We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylor Peacock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Taylor, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
The worst they can say is no. Don’t count yourself out of an opportunity for fear of failure, or you will never grow.
Like many things these days, I’m sure I absorbed this sage wisdom from TikTok or some other social media snippet. Nonetheless, it rewired my adult brain. I realized I had been counting myself out of opportunities before even giving myself a chance.
A woman in my book club happened to run the apartment life events where I live. One day, she asked if I would be interested in teaching a paint class for 20-30 people. Now, I’m the sort of person who can talk to 30 people individually, but all at once, with the focus on me? I would absolutely forget everything I know and be terribly awkward. And I was… for about a minute. One minute of discomfort, awkwardness, and stuttering stage fright opened the most amazing chapter in my life so far. I happened to meet the love of my life (and now the free labor at all my art shows) at that class. Who knew painting oranges on a tote bag could be so kismet?
That little bit of confidence took root like a weed. An old friend reached out to suggest I apply for an art gallery. This seemed impossible to me at the time. My overly critical, imposter syndrome-riddled brain said no way, but there was that little voice of hope: “The worst they can say is no.” Now, my art hangs in that gallery, and from that gallery, it has ended up in homes several states away.
Creativity and confidence are more like muscles than gifts—you have to exercise them. These wins, while exciting, haven’t fixed my self-doubt, but they do remind me to continue taking risks. Apply for the gallery, overreach, cultivate your dreams, and stop telling yourself no before even asking the universe for what you want. You may get 99 ‘no’s,’ but you have to keep putting yourself out there to find the one right ‘yes.’
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?
When I was 9 my cool older cousin (who was likely trying to ditch her enthusiastic sidekick) sat me in front of a head of lettuce and told me to practice drawing. While leafy greens are no longer my subject of choice, I’ve been art obsessed ever since!
By day, I work in retail and software security solutions, but my free time is covered in paint. I love teaching local art classes, particularly a tote bag twist on ‘painting with a twist’ style classes. The next of which is September 28th at Thrive Local Eau Gallie. Participants can follow along step by step or use their imagination (ahem—Pinterest) to paint their own design. Whether we craft our new everyday tote or simply end up with a fun bag for the next Barnes & Noble run, it’s guaranteed to be a great time!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Practice – Practice makes perfect is a mantra for a reason. It can be applied to everything from working on your craft, to teaching yourself confidence and risk taking.
Dedication over motivation – I also think it is important to learn to work when you aren’t “in the creative zone.” In the past I would put down the paintbrush for months (even years) because I wasn’t in that creative headspace. Creativity has to be cultivated, inspiration has to be sought after.
Joy – Whatever makes you happy only has to make sense to you. Be present in what brings you joy and watch it grow.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Time.
Time is the biggest obstacle I am facing, and I’m sure other creatives feel the same. Life is expensive, and most often, we pay in time. It’s a delicate balance that I am still learning, but this is where dedication over motivation also comes into play. Currently, art is not what puts a roof over my head. Like most people, I spend 40 hours a week working on someone else’s passion, and while I am fortunate to enjoy that job, it isn’t what I am passionate about—art is.
I am learning how important it is to be dedicated with my spare time. It’s crucial for me to schedule time to work on painting, time to share my art with the world, and time to enjoy nature and friends—without whom I would lack all inspiration.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tpeacockpainting.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: @tpeacock.painting
- Facebook: TPeacock.Painting
- Linkedin: Taylor Plott
- Other: TikTok @TPeacock.Painting
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