Meet Taylor Blackwell | Actor, Artist, Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Blackwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
I’m not entirely sure yet. I hope my career continues to change and evolve along the way. Because of my wide range of interests and creative pursuits, there’s a world of possibilities. I find this to be very exciting!

As it currently stands, my goal is to be able to have the time and budget to blend my different mediums. For example, I direct a movie that I also act in, and I write an original song for the same film. I’d like to work on creative projects with my close friends, hopefully travel a bit in the process, (be it going on tour or filming a movie somewhere far away!), and just have a blast doing so.

I’d like to have a wide range of life experiences through my work, and positively impact others with my various creative projects.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a singer and multi-instrumentalist, and have my debut solo album coming out September 1st!

This month, July 22nd, I will be releasing my first single/music video from the album. It’s a song called B.S. Poetry. I co-directed the video with Chase Cope, who was also my DP. Chase and his sister Noelle Cope are two of my greatest friends and collaborators; we make an excellent team.

The album is called “In Memory of Haroldine”, – it’s about how unpredictable life can be, and the importance of enjoying the moment. It can be pretty punk rock at times, while more soft/folk at other points. My producer Davey Warsop and I took a lot of inspiration from Belle & Sebastian, and Neutral Milk Hotel.

I am really excited to share this new music! I have previously released music with my bubblegum punk band “the tenth.” I barely knew how to play guitar when the band started, but that’s the epic thing about punk – if you have the passion, you can make it happen. Ha. Fake it til you make it – that’s what a lot of the great 70s punk icons did.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love walking through Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Whenever I have time to sneak away, I go there to read/sketch/journal. It’s a very peaceful spot, and I adore going to Cinespia screenings!

Crossroads is great for a fancy vegan meal.

I really enjoy exploring DTLA. Going to Little Tokyo and the Arts District for treats and cool graffiti. Hauser & Wirth is an incredible gallery.

Another amazing gallery is Junior High, Los Angeles. It’s a creative space with lots of cool events. I’ll be playing my album release show there in early September. Can’t wait!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shoutout WriteGirl Los Angeles. They are an incredible non-profit organization/mentorship program that provides writing workshops of all kinds for young women in L.A. WriteGirl creates such a safe creative space. They have given me an amazing community, and I learned so much going through their program. I am a proud alum!

WriteGirl connected me with my mentor, collaborator, and great friend – Nell Teare. Nell has been an amazing support in my life and career. Her encouragement, advice, and friendship has impacted my life in a multitude of ways. I am beyond grateful to her.

Website: https://taylorblackwell.net/

Instagram: @themusicalmushroom

Twitter: @TBTayWay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TBTayWay

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC-Dnv8pRk5R-GVghnPra2Nw

Other: Bandcamp: https://taylorblackwell.bandcamp.com/ Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMusicalMushroom?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=543585603

Image Credits
Chase Cope Jon Del Real