Talking to Taylor Lauren

Your Journey as a woman and creative
My journey has been a very fluid one. I’ve tried and continue to try my hand at various different art forms, whether it be styling and designing handbags, to painting and graphic design. Jewelry came into the picture during a highlight of my womanhood, as I was expecting my son, Blu. Designing and constructing bags became a bit more daunting, so I pivoted to making beaded jewelry.

Aside from the pure joy I get from creating an art piece that one can wear, I love to connect with people who feel drawn to my pieces. I think any form of art is beautiful and allows you to connect with others, so when I make something with your own two hands and it’s adored and appreciated by total strangers, it makes me want to never stop. It just so happens that my love of making delicate beaded jewelry also financially supports my life and family.

My favorite milestone so far on this journey is having pillars in the curated shopping and eclectic dining community in New Orleans show their utmost support through having me a part of an artist pop-up shop residency at one of my favorite local wine gardens, Bacchanal Wine, in the adored Bywater neighborhood.

It sounds like new New Orleans shaped your identity as an artist and a woman.
Every day that I step outside in New Orleans is a burst of unexpected charm, character, color, and romance that continues to live in my heart long after I close my eyes to go to sleep. Although New Orleans has a small footprint, any time spent wandering around my city allows me to discover something so beautiful and so new that keeps me gasping softly and wanting to remember the moment forever. When you live somewhere this inspiring and flamboyant, yet serene, it allows you to feel creatively free and find different mediums to express yourself in. Whether it be costuming, culinary, music, curated and salvaging vintage clothes and artifacts, this is the place you can do as your heart pleases and the city will reward you for your artistic generosity.

The colorblocked shotgun homes, whimsical, but solid details in our architecture, sounds of music everywhere, people who dance no matter who is watching, all inspire and remind me that it’s okay to share my heart, skills, and personal design styles with the world. I do exactly as I please with each and every piece of my beaded jewelry pieces without a care of what people will think, yet each piece always finds a home with someone.

Your creative process?
In many ways, I try to channel who the piece might end up with and really dial into that vibe. The boho beach babe might enjoy more turquoise, contrasted with burnt orange or complemented with a kiwi-green. The professional woman may love pearls mixed with lots of gold and bronze tones. I sort of assign the piece an aura or personality and flow from there. Color contrast and coordination are also big themes in my beading process. Stones or stand-out beads that are great focal points too. I love being able to collage together so many different bold or soft colors in one piece, as well as different textures.

I tend to let my hand float over my vast collection of beads, starting at 1 millimeter in size to very chunky stones, and let myself be drawn to whatever sticks out or calling to be put to use! From there, I map out the larger, focal-point beads on my bead map, and fill in the spaces with smaller pop ups of color and dreamy little details before stringing them up one by one.

Is there a story behind every piece? Do you have ay favorite pieces?
It’s hard to choose favorites when it comes to my beaded jewelry. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. I love them all immensely. Since they’re all my favorites, the story behind them all is that I hand picked so many of the beads shown while I was pregnant, some were handed down to me from my mother who gave me jewelry that I took apart and repurposed, some beads have been sourced from vintage shops or estate sales. It’s safe to say that the inspiration behind my pieces is the story that each little element has, from when they’re sourced, to when they are put to use and off to explore the world through the lense of someone who connects with them.

Do you infuse your personal experiences or the culture of New Orleans in your designs?
New Orleans is a place with so much organic spontaneity. From brass brands performing in the street, to impromptu changes to my day that I’ll make to catch a glimpse of the Mardi Gras Indians or a Secondline, no day here is the same as the previous or the next. My designs are just as unplanned and spontaneous as the city. Very rarely do I know what I’ll make even minutes in advance of sitting down to bead.

Our first supérette, ‘Les Suds,’ explores artist's interpretations of what the South means to them. What does the South mean to you?
The South in the United States is a place overflowing with so many stories of struggle and triumph, especially for Black people. Being a black woman in the South who is able to thrive and be supported by my community, means I’m living my ancestor’s wildest dreams.

How do the elements of the deep south, particularly New Orleans, manifest in your jewelry designs?
I’ve always loved the idea of being a Southern Belle, a term for a well-mannered, charming, and immaculately dressed woman from the South. I love the femininity of women in the south: the sundresses, straw hats, wearing crisp and vibrant natural fibers, naturally great at cooking, hospitable, polite and nurturing. Being raised amongst women in The South and being a modern day Southern Belle makes me love creating very delicate and sweet pieces with their own soft spoken charm.

