We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taijee Shavers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Taijee, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I knew I wanted to be a musician almost immediately in my childhood. I started taking this profession more seriously once I got accepted into Oakland School for the Arts in high school. There were a lot of things musically that intrigued me, from learning different instruments to composing for large-scale ensembles, that drove my passion even further into this field. This all led up to me applying to multiple colleges and conservatories solely for Music, and through that search I was able to find my home at Berklee College of Music.
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.
My name is Taijee, and I am a multi-faceted audio professional. I am a Composer, Producer, and Sound Designer with a passion and drive to bring stories, dreams and visions to life through my art. I’ve been putting my talent into these professional fields while attending Berklee College of Music, building promising relationships and connections with even more talented people.
As a Composer, I like to think vividly and create compelling soundscapes in a variety of different formats, from full[-scale Orchestra to composing alongside Dance Choreography. I like to combine different elements of nature, working with Acoustic and Electroacousic Composition to blend all aspects of reality and surrealism. This ties into my Production skills as well, where I use different Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), to provide outstanding music for upcoming artists, performers, and choreographers. As a Sound Designer, I’ve had the pleasure of working on a wide range of media (including while at Berklee), assisting developers in their products. I provide Sound Editing, Audio Implementation, Dialogue Mixing and so much more for all aspects of media including Film, Video Games, and Documentaries.
I’m absolutely most proud of the work I have put out so far, and the determination I have as an up-and-coming artist. I’ve learned so much about myself along this beautiful journey, and even had to time to advance upon my skills working with different clients, from student filmmakers to professional-grade game developers. My positive attitude and willingness to learn have served a long way for me, and even helped me prove to myself that no task is too large for me.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
For me, it’s making the younger version of myself proud, and spreading that joy and innovation to more youth. I was the only one in my family to pursue any sort of Arts, but through the help and support of my mother these dreams have been unstoppable. I was able to feed into my curiosity as a child, really sitting down and wondering what all these different notes and mechanisms do, and why I felt more at peace with myself. Ever since that moment, I’ve noticed a change in my perception of life and what my purpose is. My goal is to spark that same passion I have amongst collaborators and clients, and spread that vision across the world, and along the way I hope I can inspire more youth to really follow their dreams and live vigorously in the moment.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artists is really pushing a vision to life. I love seeing the smiles on my clients’ faces as they grasp the final take of their project that they’ve worked so hard on, and I love seeing the joy in the audience as they get to experience who I am much more in depth. That’s what drives me to continue this journey. From being much happier with myself as a child, I learned that I wanted to spread this joy and positivity amongst my community and peers. I love utilizing my craft to help people, it’s really heartwarming to be able to take small pieces, put them together and create a life-changing story to share.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tshavers0.wixsite.com/taijee-shavers
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ty_kesean/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taijee-shavers-audio
- Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ty-kesean Desert View Records Catalogue: https://desertviewrecordsllc.disco.ac/cat/325091309/artists/9846105
Image Credits
Joe Davis Pamela Hersch Mike Ritter