Where and when, precisely, does inspiration hit… And what does it feel like? Does it dawn on you in a way you can store and reuse or does it barrel through you, easy to miss if you’re not looking and difficult to capture in art….
For TAYLOR, creative inspiration strikes with extreme emotion and capturing it can be… well… Difficult. We hope this month’s IndividuallyBlended satisfies your creative feels as much as it did ours.
Name: Taylor K. Thompson
Where are you living: Los Angeles, CA
What you do: Music maker
Follow along: @ripsawradio
What was your emotional connection with the project? What did you feel about it?
The emotional connection I felt involved my attempt at scoring flashes of a beautiful life. I felt like I had to look back into my past and my experiences and genuinely feel those moments to make anything meaningful music wise. Living life through the lens of a music maker, sensitive and inspired by moments like watching a sunrise after pulling an all-nighter with friends, or singing with someone you love; the project made me feel that same way but in visual/audio form.
The most memorable and moving moment on that shoot:
Definitely sitting on the dock of my birth mom’s property after shooting for the day, just playing guitar and singing songs whatever came to mind. I was with Leah and Meg, drinking and laughing and looking out on the water while the tide moved.
I think there was this underlying feeling of having two worlds of mine overlap. One world - symbolised by Leah, a close close friend I had met in high school - was the world of my upbringing, every friend I‘d ever made, and every experience I’d ever lived culminated in this joyous vibe. The other world was so much newer but just as meaningful, and was represented by my birth mom Tracey who I had just met a couple years earlier. Both worlds mixing together on that dock was a subtle but moving moment I’ll always remember.
Describe your sensorial experience with the Feels Eau De Vie product - touch, smell, taste, sound…
It feels like your crush pulling you by the hand to the front of the show, smells like rich earth and mild spices, tastes like a concoction of the five slow seconds of climb mixed with the sudden and sharp drop of a rollercoaster, and sounds like David Byrne mixed with Khruangbin.
I feel most creative when…
I’m inspired by an original experience. Whether that be a break-up or or a plan that didn’t end up the way I thought it would, or a nuanced and personal experience that only I truly understand… That makes me feel the most creative.
How do you try to challenge the orthodox in your work?
By listening to music that I think is unorthodox, and using that inspiration toward different aspects of my style of writing and taste.
I’m preparing for a night out. Here’s where I’m headed…
A smoky whiskey cocktail bar playing Johnny Cash.
My favourite way to drink Bask is…
Straight up.
