Meet Tyler Gillespie

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

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Tyler with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I grew up in a working-class household. My grandfather was a tool & die maker, my grandmother a secretary, & my mother a waitress. I saw generations of family members wake up early to make a living.

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 a fifth-generation Floridian who burns easily. Over the past ten years, my writing has often focused on my home state — its history, culture, and environment. I wrote the essay collection The Thing about Florida: Exploring a Misunderstood State and the poetry collection Florida Man: Poems. Recently, I’ve started to mix words with images in broadsides and prints. I make them on a printer called a risograph. I also have a line of stationery! This printmaking experience inspired my current novel-in-progress, a queer romantic comedy about a greeting card maker who lives in Florida but spends the summer in Chicago.

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 think it’s important to cultivate a sense of curiosity and openness to form/idea as well as remain playful in your art.

Advice: Never listen to advice. Just kidding! But I will say that it’s important to develop your artistic identity and stand firm in it. Take what’s helpful from what other people have to say and leave the rest.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My community: full of other writers and artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tylergillespie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyler_gillespi3

Image Credits

Headshot: Tom Winchester