We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Taylor Neal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Taylor below.

Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I had been pursuing music exclusively for a year or so after my first move to Nashville. I was getting work on small tours and making enough to just get by. Several factors in my life changed pretty drastically in 2022 however and it led me to move back to Oregon and abandon music as my livelihood. I got pushed into a corner and was struggling to get back on my feet. Then I reached out to my old boss to return to the job I was working before I left for Nashville. He hired me back on without hesitation. Fast forward a couple months and I start receiving tour offers again; however, these are small tours and the pay is not enough to keep me afloat during the time off. I present this issue to my boss and instead of demanding that I either decline the tours to keep my job or quit entirely, he allows me to take that time off and return to my job when I’m free. This offered me flexibility to keep myself financially stable while also pursuing what I truly wanted. There are very few people that would extend a favor like this and without this time in my life, there may not have been a chance for me to jump back into the music world. For this I am eternally grateful and it taught me to always do my best in any situation and give my all to every endeavor. You never know when you may need to lean on someone from your past. There may be kindness and grace in situations that you may not expect.

Taylor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Currently, I work in several different areas of the music business; I teach guitar lessons, play live as a touring guitarist, work as crew for live events, and play as a recording artist for songwriters. Something that I’ve learned even before I entered this industry is that being a jack of all trades or even just a quick learner and hard worker can get you into doors that you may think would be closed. Keeping an open mind and positive attitude while doing work that isn’t your ideal can still allow you to make connections and get your name out there. Everything that I currently do is because of a recommendation from someone from another area of work at another point in my life. I may not be the best at any one craft but the work ethic, interpersonal communication, and problem solving I bring to a project is something that people are often looking for. This is what I’m most proud of myself for. I always want to bring to life the vision that is in my clients head, whether that be for my own band (TANG), for artists I work with (Moondough and Amber De La Rosa), students that I teach, or events that I help put together. The most satisfying feeling in this business is always bringing an idea to fruition and have it successfully represent the artist, student, or live band’s passions.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Every artist’s struggle is their finances. It’s incredibly expensive to put together an event/tour or to create merchandise or even to record and release the music itself. The most helpful thing that fans or casual enjoyers of art can do is support their favorite artist by coming to the shows, buying the merch that they like, taking lessons from their favorite players, or purchasing the album they love. Of course, this is can often be difficult as the world we live in is expensive and art is always considered non-essential. But, there are other ways to support as well. Spreading the word about an artist you love is incredibly effective and helpful; if you see something that speaks to you, share it on socials, tell your friends, add songs to your playlists, keep streaming your favorite tunes. All of these actions help push an artist into the world for more people to discover and for more people to support.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

What makes it all worth the effort is seeing something you helped create resonate with other people. This can be as simple as playing a song that makes people want to dance or as complex as producing a piece of art that aids a person in their darkest hour. To me, the point of art in general is to allow people to have a break from things in their life they feel are mundane, depressing, or joyless and gets them to distract themselves, confront their issues, or simply feel as if someone else understands.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/czsRuBGk6CvWy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorjamesneal/?hl=en
• Other: Spotify TANG: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3OyJtkoOmt0A7yyhkT3iRo?si=P2YlKV_5QPaSYyVo7ODYKA

  Spotify Moondough: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kRKKlFroEhNFwLkonqTBv?si=G_iW7cMKQKGQHje65HB7eg

Image Credits

Victor Duran
William Benson
Robert Verbarg