Community building is much more than just creating a network.  It is introducing the journey of another person while also creating an intersection between the blueprint of goals and the importance of authenticity.  As creative expression has become a true act of revolution within our Black community, it continues to become evident that authentic support is an essential on our daily checklists.  Being real is a key driver to what connects us to a person, place, or thing.  Not only does Creative Director Tannis Spencer have the heart of a hustler, but she puts focus on the value of what it means to show up each day with compassion and integrity.  With her recent move down south to Houston, she doesn’t have to catch up on the art of being trill.  She already embodies it which, in our eyes, made her the perfect choice for our first CNK Monthly Cover Feature.

While many of us have wiped our calendars clean and are staying inside, we’ve been pushed to look deeper and get to know ourselves a bit better. What is purpose? Who am I without a relentless schedule of travel, plans, projects, and distractions? Well, it turns out, pandemic or not, Spencer thrives both behind and in front of a camera. Her DIY Face Time photo shoot with us is proof enough.

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As the founder of Micole Creative Studios, Tannis has spent over a decade documenting stories through writing, film, and photography.  Her expertise in visual storytelling has set her work apart and dubbed her a trailblazer within a number of industries, including sneakers and streetwear.  Attributing her desire to share Black stories and push representation on the homogenous landscape, Tannis didn’t just study the FUBU (for us, by us) moments within her career – she created them.  With a keen sense of how we connect visually to an idea, she has constructed and lived by her own pillars of authenticity.  Infused with her East Coast influences and aim to combat any fear with an inquisitive nature, Tannis creates an empowering blueprint for success.

On any given day, once she’s fueled herself with coffee, Tannis jumpstarts her creativity by studying the social media streets.  Think of it as e-peoplewatching on a virtual stoop.  Brainstorming ideas and getting familiar with different faces in a variety of markets creates an endless pipeline of inspiration.  Working as the head of a production house you have to understand vision, but you also have to maintain a close relationship with self.  This navigates the foundation of authenticity and instills those key building blocks: honesty and truth.  There’s no doubt, she has learned from some of the top minds in the media industry, but she has put in the time and hard work that shines and allows her to connect the dots for her own clientele. 

“[Being in this creative industry] takes being in trenches and doing the grunt work with a smile on your face. [Putting yourself] in a position to see other people do it and watching them work. Before you ask people to pay you or even before you say you’re a professional you have to watch other people do it, you have to come to the table eager, hungry, and ready to participate.”

When you talk to Tannis, you instantly feel like you’ve known her for years. There’s a sense, too, that she is as open to learning as she is to lifting as she climbs.   Throughout our Q&A what surprised us the most talking to Spencer was how grateful she seems to be for the position she’s in. It was almost as though we were catching up with her in the wake of her first project and not, say, roughly nine years into her career after she’s added four films (Two, Curtis, I Needed You and The Reworks: Belly), numerous campaigns with Nike, Footlocker, Foot Action, Adidas, Vans, and more to her résumé. Words like “honored,” “surreal,” and “hungry” floated easily from her lips, making it all the more difficult for us to distinguish the difference between Tannis Spencer and the homegirl we’ve known for ages.

Before ultimately getting to where she is now, Spencer grew up in New Jersey and then spent years in New York solidifying her experience with editorial and production gigs at Complex, MTV, and Foot Locker all the while slowly preparing to take the leap into her own venture. Her buoyant demeanor and graceful charisma would lead us to believe that she simply clicked her Air Maxes and stepped into running her own creative suite. But when you’re at the point Spencer is in her trajectory where you’re working one-on-one with brands and regularly getting opportunities to tell creative stories and you still refer to these markers with the level of humility that Spencer does, it paints a different picture - one perfect for a slowed down transition from fast-paced NYC to the heart of the SOUF.

Cut back to the present where Spencer teamed up with us to execute the photo shoot for our cover story—on Face Time just two weeks after she and longtime Partner Bianca (who also helped with this home shoot, BTW) packed up their lives in New York and made the drive down to Houston. Like the charming ingénue she is, she saw our vision as an opportunity to get creative and ran with it, wearing pieces from her own enviable wardrobe and giving our Face Time all of the CNK at Home vibes. Spencer is, after all, paid to get the perfect shot, so let’s just say she knows her angles.

“My phrase for 2020 is this: It’s not difficult, it’s just new.

Things are going to make you uncomfortable and that’ll feel difficult but, they aren’t impossible - they’re just adjustments for growth and for change.”

The lesson we took away from our experience with Tannis Spencer? Being at home doesn’t have to be a hindrance. Be it through finally making the moves to start that business, finally creating that home space you desire, getting your hands dirty in an art project, or dressing up just to go to the living room, there are sparks of joy during uncertain moments. There are also moments to appreciate how far we’ve come, reflect on where we are now, and align our intentions for where we want to go. Or, if your Tannis, continue to do what you do best: create.

Written By: Cassidy Edwards and Channing Beumer

Photographer: Katie Charlesworth

Creative Consulting/Styling: Tannis Spencer

Photo Assist: Bianca Kathryn

Photo Design: Kayce Bagley