four years and um, so that was one thing that I did. I, I really loved it. So it was a lot of hands-on, um things with like using lathes, um wood lathes and metal lathes, and welding and all these different things with your hands, um, um, I always liked doing stuff with my hands, um, and so, yeah, that was me growing up and you know, afterwards, um, I still, you know, I went to art school a little later and, and were you?
Tara Workman:were you? Were you a trouble? We're like did you get into trouble a lot Like I was. Of the three kids, I was the one that always got into trouble. I wasn't a terrible kid, I always got into trouble.
NorCal Guy:No, I know I didn't get into much trouble in school at all. Yeah, I didn't get into trouble much In college. I didn't do good In college. I didn't do good. I didn't do great in college. I had a lot of interests. I guess that's part of my problem, is I have a lot of interests and I can do a lot of things pretty well, so it's hard to know what you should focus on. I think you did okay, though. I think you did okay though. So you know, I finally just got a business degree and you know, and found someone that could be have a focused career form that I could help support, and you know. So now I can play with a camera that I finally I think that's been fun. I finally got my hands on it, you know. So now I can play with a camera that I finally I think that's been fun. I finally got my hands on a camera last year and then just been having fun with that. So, getting back into the art thing again, Nice, it all comes back to art.
Tara Workman:It all comes back to art and having fun. Yeah, yeah.
NorCal Guy:Nice yeah, any other questions? I and having fun. Yeah, yeah, nice yeah, any other questions?
Tara Workman:I got one more.
NorCal Guy:Yeah.
Tara Workman:If you could interview, like, do you have like a, like one person that you'd really love to interview, or a couple of people, and we're putting it out there, we're putting it out into the ether, if you do.
NorCal Guy:Yeah, I have no idea, that's a hard one, like there's so many and they like, depending on the topic, or whatever I mean, and I don't even feel like I'd be qualified to interview some of these people. You know, you're like like satoshi nakamaru Nakamoto whoever the frick that guy is. That'd be awesome.
Tara Workman:I'm sure you'd have good questions.
NorCal Guy:But besides him, nick Szabo, I'd like to talk to him. Ah yeah, and Hal Finney would have been a cool one to talk to, even though he's passed now. I think those guys would be. I guess, more because they're the founders of crypto, basically.
Tara Workman:Yeah, nice.
NorCal Guy:Yeah, but if we're going to go within this space, this space that we are currently in, of crypto art, that's so hard, that's so hard. It'd be interesting to like if interviewed coldy the ogs are nice to interview because they're you know, they're kind of grounded it'd be interesting to see if, like, what x copy would say in an interview Um, besides him, I don't know, I guess, I mean I'm not sure I, I, I guess there'd be collectors would be kind of be cool. Like it's kind of impossible to get a hold of 6529. He's so busy that one could be good. Um, cosimo, yeah, um, but I mean I'm sure I'll land those guys in in some point.
Tara Workman:I have no doubt.
NorCal Guy:I just have to keep on, keep on bugging them yeah, I'm really.
Tara Workman:I've really been enjoying the collector series. It's actually a nice, a nice spin.
NorCal Guy:Yeah thanks, thanks, yeah, cool. Well, any other questions?
Tara Workman:no, I think that's it for me all right, well, do you?
NorCal Guy:so this is coming out actually next week, so tell us about any upcoming projects you might have.
Tara Workman:Well, so I think I touched on it a little bit. But, like last year, I'd gone through this, you know, creative lull funk thing where I just wasn't as inspired to shoot and I I try to shoot my way out of it. I booked a bunch of trips and I haven't really even processed a lot of the images from those trips. And then in New York I actually went to this paint party and it was fun. I didn't know what I was doing. It was horribly chaotic for me because that's not how my brain works, um, but it made me.
Tara Workman:You know, I came home and I started looking up like acrylic paint techniques and different things, bought a bunch of stuff and I started to like make a bunch of messes in my, in my backyard, and I didn't like anything that I had done. But what was happening was I could see little clips and little pieces of the canvases that I liked, and so I just took out my macro lens and I started to, you know, just photograph little sections of it, macro lens. And I started to, you know, just photograph little sections of it. And after a while I actually really, really loved what came of it. And so I, um, I created this series called the art of letting go, because it was sort of this accidental, just happy accident. You know very Bob Ross um where where I don't know.
Tara Workman:I made this body of work that I really really loved, and so I made 10 images and I'm releasing them, two images every Tuesday over five weeks. Two have already gone, so we've got three weeks to go and it's been doing really well. It's called the art of letting go and uh, yeah perfect.
NorCal Guy:Well, congrats um. I know you've sold four so far I have.
Tara Workman:I have way better than expected in this market. But yeah, I'm just yeah, I was just happy to just release it and it was kind of like cathartic for me. So the fact that it resonates with people just means a lot yeah, awesome.
NorCal Guy:Well, I look forward to the rest of that series. And do you have any shout outs? Or do you want to do any shout outs? I know you don't have to because it can be pressure no, that's fine.
Tara Workman:I, you know for me, for me, it's. You know, there there are a few people who just make my day every day in this bear market and it's like all of the click create uh discord, you know. Perp, james, andrew, andrew, like all, melissa, all of them Just amazing, uh. And then TJ Thorne, uh, zach and Jared, like they're the ones that, like, when I'm overthinking everything, they keep me straight.
NorCal Guy:So yeah, yeah, good guys, good people, all those people are good people.
Tara Workman:Indeed.
NorCal Guy:Cool. Well, tara, thank you so much for coming on the show today. I really enjoyed it, and I did too. I hope you have a great day you too, thank you perfect all right, I had drinks before I had drinks before drinks before ICal and chill Podcast Show it's chill time. Norcal and chill Podcast what the what the Chill? Norcal and chill Podcast Show it's chill time. Norcal and chill Podcast what the what the Chill.