A bright personality and a warm, welcoming smile are the first things you notice about idea reservoir Tara Playfair-Scott. Executive envisioner of CoWork Ja, a specialist in marketing/public relations and management are just some of the professional hats that sit on her head.
For an icebreaker, we posed the following question to Tara: If you were to be stuck on an island, what are five things you would need to survive? She said sunblock, mobile phone, a tent, eggs and a person who is crafty with their hands. It was at this point we knew we were in for a solid treat.
“Hi!” she exclaimed. “Which bag do you want to see? My work bag or handbag?” she asked. We told her to empty the contents of her handbag into the two-month-old Steve Madden black tote with gold finishings.
One by one she slowly pulled out a few items while looking at us with a tad bit of uncertainty. A flowery black and pink 2020 planner was the first to make its appearance. “As much as everything is digital now, I still very much feel the need to write everything down the old-fashioned pen and paper way. I like to turn physical pages.” Then, the obvious Apple junkie pulled out all her electronics: a Macbook, two iPhones, ear pods, a hard drive and a wide array of cords used for charging, music and anything else needed for electronic devices. “I like what I like,” she warned us as we looked on with a tinge of judgement.
A little femme pouch then made its way to the forefront. Almost filled to capacity, she pulled out a bottle of Listerine and a pack of gum because anything can happen, and she prefers to be prepared. One after the other, little bottles of lip glosses from Mac, Milani and her favourite, Fenty Beauty, were placed on the white finished wooden table. The Gucci sunnies came out in its gold case, along with a double mirror and some business cards, because a girl boss is always prepared to secure the bag. What happened next sent us into a laughing frenzy. Ladies and gentlemen, Madam Playfair-Scott pulled out a tiny bottle of lime-green substance, looked us dead in the face and said, “because people are friendly and like to touch you”. Confused, we asked her what it was. She handed us the bottle with a smirk. Upon closer inspection, it read: ‘hand sanitizer’. We’re sure she won’t be upset if we call her a bit of a germaphobe.
Everyone knows at least one person who overloads their car keys with interesting trinkets. Tara is one of them. Attached to her Mercedes-Benz key fob is a USB drive which has Agent Sasco’s music (she’s his manager), entry swipe keys for CoWork Ja, swipe for Fontana rewards, and a keepsake from Buju’s after prison debut concert, ‘Long walk to freedom’.
Last, she showed us a little perfume, and some Alieve painkillers. It was easy to pick out her top 10 must-haves:
- MacBook
- Planners
- iPhones (personal and business)
- Charging cords
- Air-pods
- Pens
- Hand sanitizer
- Gum
- Business cards
- Sunglasses
Story by Jessica Harrison
jessica.harrison@gleanerjm.com
Contributed Photos
