Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Taylor

Hi Caitlin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Before “50 Shades of Grey” was published in 2011, I discovered BDSM through romance novels, and while I was very curious about it, I never had an opportunity to explore it. My first serious boyfriend and intimate partner was what we call “vanilla” – not interested in BDSM or kink. I was in a vanilla, monogamous relationship with him from the time I turned 18 in 2010 until the first time we broke up in the late summer of 2014. After I’d had a couple of months to heal, I decided that now that I was single, I was finally going to explore kink. I discovered FetLife, which I think of as Facebook for kinky people, went to its “Events” tab, and went to the first event happening in my area, which happened to be a rope skillshare. I knew nothing about shibari or rope bondage and had never seen photos of it before, so I had no idea what I was in for. That night, I was tied in a simple tie by one of the skillshare’s leaders for a demo, and despite the tie’s simplicity, I was hooked! I became obsessed with rope, learning as much as I could and attending as many rope-focused events as I could, eventually traveling to other areas for intensives and conventions. In 2018, my husband and I—who met at the aforementioned skillshare—were asked by a local rope education group leader to join them in co-running their group and teaching. We accepted and ran that group as a trio for nearly 5 years. In the summer of 2023, we disbanded the group, and my husband and I went on to form Box Tie Studio, Maine’s first full time rope education studio, located in Portland. I have also had opportunities over the years to teach at national and international conventions, go to Berlin, Germany to film tutorials and performances for the world’s largest online shibari education platform called Shibari Study, and do rope for photoshoots and for a music video.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

No, it hasn’t! The first and biggest struggle was finding education back in 2014 when I started. Back then, there were no online educational resources, at least not in English, and there was only that one informal skillshare group that met for 3 hours on a weeknight once a month; there was no other education in Maine at the time. I persevered and learned wherever and however I could until educational resources started to become more available. Some of the other struggles I faced were due to fatphobia and sexism. I don’t know how many people I encountered who told me that I couldn’t or shouldn’t be tied because I’m fat. Some tried to claim that it was dangerous (it’s not), while others just outright told me that I don’t look good tied up and it turned them off. Then when I was learning how to tie suspensions, people constantly talked down to me and underestimated my skills and knowledge while not giving the same treatment to the male riggers next to me, although we were the same skill level and there to learn the same things. To this day, people talk down to me and underestimate me, despite the fact that I’ve been doing advanced suspensions for over 8 years. We also had other struggles: there were a couple of times when my husband, our ex-rope partner, and I lost our studio space for reasons that had nothing to do with us and we had to find a new place to host our events on short notice, and then disbanding our group last summer was difficult.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

Box Tie Studio is Maine’s first full-time shibari education studio, located in Portland. Founded in 2023, it’s neurodivergent- and queer-owned and LGBTQIA+-friendly. We strongly believe in making quality rope & kink education accessible to all; therefore, most of our events are priced on a sliding scale, and all of our events have scholarships available to those who need them. While most of the education we offer is about shibari and rope bondage, we do occasionally have guest presenters from our local community who teach about other kinky subjects they’re passionate about, and if anyone wants to recommend a presenter to us, we do take suggestions! We’re also open to new presenters with no prior experience who want to get their feet wet.

Being neurodivergent-owned sets us apart from others, as well as the fact that we are not a vetted space. Many of the other rope spaces in New England are vetted, meaning you have to know someone(s) who can vouch for you. We allow newcomers who are so new to the kink community that they don’t have anyone to vouch for them yet. We’re most proud of this fact and of the fact that we make education affordable and accessible to so many people.

We want your readers to know that they can get quality rope & kink education from experienced and knowledgeable instructors in Portland, ME for an affordable cost; please don’t let money be the reason that stops you from reaching out! We’re willing to work with you, no matter what your economic status is. We offer frequent large and small group classes, monthly rope jams/play parties, private sessions/rope experiences, private lessons, open studio practice hours, and studio space rentals. You can also hire my husband, myself, or both of us for demos, performances, rope installations/artwork, or rope for photoshoots or videos.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I know I’ve talked about kink and the kink community a lot in my answers, because shibari’s origins are kinky and for many people it is still a kinky practice, but I do want to point out that shibari doesn’t need to be sexual—it can be 100% platonic or even an activity that you do by yourself! Self-tying is a huge part of rope, and many people who self-tie turn it into something akin to an aerial art or circus art. Watch a performance by Shay Blondie a.k.a. Shay Tiziano and you’ll see what I mean! For other people, they do tie with others as a partnered activity, but there is nothing sexual about it for them. 99% of the time, I am one of these people. I do rope because I see it as an art form, I love the technical challenge that goes into tying, and I love connecting with the people I tie in a purely platonic way. We tie fully dressed and we don’t have a romantic or intimate relationship outside or inside of the rope. So if rope interests you but you don’t want to partake in anything kinky, you absolutely don’t have to!

I also want to mention that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love, help, and support of three very important people in my life: my husband, Everett “Jack” Taylor, and our “Rope Fam,” Grace and Beck. Grace and Beck are two of the kindest, most selfless people I’ve ever met. They’re both beautiful, talented, and skilled rope switches (meaning they both tie and get tied) who have devoted countless hours to helping Jack and I run the studio and teach classes. Their contributions are invaluable. Jack, Grace, and Beck are pictured in the photographs I’ve submitted.

Pricing:

• Monthly large group class: sliding scale $15-$35/person
• Monthly rope jam/play party: sliding scale $20-$40/person
• Beginner Series (5 x 2-hour classes): $100/couple
• Private lesson/session: $40/hour, 2-hour minimum
• Private session photos: add-on $20 for 10 edited photos

Contact Info:

• Website: https://boxtiestudio.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boxtiestudio/
• Other: https://fetlife.com/users/17567773

Image Credits

Caitlin Taylor, Everett Taylor, Lily Lebron