We recently connected with Taylor Haulfield and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Taylor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I honestly don’t know if I can pin down just one moment when I realized that I wanted to be a writer. It was a gradual process. I would say it happened sometime around when I was eleven years old. I had written a short story for a school assignment and everyone told me they thought I was very talented. I was also reading a lot at that age, and I thought about how amazing it must feel to publish my own book and share a story of my own with the entire world. From that point on, my desire to be a published author took over, and I haven’t been the same sense. Most of my free time was spent drafting stories on the weekends and staring at a blank page on my computer waiting for the words to come to me. It was very stressful, but the idea of giving up on writing forever turned out to be more painful. No matter how hard things got. Nothing could stop me from wanting to achieve my dream. Realizing I had that willpower was what made me discover that I was meant to be a writer.

Taylor, 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?

First and foremost, my creative passion is centered around being a writer. I recent years, I’ve developed an itch to get into the acting world, but being a full-time author is definitely where my heart belongs.

I self-published a novel under the name J. Taylor Baker back in 2019. The name of that book is The Cardorian Complex, and it can still be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. As time has gone on, I’ve decided that self-publishing isn’t the right path for me. I made a lot of mistakes when self-publishing my first novel so I’ve spent a long time trying to rebrand myself as I enter this next stage of my career.

I recently built a new website called taylorhaulfield.com and I’m trying to rebuild my career from scratch, which is definitely hard, but it was the right decision for me to make. Right now, I am searching for a literary agent to represent my latest novel, The Laws of Vanity. As an aspiring actor, I’m currently represented by Seattle Talent.

What makes me unique is my resilience. Even though I haven’t achieved everything I’ve wanted by my current age, nothing has ever stopped me from wanting to give up. No amount of rejection or setbacks have ever convinced me to give up my dream of being a successful author. I was born to be a starving artist (though I hope to eventually find that tasty meal one day)!

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

The most important lesson I’ve learned on my journey is not to believe you are the exception to the rule. Society has an annoying habit of putting the spotlight on people who found success very early in their careers, and as a result, many people can be led to believe that these “Cinderalla stories” are more likely than they really are. I remember learning about Eragon when I was in elementary school and being amazed that a teenager had written this book. From that point on, I had vivid fantasies about also becoming a bestselling author before I became an adult, and with each passing year, that dream slowly disappeared and I became angry and hurt realizing I wouldn’t have the same legacy as Christopher Paolini. Another recent example is Andy Weir, who self-published The Martian with no intention of starting a career in writing, yet still managed to find tremendous success with book sales and have his story turned into a blockbuster film.

As discouraging as it was, I had to teach myself to recognize that many of these authors are the exception and not the rule. I knew that if I wanted to launch my writing career, I had to be strategic about my career choices and recognize that most authors endure years of rejection and heartbreak before they get their feet on the ground. I had to separate myself from society’s obsession with these “wiz kid” stories and continue my journey at my own pace.

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.

Often times, my close friends and family members will tell me to “be proud of myself for what I’ve already accomplished,” and that “trying my best is all that matters.” I know they mean well, and truthfully, I wish I could feel what they want me to feel, but I’m not the type of person who can rest until I accomplish what I want. There’s a fire inside me that can’t be put out, which is a trait I think a lot of creatives have. Although these words of encouragement do come from a place of caring, they can often be frustrating to hear because it sounds like they’re asking me to give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taylorhaulfield.com
• Instagram: @taylorhaulfield
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556878424713
• Twitter: @TaylorHaulfield