YOU ARE MAGIC!
- Lucy Sams, TeamTXTURE
- Jun 5, 2017
- 4 min read
What exactly is "Black Girl Magic?" We've seen the hashtags. We've all read the social media post that have provided conversations, encouragement, and empowerment, as millions of beautiful melaninated women claimed their own greatness. Their own beauty! Without any need for external validation. Tiffany Taylor has created a project that highlights our awakening.
Could you please share with our readers who Tiffany Taylor is?
Tiffany Taylor is a multimedia entrepreneur. She has the ability to give the audience quality whether they be an avid reader, an enthusiastic fan of her music, or intrigued by her artwork.
She is the definition of outstanding work ethic.
What does it mean for you personally to be a "professional entertainer”?
To be a professional entertainer means you have acquired status and credibility to do that for a living. To reach that level is something I am still striving for. I know I have the talent because I’ve mastered my craft. I have performed in many shows and worked hard to make sure my entire package is on point however that is only one side of the equation. I’m currently working on marketing and branding to get myself exposed to create a following which will lead to a high demand of my music/art. To professionally entertain via my craft is the number one goal that allows me to work hard doing something I enjoy.
Do you feel entertainers can serve as a role model to their community?
Do you think there is a contrast to how entertainers of the past identified world issues and how entertainers of today do?
Being in the public eye in any form sets you up to be an example of some sort, be it positive or negative. Now if you want to take on the task of being a role model, I believe that’s something one consciously decides to do and governs their actions accordingly. So it depends on a person's morals, what they live by, and what their craft stands for. You have entertainers that actively step up to make a difference. Is it a requirement? The public would probably lean more toward a yes because said person is blessed with the opportunity to represent their hometown and do it well, so why not? I say all that to say, yes they can serve as a role model.
It is interesting though to see how it plays out over time. I believe “You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” - Nina Simone. Entertainment is vast but it's all a reflection of the human race. Our hopes and dreams, our fears and insecurities, our joys and pain are all depicted in entertainment. Depending on who you listen to, some (people) would say no. But I believe our entertainers are very much aware of what’s going on and it has been represented, it is being portrayed, and will always be a mirror image of what we as humanity go through. The only thing constant is change but the expression of it is what remains the same.
What is the Melanin Queens project?
This project is about bringing people together for a purpose bigger than themselves. We all have gifts and talents to offer to our community but sometimes it’s hard connecting with others if you don’t know where to begin. The film was an idea bigger than me clearly. I had no intention of it getting the response it did. My goal initially was to just continue to gather content until I felt the project was complete. But now that it has evolved I can’t stop thinking of ideas to contribute to this cause.
What inspired you to create this film?
The track is produced by one of my labelmates, Yung Optu (of 646 Entertainment Group), excellent engineer/producer. So after finishing the demo at home I just literally had this vision: What if I get a large group of black women together? All ages, shades, sizes it doesn’t matter. That would be the perfect embodiment of this song. It just made sense to me in my mind. Once the numbers were guaranteed as far as attendance was concerned, my exact vision was able to come to pass. All the shots and how I saw them in my mind had been translated to the film. Overall it was really an impulse of the vision.
I find if I don’t act immediately I might talk myself out of it. So one day I took a leap and posted a selfie on Instagram.
How do you define magic?
Outside of the rabbit in the hat, magic is something that’s indescribable or almost unexplainable when you're witnessing it. It’s like when you hear a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s magic. When you had to be at the concert to actually get the feel of the total experience, that’s magic. When a people who have been oppressed for 400+ years can still stand tall, smile, overcome, and maintain livelihood, push the culture forward, be the change the world wants to see and more, that’s magic. As a people and as an individual, our very essence is magic. It equates to a wonderful creation that no man can ever take away because we’re simply indestructible.
What is the most important thing you want the black women in our community to know?
I want all of us to be proud of who we are especially when we look in the mirror. I want us to always uplift, uplift and I say again uplift each other. It’s crazy how we have a common background but turn our noses up at each other as if we all came from a golden palace. I want us to respect ourselves more and in turn we respect each other. I want us to be more open to criticism that makes sense. Don’t be so quick to judge because we all have a story.
I want us to be inspired by those that came before us so that we can continue to be an inspiration to those we leave behind. I want us to know that we too can break any cycle of the past and create an amazing legacy.
Tiffany can be contacted via Twitter/IG @tjayetaylor OR www.tiffanytaylortheartist.com
Lucy Sams is a Content Manager with TXTURE Magazine. Whenever she isn't cloud-chasing and trip-taking you can find her moonlighting as a professional Ghostwriter, Copywriter, and Aspiring Author. Explore the many facets of her world at suavexor.com.
FB: Suavexor
IG: @Suavexor
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