Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Smith.
Hi Taylor, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story begins with three essential values; community, love, and creation. That’s what my whole life has been based on. I enjoy talking about growing up in a large family and how my parents taught me the importance of love and creating a village. My ancestors and loved ones are just as much a part of my story as I am, which is why my story begins with community, love, and creation. Being from St. Louis is also profoundly a part of my story, just like being an HBCU graduate, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., a descendent of hoodoo practitioners, coming from a lineage of healers, creatives, performers, educators, and just regular old black folks wanting a life of joy and goodness.
I’m a proud graduate of Hampton University, where I studied as an art major specializing in graphic design. I was heavily involved in a lot, especially in the arts. I designed shoes for fashion shows, was the newspaper’s photo editor, director of photography for fashion shows, and creative director for projects. My dream was to become a Creative Director after college, but life happened, and I was tired. Some folks don’t always think that obtaining your education or furthering Your dreams can also exhaust you while you’re on that path of dream-making. I went on an artist hiatus for almost nine years after graduating. I entered the world of college access & higher education first by serving with Americorps again, the theme of community and creating opportunities.
After college, I worked in the college access sector, becoming the Partnership Manager for the college access agency, where I initially served as a coach and educator. There I led high school and community partnerships within the community of St. Louis to move first-generation college students through college. From there, my deep love and passion for HBCUs fueled me to leave my hometown to move to DC to receive my master’s from The George Washington University in higher education administration to fulfill a new dream of becoming a president. While there, I served as the Diversity Officer for GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. It’s funny because I’m not a president and don’t work directly in higher education anymore, but it all matters as a part of my story.
A few years ago, I learned about Human Design, loved it, and discovered I am a Manifest Generator. I’m considered a multi-passionate person and had an “Ah-Ha!” moment. My purpose is to do various things based on my values of community, creation, and love. Discovering I am a multi-passionate being has allowed me to take more chances in life. I’m finishing my certification to become a sexologist. I am a sex educator, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility leader, artist, performer, teacher, and healer – I’m everything I’ve dreamt of being since I was a child.
Community centered around love and love centered around creation is what I am constantly curating. How am I creating opportunities for my communities? How am I ensuring it’s centered on an ethic of love and care? How am I using my life as a learning center for myself and others? These questions and who I am as a healer, a creative director, an artist, a consultant, and an educator all come together. My story is truly about what happens when the manifestation of community, love, creation and everything I do comes together to live freely.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The greatest lesson I’ve learned is to lean on my community and village to overcome the obstacles and challenges I’ve faced and will continue to move through. Most recently, my Daddy became ill this past 2022, changing our family’s life. He had to have an emergency open-heart surgery. My Daddy lives with kidney and congestive heart failure, so you can imagine how scary that season was for us. The past seven months showed me how being uplifted by my community through these hardships kept my Dad (our miracle man) and my spirit alive. During my Daddy’s open heart surgery recovery in November 2022, I was laid off and still am. Just like so many others across the country and world who are facing being laid off unexpectedly, who may not have found jobs since their last one, or who have been struggling to find themselves in the jobs that they have, keeping faith that goodness is on the other side of this has also been a learning obstacle and challenge for me in this season. I’m learning so much about myself and how amazing it is to have the village I prayed for with my spirit guides. I remind myself, and my community does too often more than I do, that I am worthy and I matter even when I’m not producing work. I remind myself I can achieve my dreams without crushing and exhausting myself on the way there, which has also been a learning curve I am continuously growing through.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I pride myself on being a multi-passionate person known for leading with empathy, providing impactful insights, and meeting folks where they are while challenging people and systems to improve through research and change management. I’m also known for being a community connector and educator and for my creative and event-directing abilities to design beautiful and more accessible experiences in-person and virtually.
I am proud of following my parents’ advice: “Do it, scared Taylor, because you will always do great things.” Because of their wisdom, I presented my Sex Education work nationally in 2021 and 2022. In June 2022, I was a featured artist in the seen: A Love Letter to Black Queer & Trans Folks art show curated by Kris Blackmon in St. Louis during Pride month, ending my nine-year artist sabbatical and opening new opportunities for myself.
When I think about what sets me apart, I think about my ability to consistently create spaces, art, education, and opportunities for myself and others to unlearn, learn and relearn ourselves and our communities. I challenge systems, thoughts, and policies while maintaining an ethic of love and care. I stand firm in wanting to create better lives that don’t center on capitalism as the answer for us to become better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/
loveandlight - Instagram: Smifftaylor_
- Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/smithtaylor13/ - Twitter: Smifftaylor_
Image Credits
Lauren Flagg Taylor V. Smith
