Meet Sarah May Taylor

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah May Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah May, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I like being in nature as much as I can. I take breaks to take long walks, which help clear my head and feels like meditation. My current home has flowers and morning hummingbird visits, which inspires me. I have two dogs who are enthusiastic companions for exploring new neighborhoods.
Research, exploration, and play continue to be essential to my creative process, but what helps the most is allowing time for rest instead of constantly demanding rigid discipline in a specific way. Ultimately, it’s a mix of all these things moving in cycles that works best. You need to make space to receive answers to the questions you’re asking instead of forcing them. I am learning to let go of desires for so much control.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am motivated by radical intimacy and connection. My work is often inspired by how personal histories echo through time, utilizing experimental collaborative practices. I’m an artist, educator, and cultural worker living and working in Los Angeles. Recently, I’ve been focusing on the body as a site for artwork and asking questions about belonging and traditional notions of where and how art exists.

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?

Reflecting on this question, several elements stand out: trust, tenacity, courage, and self-care. A beloved teacher once reminded me that the world will show you what you truly want; this wisdom has been invaluable. Learning to trust yourself means having the courage to know yourself in a world that often prefers simplicity over complexity. Cultivating trust with your voice can sometimes involve being inconvenient to others.
On tenacity, this is a daily, sometimes moment-to-moment practice that turns into a way of being that eventually gets you where you need to be. I think of these more significant, occasionally impossible-seeming goals as a mountain. The mountain holds goals and dreams. I’m always thinking about the small everyday choices I need to make to get closer to my mountain.
Maya Angelou talked about courage being the most important virtue to practice because nothing else can be accomplished without that as a foundation. This also applies to wellness because self-care means learning to say no, making sacrifices, and allowing yourself to choose yourself, rest, and rejuvenate so you can share and meaningfully participate.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I’ve been thinking about adaptability, community, and collective care lately, especially for creatives and during times of turmoil. I used to find it tempting to retreat when feeling overwhelmed. Vulnerability is always a risk—just like love. Over the last few years, I’ve learned that the rewards outweigh the struggles of navigating whatever might stop you from staying connected and building new supportive networks. Finding your people and letting them love you is so important.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahmaytaylor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmaytaylor/?hl=en

Image Credits

all images by Sarah May Taylor