We’re looking forward to introducing you to tyler Germaine. Check out our conversation below.
tyler, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up and almost immediately go out into my backyard. I have a wonderful garden I’ve been working on so i love to greet it and check if it needs anything while our cat has the time of her life out there. Afterwards, I’ll make my ritual coffee then sit down to watch TV or read or do anything that isn’t think about work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Tyler Germaine and I am Super Duper Tyler! I am a photographer, artist, filmmaker and creative director and Ive been fortunate enough to have worked on everything from major commercials to feature length movies to campaigns for larger brands and also get to occasionally show off personal work in galleries around Texas. I love to make any kind of imagery for brands that has a strong focus on telling the story of the brand or fans in a way that is more fun and exciting than sterile and boring. I’ve been able to do this for companies like Pepsi, Dickies, Avocados from Mexico, and a bunch more.
To me, photography and filmmaking are perfect opportunities, especially in the commercial space, the push the boundaries of what we see every day. In a world where theres far too much advertising and it all kinda looks the same (thank you AI), theres significant amount of room to play with these formats to get people more engaged, and its mroe fun for us making it so its a win-win!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I have spent most of my life struggling with identity. I grew up in a small town where pretty much the only person people wanted you to be was the star athlete who also got good grades and made it to church twice a week. I tried to be that, I tried to dress like those kids, I tried to talk like them. But everyone saw through it and put me back in the marching band where I belonged (I loved marching band to be clear, that was a way better place to be).
I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted because I spent so much of my time trying to be the kids who didn’t get picked on or who had lots of friends or who the teachers seemed to like more. This lasted a long time, until i graduated college actually. Then, once I was in the real world, I realized I didn’t have anyone to model myself after. It was just me trying to make it.
That’s when I figured out how to be me. How to take what I cared deeply about and find the people like that to be with me in my life. I figured out the groups I was apart of shaped me more than the ones i could never get in. I thought I was second rate a lot of my life until I realized I was just in a place where who I was wasn’t understood.
I’m happy to say I’m still finding myself, but in an authentic way. I’ve come to find that nerds were always more fun and exciting, and I’m proud to have come from them.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Daily. Sometimes daily really. It’s easy to get caught up in a cycle of believing things are too hard or you’re not good enough to do what you set put to do. Especially as business owner and artist. Our work is tied so deeply to ourselves, commercial or not, that when things aren’t perfect you can easily misconstrue that as you being a failure.
It’s definitely a long time struggle but the funny thing is, every single time I start to look for a new job or going back to school, I realize there’s nothing else I want to do. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy being my own business, but the low moments are a part of the journey.
I’ve met people who I’d give anything to be as successful as them and the number 1 thing I learn from them is that they feel the same pressures I do. That brings me comfort for some reason. It lets me know that fear and disappointment only make the wins feel that much better.
There’s a phrase a therapist told me once that I live by: the dark moments are the best motivation to get yourself to a better place. so now, every time I want to give up, it makes me also want to try just a little bit more.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
You shouldn’t work you ass off. In America in particular, we have an extremely harsh work environment. One that prides itself on having no work-life balance and putting everything about yourself into your job. This happens ten fold if you run your own business.
But When I look back on my life, I’ve seen that my most successful moments didn’t happen because I was working 100 hour weeks, it happened when I was smart and took care of myself. Working hard sounds great on aper, but it’s near impossible to be successful when you’re burnt out beyond belief. I’m not saying be lazy and expect everything to come to you, but maybe the grind mindset we’ve been taught is unsustainable.
Look at Europe, many businesses there give employees 6 weeks or more for vacation, rules are way more relaxed and people generally have a healthier, happier attitude towards work. And they’re successful too. I genuinely believe that’s possible here, that without the parts of life where we aren’t bogged down with work, we can’t perform at our best. So chill out a little and enjoy the downtimes.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Making personal work is so incredibly important to me. I think for a lot of people, especially those with careers in the creative world, we tend to only make for a client or in hope of the work getting us more clients. That is important, but i know making work for just me is incredibly valuable.
It can be hard to make time for, but often times when we get busy, the first thing we let go of is personal betterment. I think this is a crime. My ultimate goal is to be a full-time artist. That doesn’t happen unless I understand myself and my work. I know that dream isn’t happening soon, but I can develop myself in the meantime.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.superdupertyler.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/super_duper_tyler/?hl=en
