Meet Tamalyn Meller | Performer & Mental Health Therapy Graduate Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tamalyn Meller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tamalyn, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process is much like my life path. Circuitous. I have always been equal measure free spirit and planner. I thrived on the stage and in the rehearsal space but also loved the trappings of school, such as reading, history, papers, and problem-solving. So, when it came time for me to enter post-secondary school, A conservatory degree in performance made the most sense to me. After graduation, I needed to support myself in between performances, so I worked as a server while waiting tables. When my nephew was born, I committed to co-parenting with my brother, and I needed flexibility in scheduling and consistency of income, so I started a tutoring business and ventured into photography while returning to school for a psychology degree. After school, I continued performance and tutoring while working in a more standard 9 to 5 (or…let’s be honest, 7-9) job. It was during this time that I was preparing to make the adjustment back to entrepreneurship. Now that I had a business and arts foundation, I wanted to marry the two for the greatest impact on my community. What I found was the root of performance in any capacity, and good business communication and management was empathy for and psychology of people. I decided I would marry the two. I am currently actively involved in a number of performance opportunities, developing new characters by telling the stories lost to history while enrolled in a graduate program to become a therapist. Ultimately (in 3 years’ time), my plan is to create my own practice, combining performance art with psychotherapy to empower people to heal so they can share their stories. It’s not easy to find a the right fit for an oval peg in a world where square pegs fit in and prosper, so as an ambi-brainer, we have to create our own spaces where other shapes fit!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As I mentioned earlier, I am a bit of an anomaly in the creative and business world in that I am an ambi-brain (right and left) and an extroverted introvert. Straddling these two worlds made me feel alienated for a time because I never could find the place where I truly fit. While trying to make one or the other strength (creative or business) work, I consistently felt like something was missing. I have had a wider variety of schooling and vocations than most, but that doesn’t make my experience less valid; it makes my strengths more balanced. I can enable healing in a therapy session, develop a successful business plan, manage a multimillion-dollar budget, run an effective team, understand each personality type I interact with, adjust communication for the greatest impact, AND perform in a musical when it’s all said and done.

It took me three decades to realize that I had to create my own space, and I am not alone in that space. I can encourage and enable others to embrace the balance of their strengths, and the power of their stories through artistic expression.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Of course theatre! The Atlanta theatre community is vibrant. Take in a show at the Horizon Theatre, Actor’s Express, Synchronicity, The Alliance, or The Aurora Theatre to name just a few! Make sure to visit the Atlanta History Center, The Margaret Mitchell House and the MLK Historic site to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the city. Make sure to walk the Beltline and grab a snack and a drink along the way. New Realm is one of my favorites. Restaurants, Gunshow and The Garden Room are both pretty incredible experiences. Checkout Ponce City Market’s rooftop for games and the Claremont Lounge rooftop for live music and an awesome view of the city. Speaking of live music, head on over to Eddie’s Attic for an intimate concert and then have dinner at Iberian Pig on the square and have a drink at Brickstore. Don’t miss the High, and SCAD museum to take in a nice dose of visual aesthetics!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Certainly, my parents support my many years of schooling and the circuitous quest to answer what I want to be when I “grow up.” My fellow “oval peg” brother, Tim, for singing and creating with me and my brother, Robert, who provided perspective throughout his cancer journey with reminders that life is short and reminders of my worth. And finally, my “square peg” husband for supporting this new endeavor and my career and creative ADHD.