A Feminist’s Portrait
“My entire life has been written according to God’s grace. And by this I mean; God gives us free will right? And He also allows us to exercise this free will. But He also redeems our mistakes when we allow Him to. As a bit of a free-spirit, I have made many mistakes. I have also been deeply hurt, experiencing injustice against me, and lost my love and trust for people. But it’s now so clear to me. God is deeply concerned for me. Not just my life, but my heart. He has covered me with His grace and shown me His great redemption by taking pain, brokenness, and sorrow, and turning it into joy, opportunity, and new life. When I finally chose to give it all to Him, He was there waiting for me, ready to overwhelm me with His love. I want my work to reflect that. My depression, my self-hate, my fear of being harmed by others. This is entirely what my current passions stem from. I now strive to comfort those in grief. To promote self-respect, and to encourage full forgiveness for our greatest enemies. You see? Every terrible story has been made beautiful. God’s redemption process in my life has planted an urgency in me to share this goodness with others. I cannot keep this good news of His grace to myself!”
Lindsey D. Taylor
- An illustrator and muralist
- From Vancouver, Canada
Hi, Lindsey! Let’s begin in your early childhood. Did you grow up in a creative household? Not really. My parents aren’t really artistic. Actually, my dad often says that he has no artistic bone in his body! My mom is the same, but on her side of the family, there is a little bit more of the artistic “gene”. My mom’s brother, my uncle, drew a lot when he was younger, and my great grandpa was also a big fan of drawing and illustration. So you could say that the creative gene is there, but I think I was considered to be the odd artistic child growing up because neither my older sister nor my younger brother were into the arts.
When did you first begin drawing? I first began drawing in my teens just for fun, and I even remember the very first drawing ever bought from me, by my dad! I was thrilled. I thought that it was the coolest thing ever. That someone would give me money for one of my drawings. Today as I reflect back, I think that he did that because he wanted me to believe that what I did was special and valuable. That it was worth something. But to me at the time, making a living off my artwork was just a silly idea. So I didn’t really continue drawing seriously until the summer of 2015 when I was studying graphic design in California.
What happened in California that led you back to drawing? I initially chose to study graphic design because I thought that getting into graphic design would be more stable than the fine arts. As it’s much easier to get a job in graphic design. But over time, I became frustrated with the classes I was attending because I didn’t feel challenged and fulfilled by the projects assigned to us. I would often find myself doing things by hand, with a tablet, when I should have been using a computer. And really, this was fun because it added a unique handmade aspect to my work, and a few of my professors appreciated this. But I quickly began to lose interest and didn’t feel like I was spending my time in the right way. A good friend of mine proposed the idea that I should start drawing again, but more seriously this time around. And this is when I realized that drawing is something I wanted to pursue.
I love what you’re doing with the ‘Rhinoceros Women’ collection. Do you mind sharing the vision behind the project and how it came to be? I began that project just as I had started drawing again. At the time, in my personal life, I was stewing over what to do to re-mold society’s idea of women. Ambitious, yes. It stemmed from a beaten, broken, but over-stubborn heart of mine, as I began to fully address my experience of, simply, living life as a woman. I began to realize how much I hated how we as women are being portrayed in society. I mean there is more to us than our appearance. We are also wise, strong and incredible leaders. We overcome so many things daily. So I was like, ‘I’m going to start a small project that will uplift and encourage women. I’m going to choose 10 amazing, but truly ordinary women, and I’m going to do portraits of them and tell their stories’.
What challenges have you faced while pursuing your vision? The biggest challenge for me is to not become too discouraged by not being where I want to be. Because as an artist, and generally as a human being, you will always be your own worst critic. I am far too harsh on myself and get irritated with myself quickly if I’m not going at the pace I want. I am forever learning how to be gentler with myself and how to be more reasonable with my timeline. And because of this, I have become so grateful for a couple of close friends who are also journeying life as creatives. Their words, encouragement, and own experiences are what keep me grounded at times.
On to the last question. What are you most grateful for in your life? I think I’m mostly grateful for the position I have been put in. It took me a very long time to come to this, but I’ve finally realized how blessed I am to be where I am. Despite my struggles, I truly have been born into a wonderful family, surrounded by incredibly inspiring and positively influential people. And I have had difficult but beautiful experiences that have grown me to who I am today. I do think many people can say this, with just the right outlook on life.
Thanks for Reading!
And God Bless You!
Article Info & Credits:
- Interview by Tertius Ledwaba
- Images by Lindsey D Taylor
- Visit Lindsey’s online store here.
