Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to T.J. McGowan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, T.J. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’d have to say my debut novel, Timeless Gardens & Other Beautiful Miseries. So much of my creative life has been poetry from page to stage. But, I’ve always had a deep love for fiction and storytelling. This novel was something that started as a short story and then grew over the years organically into what it is today. As I look back on it, I can see how I used it as a dumping ground for my own healing process and dealing with grief. It was something I needed to do but was never sure what it was until during the pandemic, where I committed fully to its completion. And even then, it started pulling in feelings from lockdown and isolation. All these emotions, feelings, and ideas from different parts of my life were fueling the story and it’s characters. As fantastical as the book can be, it’s grounded in my heart’s experiences. To then see a publisher get behind it and put it out into the world was a feeling that’s hard to describe. Seeing what was once a coping mechanism, a collection of ideas, be this very real thing someone can add to their bookshelf. It’s a bit magical.

T.J., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always kept a journal. Ever since I was a kid. As I got older I started to realize the entries weren’t just diary confessionals but had a poetic sensibility to them. I was developing my own language to understand my heart and mind in relation to their interpretation of the inner and outer world of self. But, for most of my life, the words stayed in the journals. It wasn’t until I was in my later twenties that I began sharing my poetry for public consumption. I was shocked to see it be well received by strangers, which encouraged me to keep going. Eventually the written word lead me down the path of spoken word and I fell equally in love with the performance aspect of poetry. I felt like I found some purpose. It’s euphoric to share and perform for me. It’s healing. It’s complete freedom to be myself.

Leaning into my nerves, fears, and vulnerabilities has become core to my creativity. It strengthens me to exam and dissect my most precious and ache filled thoughts. Knowing the words I write or say will not be what kills me, but proof I’ve survived what could. That’s just the truth of it. The truth of me. It’s not a marketing angle or branding experiments – it’s always just me on the page, or behind the mic.

What sets me apart? I do my best to stay true to my feelings. Allow myself to create and write authentically to what I’m feeling in any given moment. Allowing myself to be open to the entire spectrum of my emotions. And in doing so, it allows me to not become beholden to feeding algorithms or shrinking myself into whatever is most palatable on social media platforms. I think people like that I’m the real deal all the time. I think people also like that my understanding of my talent hasn’t made me a diva or narcissist or ego driven individual. I do my best to lead with compassion and kindness, and in today’s world I think that’s very needed. It can be counter cultural nowadays to simply choose to be humble and nice to others. And if it’s authentic, then people are left to just digest your art with no other hang ups on who you are as a person.

And this approach might set me back in the digital era of needing to adapt to each new trend, but fuck that. The people who actually support or like or share or reach into their wallet to support your art are rarely ones that come via viral notoriety but ones that truly connect to what you offer. I just want to offer an honest gateway to who I am through the medium of writing/performing.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

It’s simple, buy the art. Especially from independent artists. Give us a chance to show the world what we can offer. Often times, I am ingesting art from my peers on the ground levels that blows what’s in the mainstream out of the water. You realize visibility doesn’t work the same for us all and lots of what is pushed in front of us at the “popular” level is highly manufactured and marketed. And it’s almost deceiving. Very little has to do with the art being offered and more on how it can be angled in a way it goes viral. Money from big publishers and distribution companies being pumped into making something control the market. Meanwhile there are indie artists everywhere creating magic with little backing or exposure. Basically, what I’m saying is, if there’s an artist you like, in any field, buy their book or painting or album. Share it with others that might be into it. Gift it to someone else. Help us compete with the gatekeepers. The power is truly in the people to help artists thrive. And amongst peers, out each other on. Jealousies, competition, grudges, none of it helps art as a whole. We need to rise above it and remember to support the other artists in our spheres that we love and push them when possible. Elevating together is integral to making any circle of creativity more relevant in this time of easily changed minds.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The freedom of it. Using it as an extension of self to define the world around me and how I do or don’t fit in it. Creating and refining a voice that speaks the unique language of my heart. Finding ways to weaponize it healthily to take a stance on everything from my own inner turmoil to what I can’t stand about the state of the world. Writing, performing, reading, a lot of the times people see it as you stepping into a persona, but really, the persona, is the regular me they’ve come to know. The disguise is the 9-5 T.J. It’s the kid who feared expressing his thoughts and feelings. It’s the society friendly version. The art and creativity is the doorway to being myself. To step out from behind the disguise of what societal conditioning turns us into. Every new creative venture is me learning more about who that T.J. is and how to give him space to flourish in an often confusing and cruel world. And when even one other person takes in what you’re putting out and they actually like it? Well, shit. That’s bliss. Being rewarded with the validation that your truest self has a place in the chaos of existing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheEverydayBite.com
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Image Credits
Elmer Quintero