We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keiani Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Keiani, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
When I was 10, I had my first best friend breakup. It was actually pretty overwhelming for my 10-year old self LOL. But, to cope I wrote a poem about the situation. I shared the poem with my mom and she was actually really into it. She said she could relate and that moment was life changing. I had connected with my mom in a way I never thought I could. I literally got addicted to just expressing my feelings and sharing it through poetry with people. I knew it was a gift God gave me, and I saw myself doing it for the rest of my life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I always kept a diary since I was able to write. After writing my first poem at 10, I just started writing everyday. Then in 7th grade English, we had a poetry unit. I started learning about all types of literary devices and started really trying to apply what I was learning to my writing. I continued this throughout high school as well. I found open mics when I went to college and got comfortable performing on stage. Everything really just fell into place from there! I’m really proud of myself in terms of the vulnerability I express in my work. It’s scary putting your feelings out there for people to read and possibly judge. However, I find so much solace when I write a poem, and then someone comes up to me and tells me how much they needed to hear that. Some people will say they felt seen or that they can relate. Those moments are so invaluable and are what keeps me continuing to create and share.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding thing about what I do is having something that I created that is completely authentic and original. Having complete projects that I can call mine, that people who look like me can relate to, that I can leave behind for the creatives after me to be inspired by. That feeling alone will keep me doing this for the rest of my life.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Solange said something once that really sums up my mission in my creative journey. She said something along the lines of, She “wants to leave behind universes for Black girls to find themselves in generations from now.” And that’s exactly the point of all I do. Being a representation for my people is an honor. The fact that my work could be discovered and felt by a black girl that will come generations after me literally sends me chills. I’m not obsessed with being famous or well-known in this lifetime. I know that because the work I do is a spiritually guided encounter, it will reach exactly who its supposed to. I’ve always been fascinated by Anne Frank. She was just a little girl writing her fears away and drafting her dreams. She didn’t know she would one day be a pillar in the literary community. She was just being her authentic self… And out of that, we have one of the best pieces of literature that depicts a tragic time in our history. All through the eyes of a little girl who just needed to put feelings on paper. Sometimes, I see myself in that way. Thousands of years from now, my work could be discovered and used to inspire a generation I never even laid my eyes on. That is powerful. That is spiritual. And that is what keeps me humble and inspired on this creative journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: queenkeiani.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenkeiani/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keiani-taylor-91757b100
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/queenkeiani
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsix5tqjqnEQoDQ13xgtWog
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Queenkeiani
Image Credits
Malachi Byrd/@malbyrd Alexis Moore/@alexismoorephoto LexSoul /@lex.soul