We were lucky to catch up with Taylor James Monét recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was a kid I wanted to be multiple things but one thing that was always consistent is that I wanted to do art in whatever capacity that may be. I was always drawing, always messing around with new materials and I was always curious. I remember people saying that I was a “little artist” or that “you should be an artist”. I didn’t know what an artist really was at the time, I just knew I always wanted to do what was doing forever. I remember reading an encyclopedia or some type of book like that and seeing what an “artist” was. The first painting I saw in the book and the first painting ever fell in love with was Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I remember looking at it for a long time and being like “wow, this is amazing” and thinking that are people out there who do things like what I like to do all the time. From then on, no matter what I wanted to be an artist. Whether I wanted to do something else like play sports, do science, etc. being an artist always came first!

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

I am currently a Bay Area-based multi-media artist, I was born and raised in Oakland, CA by a single mother of five children. I didn’t speak much growing up due to the overwhelming trauma I’ve experienced since an early age, so art was a way for me to process the world around me. It was a release from the pain, anger, and hopelessness I felt day in and day out. I wanted to feel powerful and free. I still use my artwork for that and to bring awareness to what’s going on around us and to question our behavior. I have created a number of works with different symbolic meanings throughout my life but for years I’ve been afraid to share those pieces and what really goes on inside me until recently. For years, I have struggled with mental illness and I have been hiding a lot about myself for years. I was afraid for people to get to know me. It’s still a slow process. I am always discovering new things about myself.

I would say my art style is a mix of expressionism, symbolism, and surrealism. I create portraits mostly because I enjoy conveying and interacting with human emotions. I guess, in a way I want to help people process their feelings like art did for me. I want everyone to feel they have more power than they think. Currently, I am doing a lot of work on my mental health journey and self-acceptance. I am also exploring my relationship with spirals. I have kind of always been obsessed with swirls. They are fun, expressive, and meaningful. I have learned a lot throughout this process so far and can’t wait to see what I come up with next!

I enjoy creating paintings, drawings, collages, mixed media pieces, clothing, accessories, décor, and fashion. I’ve done a few murals and been in some shows and would love to be in more! Currently, I am not taking commissions, I just really want to focus on my work. Which, you could look at and purchase on my website at taylorjamesmonet.com.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve always dreamed of having my art in a museum (while I am still alive). That’s been a consistent dream since I was a kid and I hope to see it someday (hopefully someday soon)! My goal is to have my art to be seen and felt by lots of individuals. I would also really love to be a financially stable artist who gets to travel all over the world.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are so many things! But I’ll give you my top 3

1. BUY. ART. FROM. LIVING. ARTISTS. We really need to make a living! Don’t get me wrong I love art from artists Van Gogh and Frida but they don’t need to pay rent and eat. Also, Target, Ross, and other big-name stores don’t need your money for art and decor that bad, so if you can, please buy from a working artist. I do get that some of us (including myself) really can’t afford certain artists we love at the moment and that’s fine but please spread the word about the LIVING ARTISTS you enjoy! Share with your friends, family, co-workers, your social media, WHATEVER! Plug us in! Make sure others get to know us as well!

2. Also please stop with the unsolicited advice. At least I’ll speak for myself for that one. If I had a nickel for every time I get unwanted advice from people as soon as tell them I am an artist, I wouldn’t need people to buy my art. Please give advice or suggestions when asked.

3. Please stop trying to get discounts from artists if they are not already offered or telling them that their work is too expensive. Everyone I talk to seems to know it is a struggle to be an artist in this day in age and yet all I hear is that the work is “too expensive”, “too pricey”, or can I offer some type of discount (especially from family and friends). As I said earlier if you can not afford to purchase at the time, that is okay. What is not okay is discrediting the artists’ work and experience. As for any job/career, there is the cost of labor, materials, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: taylorjamesmonet.com
• Instagram: @itstjmonet
• Other: TikTok: @itstjmonet Patreon: patreon.com/tjmonet

Image Credits
Taylor James Monét (all are my photos)