We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylore Simone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Taylore, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

By the Grace of God, I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work as a model, an actress, and an entreprenher. Back in December 2020, I was laid off from my full-time corporate America job. I remember my pastor making a statement about being creative in crisis. It was then that I looked at being laid off as an opportunity to put all of my efforts and energy into my creative career and business.

I was not always able to earn a full-time living as a creative from day one. Work had to be put in. I can recall the times when I would do free test shoots and photoshoots to build my portfolio. Like I like to tell other talent, you sometimes have to do the free work to get the paid work. This was the time when I was being strategic. I was building up my portfolio to showcase the reasons why a client or a brand should pay me for my services as a creative and talent. You have to give someone a reason why he or she should pay you. You don’t just have an expectation of someone paying you when you didn’t justify the reason why he or she should. I get so many people telling me that they want to be where I am, but I’m like, are they willing to go through what I’ve been through and to do what I have done? This was the time when I was doing that.

During this time of strategy, I not only built my portfolio but also my network. I would network with photographers, models, actors, casting directors, casting companies, and so on. Some people look at me now and my success but do not realize the groundwork that was needed to build up a strong foundation for my career, and mind you, I was not being paid for any of this during this time. However, I saw the value of my efforts in the long run.

After putting in all this work and putting my name out there with my branding and marketing efforts, people started to take notice of me. There was one particular free shoot that I did to build the fitness portion of my portfolio that changed the trajectory of my thinking forever. I went out of town to do this particular shoot, and after the client and I were done shooting, the photographer and I just started talking. I told her that I do this full-time. She then asked for my cash app and cash apped me more than what I expected to make in that timeframe. I went on to tell my parents that she had paid me such and such for this timeframe, and my parents told me that it is time for me to start getting paid for what I do. My thinking shifted, and since then I have always been paid for my work. If someone sees my time as valuable, so should I.

It’s only by the Grace of God. I attribute all of my success to God and His placing people in my life to push me and motivate me, such as my parents, my sister, my family, and my supporters. I also remember my pastor making a statement about how when God sees your natural efforts, He’ll add His Super to your natural. A person also has to play a part in his or her success. I like to tell people that you get out what you put in, but more so if you’re a child of God, your outcome goes beyond your natural efforts. I remembered how I made my first $2000 in one day from modeling in a bed for a mattress technology firm. I was like, “I can really do this full-time.”

I do believe the process could’ve been sped up knowing then what I know now. However, I also believe it was necessary for the time that it did take to build that knowledge to be where I am now, so it could go both ways. It’s not about how fast you can get something accomplished; it’s about taking the time necessary to build something that will last forever.

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 a model, an actress, and entreprenher who uses her platform to inspire others with a foundational theme of not compromising. I am known for showing others who relate to me that they can do the same things that I am doing as well and even more. Recently, I have been giving industry knowledge on how to break into the industry and start booking paid work to aspiring and established models and actors/actresses.

I also manage talent. I pride myself in booking my clients paid jobs for commercials, television, film, theatre, print work, and so on. Before some of my clients signed with me, I already booked them major jobs for commercials and print work. I love results!

I am most proud of being able to be reachable to those who are seeking my knowledge because they are seeing value in what I am doing. Brands that I have modeled for and developed a relationship with have requested my creative input and direction for shoots. Film directors and crew have also requested my creative input and industry knowledge. That just goes to show that people are watching you. I am just honored that people are seeking my knowledge. It took numerous experiences and wisdom to get to this point and I still have a lot to learn.

What sets me apart from others is being myself. The fact that there is no other you in the world makes you unique automatically. I am also a Christian, so I have to ensure that I am a representative of God and a good example to others. I have turned down roles because some did not align with my morals and values, and that is ok. There will always be more opportunities and even better ones. With my knowledge of the industry, I am thinking about creating an educational series to remove the secrets of breaking into the industry all while being ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Oh wow! There are a plethora of stories I could tell you right now about my resilience. There have been times when I doubted myself and my abilities to perform as a talent. There have been external factors in the form of people making comments about my not looking like a stereotypical model. But you know what? I had to push through them all because I told myself that I would never give up on this journey because this is my passion. Sometimes you have to self-assure yourself that you are in the right industry because you have put in the work and people are willing to pay for it. I usually like to say that I’ll just let my work do the talking for me. That’s when the portfolio comes into play and removes everyone’s doubts and unnecessary comments.

But a particular story about my resilience that comes to mind is when I was cast to play Cassandra Johnson for the network television series, Oscarville: Below The Surface. My character is strong and plays no games when it comes to fighting for what rightfully belongs to her and her family, so I had to make sure I understood the context of the times and allow for those emotions to be seen through my character. I remember the first day of filming when I doubted my performance and was not sure if I did justice to the character. However, my fellow cast members and the director loved my performance. I would sometimes wonder why I did not see myself the way others did. I was later nominated as best actress for my role in the series. This nomination brought back to my memory the hard work that was put into bringing this character to life and helped me to be assured of my performance. This nomination told me that I served justice to my role.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative, I would say, is to see the audience relate to and feel your performance. When I first saw a reaction video of the young African-American girls seeing Halle Bailey portraying Ariel from The Little Mermaid, it moved my heart and brought me to tears. I remember a little girl saying, “Mommy, she looks just like me!” Some of the young girls’ mouths just dropped open in that moment. I was like, “This is what makes it all worth it.” To show representation, to see the reactions of people, and to let them know that they are seen and heard and that they matter will never get old to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/misstayloresimone
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/misstayloresimone
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Jerrica of EyeWonder Portraits Jason of River Light Photo Gina Cordoba of Gina’s Venue