Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Taylor Goodwyn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Taylor, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I would say it definitely took some trial and error.
Consistently throughout school, art class was where I felt the most at peace and comfortable in my own skin. But I wanted what I thought was “a successful career,” so I went to college to pursue Speech Pathology. To be blunt, I wasn’t good at it and was promptly told to pick something else.
So, I majored in writing instead, because it was more creative but something I could have a successful career in.
Fast forward to my “successful career”—3 different full-time agencies in Atlanta, and it still wasn’t for me. Then I lost my job during the pandemic. It felt like the universe was again telling me to pick something else.
It wasn’t until I started painting again and slowly sharing on social media that I felt a sense of purpose. People responded to something that just poured out of me naturally. Every time I sold a piece, I would sit there thinking, “Someone actually wants something I made in their home.” And that blew my mind every single time. It felt like my purpose was to keep creating, to bring joy to someone’s home, a conversation piece, or an emotional pull. Art speaks to people in drastic ways. I’ve had strangers look at multiple pieces of mine but then one just really hits them, and they try to find the words to describe how it makes them feel.. these conversations are what made me think, “This is what I was meant to do. This is my purpose.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an Atlanta-based abstract artist with pieces inspired by nature. I love to continuously explore my style by combining ethereal femininity and the beautifully bold shapes and colors that surround us.
It’s such an exciting industry because it’s ever-changing and is what you make of it. There are days that I wake up and just focus on the business side of things, and there are days that I only want to create—either one large piece or a little series and it’s such a rush. It can be aggressive yet peaceful and so fulfilling at the same time.
That’s actually how my newest collection, “Peaceful In My Mind,” came to fruition. It was a random Friday afternoon painting session where I was putting down initial layers on a new large painting, and it just flowed out of me and was finished in hours. Then I did it again and again, loving each piece from start to finish. I painted so many in one sitting and it was the most exhilarating and beautiful experience, I felt like I had run a marathon yet felt so at peace. They’re also the softest and most ethereal pieces I’ve ever made, with less texture and layers and more fluidity, a sense of peace in each stroke.
This series means so much to me and am excited to share it with the world, and while I love to continuously explore my style, I’ve been drawn to create even more pieces like this collection.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’m very grateful for my years of experience as a Social Media Manager. Even though doing it full-time at an agency wasn’t for me, the experience gave me a solid understanding of how to use social to build your community. I still take occasional classes but was happy to have a sense of confidence with it from the start. It’s such a powerful tool for artists and a beautiful way to connect with collectors and make new connections.
Something else that was impactful to my journey was learning to ask people questions. I used to be so nervous about bothering people, but in reality, most people are happy to help. If not, they’ll ignore it and move on. There are so many markets I wouldn’t have attended if I didn’t just ask to join, or so much information I would have had to learn the hard way if I didn’t ask a fellow artist about it. That’s why I’m always open to questions on social media, I know what it’s like to be nervous to ask how an artist did something or achieve certain goals. We should all lift each other as a community.
Lastly, I think it’s been important to consistently try new techniques or mediums. I’ve been told multiple times that I need a niche, something I’m known for. While this has many benefits, I wouldn’t be creating the work I currently am if I had stuck to my initial style when I first started painting. I just tried a new medium for the first time this week—there’s absolutely nothing wrong with not having experience in something. Sometimes it’s beautiful and becomes a recurring thing, sometimes it’s terrible and I now know that that medium is NOT for me. But that’s how I found those nuggets of gold, with experimentation and playing around, of creating without a goal in mind.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The past few months have been all about trying to level up the business. I’d reached a point where I’d done this for a few years and felt comfortable, but now I want to go further. I finished out 2022 with a plethora of markets because that’s the busiest time, but towards the end of this market season, I got extremely burnt out and discouraged. I would have one successful market, then three that ended up with terrible weather, damaged pieces, and no sales. I absolutely adore markets and meeting new collectors in person, but I realized I needed to take a break.
I decided that in 2023 I wanted to step into the world of shows and galleries, create my own website outside of Etsy, and focus on doing more collections instead of a piece here and there.
I’m proud to say that as of right now, I’ve accomplished all three of these goals. I had my first solo show in Greenville, SC where the entire “Peaceful In My Mind” collection is now on view for the next five months. I launched my own website in January, and have released two collections.
I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished so far this year, and while I’m certainly not done with markets, I’m happy with myself for stepping back from something I love in order to grow in other areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.taylorgoodwynart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorgoodwynart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorgoodwynart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorgoodwyn/
Image Credits
Kelsey Butcher Photo