Reflection and Connection: how do you think your work contributes to the broader narrative of southern artistry and craftwomanship?
I think the fact that I create in general is a contribution to what it means to be an artist in the south. Since the day many of my ancestors stepped foot in Southern parts of a new world, their main lifeline was art. For example, many ironsmiths who contributed to the ironwork in our historic French Quarter were slaves. Within that ironwork, they incorporated symbols native to their motherland, sending cultural messages to other enslaved people under similar circumstances. I think throughout history, Black people have had to quietly keep their head down and express themselves through unspoken mediums. In a way, I am doing the same, but because of those that came before me, I am able to share my art with the world and with people from every ethnic origin and walk of life.

What message or feeling do you hope people take away when they see or wear your jewelry?
When someone is adorned in my handmade jewelry, I hope they can dial their minds all the way to the vibrant streets of New Orleans. I hope they feel that they are loved and cared for by me, a mother, daughter, sister, and confidant to so many; that someone in New Orleans wishes them well, forever and always.

Challenges and wins? Challenges you’ve faced as a female artist and creative in New Orleans, and how have you overcome them...
I think the biggest issue isn’t isolated to just me. Sometimes, non-natives come to New Orleans thinking that many artists here are hobbyists, or that they can find inexpensive goods that undercut markets in major cities. I’ve overcome this assumption by pricing my wearable art pieces at their true value, which includes the quality of each tiny bead and paying myself a wage that I can not only survive, but flourish from.

How do you stay motivated and innovative in your work?
I stay innovative by seeing what new and unique beading methods or ideas I can try. Diversifying by including charm bracelets, earrings are a couple of first steps I’ve made. One day, I’ll work in rings, beaded bag charms, and so much more.

Future Aspirations?
I hope to scale up to where I can have some of the best curated boutiques and shopping experiences throughout the world including my pieces in their selections. I also want to get more people beading through workshops and hangouts where an intimate group can spend some time creating their own pieces. In addition, I love curating and sourcing goods. I want to open a brick and mortar store that will feature my jewelry as the focal point and foundation, with other lifestyle goods and eclectic but practical style options complementing my jewelry.

How do you envision your evolution as an artist in the coming years?
I’ll evolve to this ever-expanding artist with continuous exploration of different mediums at the forefront of my artistry. Of course I’ll hone in on what my true gifts are and perfect my craftswomanship, but perhaps I’ll unlock new approaches to beadwork, or maybe even design and make beads of my own with different natural materials.

Life in New Orleans, what are your favorite aspects of living in New Orleans, and how do they inspire your creativity?
I enjoy the proximity of some of the best pockets of New Orleans and how nothing is ever too far. The ease of moving around and the ability to do several different activities and see different parts of the city in one day allow me to take in a lot more inspiration than the average person living in a major city. With my eyes, mind, and heart seeing so much beauty on any given day, it makes it easy to turn around and use that inspiration in my jewelry making.

Can you share a personal anecdote or experience from New Orleans that has significantly influenced your art?
Being raised by natives who were born in the 7th Ward of New Orleans is a huge influence. The spirit and tenacity of my family’s neighborhood and where they grew up kept my childhood and mind filled with all kinds of folklore and phrases that I’ve never heard anywhere else. Experiencing what’s essentially a tribe of people, all ranging from mocha brown, to fair skin black people who can “pass” for white people, all bond over our creole heritage fills my art form with a sense of organic, homegrown flare that can’t be replicated. Elders who fill my belly with sultry food that’s been cooking all day and talking loudly to each other with no shortage of creole sayings and stories from back in the day; The collective years I’ve spent experiencing this unique life with people who have an unmatched joy for life, unwavering love for each other, and a deep interconnectedness between families who are not blood-related is the influence within itself.

Words for fellow creatives
Do not create for the sake of others, but only for your own pleasure and well being. Being authentic to yourself and your art is what’s going to get you far. Once you begin to create to meet the needs of others is when things go awry and lose their excitement! The world wants to see YOUR art, your experience and vision through your beautiful work. Of course change is necessary, but be sure that any adjustments you make are because you feel that are necessary and not because of someone else’s opinion of your work.

In New Orleans specifically, let it all hang out there, girl! In a city where people come to indulge and enjoy themselves, what you may think is undesirable and too out-of-the-box is very likely exactly what somebody else is looking for!

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