Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tayllor Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tayllor , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Starting an interdisciplinary business, Sisterhood(verb), Inc., founded on my passion for entrepreneurship, community engagement, and mission to liberate through poetry, was one of my greatest gifts and most significant risk. As a poet, writer, and performer first, I knew I wanted to do that for the rest of my life, but as I grew, healed, and learned more as a Black woman, I found myself writing curriculum. My poetry found its way on T-shirts, leading to a conversation on sisterhood among Black women. My life was now full of creativity, advocacy, and community building while getting an education, paying off student loans, and keeping 1 to 3 jobs in a new city. So in 2021, it was risky to start a creative consulting business amidst a global pandemic with little financial capital where I could answer my calling to be creative, uplift, and be of service. The gift? I was scared and did it anyway. The gift? I made mistakes and learned that I could be an entrepreneur, artist, community advocate, and more in this lifetime. Sisterhood (verb), Inc. is a realization of life’s surprise and the other delightful surprises that await me when I trust my instincts and the process.

Tayllor , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Tayllor Johnson, and I am a poet, writer, performer, and founder of Sisterhood(verb), Inc. My journey started when I found poetry in grade school at the California State Summer School for the Arts. Before then, life felt like my mic was off, and I had nothing to say. When I found spoken word, the mic was turned on, the spotlight focused, and I realized I actually had a lot to say. My performance intersected with my activism, which then blended with my education. At Mount Holyoke College, I began writing a poetry curriculum for youth and performing as a form of activism. As a Black Woman in America, I had wounds that needed healing, and in seeking community to heal, another conversation began about sisterhood. My advocacy took a new shape in community engagement for Black women. After graduating, I moved to New York, where I was inspired to take action in every aspect of my passion. Where I could, I taught poetry to middle schoolers; I began organizing events for Black women to get together, have discussions, and get the support we needed; I performed poetry wherever I could. Sisterhood(verb), Inc. was born from a need to honor all these passions inside me and share them with the world. Today, Sisterhood(verb), Inc. is a creative consulting business Sisterhood(verb) Inc. is a creative consulting organization where CREATIVITY and COMMUNITY meet! We are dedicated to liberation, the arts, and community-building to uplift Black women, youth, and marginalized communities. We help schools and organizations integrate art and wellness as a community norm through curriculum development, workshop facilitation, and performance. We support organizations in diversifying their institutional voice and storytelling through marketing communications consulting. We help you find speakers and artists to perform, share their truth, and facilitate workshops on various topics (social justice, education, sisterhood, creative writing, wellness, and more!).

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In my experience, artists and storytellers are the keepers of life’s truths, and it is a privilege to be a part of that history. To be a poet and live to write and write to live, I’d like to think that I am an extension of a long history of artists doing the same throughout history. From griots to poets to artists, those willing to speak to life’s truth and mystery must be honest with themselves and their work. And it’s rewarding to know that no matter where I am in my artistic journey, I am not alone in my experience. I am connected to the artists before me and can connect and reach artists to come after me through my poetry. What a gift!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I started selling T-shirts with my poetry, it was just an experiment. My mom suggested it, and when I kept getting stopped to talk about the quote as it relates to sisterhood, I was excited to create a shirt that started a conversation. I got some shirts in bulk and began to sell them. Years later, as I was beginning to think about starting a business, it was suggested to me to do informational interviews with people in my network who were doing work I was interested in. Given that my shirts were still on sale but not selling out, I spoke to a friend of a friend who had his own clothing business. During the conversation, I could hear his excitement for fashion, watching the trends every season, and having his home filled with boxes of clothes! None of that sounded fun or exciting to me. That is when I knew my future business would not revolve around merchandise and apparel. That aspect of the company didn’t call to me as the consulting, teaching, and performing did. That conversation brought me one step closer to designing my business around what I could do well, but I had to pivot away from apparel primarily. The Sisterhood(verb) Merch store is still open but not a primary part of my business, leaving room for me to concentrate on what I am passionate about.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sisterhoodverb.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sisterhoodverb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sisterhoodverb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayllor-johnson/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sisterhoodverb
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Sisterhoodverb

Image Credits
David Anthony Photography Christian Martin