We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Taylor , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
This is a great question, I have thought about this a great deal as I’ve lived these twenty-eight short years on this earth. I am consistently intrigued by this word, purpose. I am convinced that one cannot confuse their purpose with their gift. I am a musician, I write songs, I play guitar, I sing, I perform, I’ve been doing these things professionally since i was eighteen years old and upon reaching ten years on this path, I’m certain that my gift is not my purpose. As I begin to elaborate on this, I would ask your readers to approach this with an open mind, I’m not trying to preach to anyone but I am hoping I can at least bring a different perspective to this word, purpose. I do not claim to be a wise man or a teacher or a preacher in any way, just a humble servant of God through Christ Jesus, indeed, I am a Christian. In no way am I pious or conceited, just simply one who is striving to walk in humility before God and to love my neighbors as I love myself, second to loving God. This is my purpose. This life is but a blink of an eye and time is short for all human beings, there is an urgency to this life, not a day can be wasted. If i could lay this scripture on you coming from the book of Acts 17:27-28 “that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said “‘For indeed we are His offspring.'” This was astonishing to me, my purpose is to find God while I am here on earth and feel my way toward Him and find Him. Being a musician is my gift, through it I work and my work shows my faith, for the book of James expresses that “faith without works is dead”. I had to have faith to step into this unknown path of being a musician, for when I started I had no idea how I would do it, how it would be possible but I worked hard and continue to work hard and trust and believe that it’s not for naught. For by faith, one can do mighty things, I haven’t even scratched the surface of this thing and I still have the rest of my life to go. As far as purpose goes, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes concludes his sermon of wisdom by stating “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” To me 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 a guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer originally from Kinston, North Carolina, I’ve lived in Kansas City for the past seven years. I’ve been playing professionally for ten years, I started playing Gospel music in churches around my hometown, as well as various clubs and dive bars around the area with a little rock and roll band of sorts. I cut my teeth doing all kinds of music. I appreciate all genres and am familiar with many different styles. I relocated to Kansas City in the fall of 2016 and have since played all kinds of places around the midwest. I guess my style is pretty eclectic, improvisation is at the heart of what I do. I definitely strive to maintain spontaneity in all that I do, in music and in life. I believe new moments call for new ideas and new things, I hate playing the same things twice. Why recreate what you did yesterday when you could do something new today? That’s art, right? Keep it fresh, baby. I released my debut album “Mustard Seed” in February of 2022 and followed it up in January of 2023 with my sophomore album “TRiO” featuring two of my favorite cats, Jaylen Ward on Drums and Matt Elton on Bass. I’m currently working on my third record which will be released in the Spring. I’m a very simple cat, I just want to live a peaceful life and be free to make the music I want to make, I love what i do and I’m committed to putting out as much music as I possibly can before I get up outta here.
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?
1. Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established
2. Always be humble
3. Work as hard as you possibly can and find your own voice, there is only one YOU!
As far as advice goes, I’m not really sure, advice can be a strange thing, everyone has to find what works for them. I can only express what works for me, it’s up to the reader or hearer to decide what they want to take with them.
1. When you commit your work to God, you acknowledge that your gift was given to you, God is the giver of gifts, we just nurture them, I was given the gift of music, it was natural, it can’t be explained but I have to consistently work on it and take care of it, you have to give that gift back to God and use it how He wants you to use it, you have to be a force for good with your gift, not using it for things that don’t glorify God. That might be heavy but hopefully it will help someone out.
2. Humility is so important, when you’re humble others want to work with you and be around you, no one likes arrogance, right? God exalts the humble. Maintain that, it’s important. There’s always somebody who can cut you up and chances are, they’re humble.
3. Finding your own voice is crucial! Take all you can from others along your journey but don’t try to have their voice, Jimi Hendrix was great but he’s dead now, he already sounded like that, he already did that, who are you? Sound like you, man. Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others, that leads to frustration. Figure out your strengths and develop them and then you will have your own sound, that’s hip, ya dig it?
I guess thats the best advice I can give. There’s a lot of stuff out there, just find what works for you.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
This answer is so short and sweet, dig this.
The Bible.
I’ve already given some nuggets from it in this interview, I’ll leave you with one more.
Ecclesiastes 12:12
“My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is weariness to the flesh.”
Contact Info:
- Website: taylorsmithtrio.com
- Instagram: @taylorsmith_notswift
- Facebook: Taylor Smith Trio
- Other: All streaming services: Taylor Smith
Image Credits
Parker Hamrick David Simons
