Meet Raven Taylor

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raven Taylor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raven below.

Raven, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Being the only person in the room that looks like me, or “the token” as some may say, can be challenging and intimidating at times. The best way I have found to be successful in a situation like that is to be confident in who you are and in your skills and know what you bring to the table. As an artist/creative I know I am very good at what I do. I know my worth and I own it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am Raven Taylor born and raised in Fort Worth Tx. I have two amazing little boys and a daughter on the way. I grew up having a love and passion for art. I use to draw and paint all the time as a kid. As an individual you are constantly evolving constantly growing and as I grew and evolved so did my talent. I started off in fine arts and eventually went to the Art Institute of Dallas and began my journey in digital/graphic arts. As I got more into my graphic arts journey I soon discovered fashion and photography and because of my work ethic and love and passion for what I do I became very good at it all.

Growing up I had a plan for my life, go to school, get good grades, got to college, establish a career, get a good job, get married, have kids, and all that jazz but as we all know life doesn’t always go as planned. What’s that saying, “We make plans and God laughs.” I didn’t do things in order but that’s the beauty of life. Everyone’s journey is different. I began my family before finishing school but although I don’t have my degree in my field of work you don’t necessarily need a piece of paper to work as a designer but finding a job wasn’t easy. I either didn’t have enough experience or was too creative(over qualified) for most jobs. Some jobs didn’t want to pay what I was worth and some jobs just didn’t have the proper management. One day I woke up and decided that if I couldn’t find a decent job that valued what I brought to the table then I would just create my own business so that’s what I did and that is when Taylored Designz, my design company was born. I design flyers, invitations, social media templates, and etc. You name it I can do it. My main focus however is branding and photography. Photography has really surprisingly been an unexpected yet fun and fulfilling journey in my artistic evolution. I never saw myself being a photographer and now it’s probably my favorite thing to do. I will be shooting a wedding in October which is super exciting. My I’m still trying build the business and grow my clientele but it’s coming and I’m excited to see where it all takes me.

Along with my design and photography business I am also co-owner of a Clothing brand called Ill Hurt Later created by my life partner who is a rapper/artist who goes by the name Loyalty500. He created the brand to be motivation and a reminder that no matter what life throws at you happiness is a choice. You can choose to be miserable and down on life or you can hurt later and look good while doing it. We had a great winter season last year and plan to for a great season this year. I am of course the lead designer and photographer. I come up with most of the designs. This year I am pregnant so I’m currently working on a few things for a maternity line. I draw inspiration from my life so as I grow and experience new things it reflects in all that I do.

My journey as a creative has been filled with lots of amazing things and achievements along with its frustrations and down times. I’ve been published as an editorial cartoonist, went to New York for Pride and had my t shirt designs sold and photography featured out there, but I’ve also had times of wanting to quit and give up but through it all I have persevered and though I’m not where I want to be in my businesses I know I will get there!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The most impactful qualities on my journey would be probably confidence, consistency, and patience. Without confidence you lack the motivation to keep going when things get hard and things will get hard but you have to know your worth and value and that will help keep you going. Consistency is key in anything. There will be dry periods where you don’t make much money or can’t find the job you want or whatever but you gotta keep going and you gotta have patience to see it all through. Could be 5 years could be longer but you gotta stick it through.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my mom did for me was recognize I had a talent for art and design and do everything she could to help me develop it. She kept me in art classes growing up. Even now she continues to do things to help me grow as an artist. She has always been my #1 fan and biggest supporter. Without her belief in me I don’t know where I’d be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illhurtlater?igsh=eXR0YW94NmZqYmQ1
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/Xv2RdKidLFAZnGWc/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits

Edrick Austin