We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jake Dean Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jake Dean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Firstly, I want to say thanks for having me back! A ton has changed since the last time we connected. Secondly, I really hope to illustrate the gravity of risk taking and how essential it is to our growth and propulsion into that new life.

Today, I’ll share my move to Los Angeles, which was probably the biggest risk I’ve taken since college. It goes back – way back….I first wanted to live in LA when I started acting classes at the ripe age of 7ish. I was so enthralled with the magic of character and performance that it was all I could think about. I remember watching movies and asking my mom, “where do these get made?”, to which she replied, “Hollywood!”. From that moment on, I saw myself in Hollywood making movies.

Cut to: I was at my college apartment on the outskirts of campus in good ol’ Indianapolis. I was itching to get out so badly because, well let’s face it, being openly queer in Indy isn’t exactly popular. Also, being from there, it felt like I was in a perpetual time capsule; nothing ever changed, so I never changed. I called up my cousin, who was living in Pasadena at the time, and asked her if I could stay with her for a year. I had the lofty goal of transferring to UCLA, joining their acting program and making it big. Well, the universe had other plans for me and that was sidetracked.

Cut to: I’m since out of college and living with my long-term, now husband (our story of meeting is one for the books), in NYC. We moved there because that’s where he’s from and I could still pursue acting. Six wonderful years went by in that gorgeous, trepidatious, city that forces you to change or leave. I noticed in that span of time that I wasn’t acting much anymore; I was more working to live. There was no better place to work to live, but I felt something was missing. After jumping back into acting classes, practicing my writing, and connecting with the right creatives, a spark just ignited inside of me. I remember turning to my partner and saying, “I need to ask something of you. It’s big – like really big, but I need you to keep an open mind.” He nodded with a worried look on his face. I said, “I need to move to LA and pursue acting. Even if I fail, at least I will have tried. And if I don’t do it, I’ll never forgive myself.” After a ton of planning and endless conversations, we finally hammered out the details.

Cut to: I’ve now been in LA for five years. It has truly been a whirlwind of risk taking and painful change that got me to where I am now. I spent a year long distance from my partner (a very risky move, but a story for another time), searched and ultimately signed with an agent, booked some really cool projects, started my own LLC, and got a dog! Lots of big, life changing opportunities came from me taking that huge, terrifying risk to follow my passions. I was also fortunate to have a massive support system cheering me on. I’m immensely grateful for my own tenacity, the love my friends and family have for me, and the right amount of unapologetic optimism that sometimes gets me in trouble.

If you’ve read this far, I thank you. ALL of this to say: discomfort is the path to change and you can’t change without risk that puts you in discomfort. It’s all connected and imperative to getting to that next stepping stone in life. It doesn’t have to be something as big as moving across a country, but even small risks cause you to look inward and reflect; reexamine who you are and what you want. That reflection will take you to new heights.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi everyone! I’m Jake Dean Taylor, an openly queer actor, writer, comedian who aims to create more stories and characters that live in authentic queer identity. I first started this wild journey when I was around seven. My parents saw that I had a lot of energy and needed to place it somewhere. Who knew that being on stage with people watching me perform was the antidote I needed. After that formative first experience, I was absolutely hooked. Every move I made had “being an actor” attached to it. Over the years, I’ve taken a series of classes to help hone my craft. Classes such as: improv, sketch comedy writing, scene study (my teacher is fantastic), and various workshops. Also lots and lots of auditions!

I’d say what I bring to the creative table is hometown optimism. I truly care about other peoples’ ideas and brainstorming is so much fun. I like to create a safe, fun environment where people can catapult themselves into the clouds of creation and really go for some wild stuff. I think what sets me apart from others is my desire to change and understand walks of life. Believe it or not, I wasn’t always how I am today. It took a lot of introspection, patience from friends, and listening to help guide me to a more authentic, genuine creator. I strive to be wrong, so I can learn how to do better.

I’d say I most proud of my tenacity. When I sink my teeth into something, I don’t let up. Most of the amazing things I have in my life are due to me really going after it until it exhausts. That’s why I know I’m going to be in that next movie y’all love! I can feel it and that feeling is what drives my tenacity. Also, this seems like the appropriate place to put this, so – I only write queer stories about queer characters. Any, if at all, straight characters are always in supporting roles because I think it’s so important to tell these queer stories from an authentic queer lens. Our narratives are just as powerful, potent, and magical as any others.

Finally, I’d like to share that my work comes from a place of pain that transformed into a place of joy. My characters, writing, and comedy stem from that and I truly hope it impacts y’all in the best way.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was that my queerness was my weakness. Growing up, I had a very intolerant family, especially my father. I was raised First Baptist Christian and was always taught that “gay people were going to hell” and “they didn’t matter” etc…when I came out at 16, it was devastating. My parents’ incredibly negative reaction to my stepping into my truth taught me that I wasn’t worthy of the gifts happening inside of me. I wasn’t worthy of the light with which I was graced. It impacted so much of how I navigated the early parts of my adulthood and, certainly, with my acting career. It took me YEARS to unlearn the loss and devastation I felt from that fateful night at 16.

I will say that after fully accepting myself, I have never been happier and my work has never been better. I’ve since stepped into my light, allowed my heart to grow and developed a patience for myself and others. If you’re going through something like this, I promise you it’s worth it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There’s this notion that creatives are directionless. That we don’t have any goals in life or that we don’t have any “valuable” skills. Honestly, I could write a thesis on this topic, but we don’t have that time and my dog is begging me to take her for a hike.

Here’s the thing: we live in a country where the arts are defunded before anything else. We are told from grade school that Theater and the Arts aren’t valued. So, I don’t blame anyone for having this point of view because it’s what we’ve been taught. I’d challenge anyone with this viewpoint to ask themselves what art they’ve consumed and how it’s changed their life. That song that comes on the radio, or your Spotify playlist, instantly making you cry. That movie that caused you to pick up the phone and call your ex that you f’ed over to apologize. That mural that you always show out-of-towners because it’s just so pretty. Artists literally force the world to see things differently and give the world permission to feel, to love. We show you the possibilities of looking inward and choosing love; what could be possible if you took a chance. Your skillset might be math or science, but our skillset is in humanity, how to create meaningful connections, and how to see a different perspective.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10233083/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_q_jake%2520dean%2520tay
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jakedeantaylor
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/jakedeantaylor
• Other: www.tiktok.com/jakedeantaylor

Image Credits
Bernard Mesa Craig MacLeod