Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Land
Hi Taylor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Peculiar Pirate started out as a passion project for me. I work full time as a senior designer for a marketing agency and was honestly getting so burnt out at the time on the corporate work. I was putting all my focus into that and my love for design began to falter. So, I realized I needed something to reinvigorate and reinspire my curiosity and passion for design and it was my boss that actually pushed me into carving out time in my day to find what that would look like. As a creative, I think I can speak to most out there when I say, we get so discouraged when we spend hours creating just to get some likes and our work be forgotten about five seconds later. I wanted to create for a community. I wanted my designs to bring joy and excitement and live on. And so I wanted to print my designs on stuff, things people would want. What better thing to print it on than shirts? I mean who doesn’t love a good graphic tee and you can never have too many. My next step was having to find a niche. Seeing how I’ve always, ever since I could possibly remember, had a huge fascination and borderline obsession with pirates, I thought that was something I could get really passionate about. To be honest, I have never been able to find a pirate graphic shirt I actually liked, they all seemed hokey or generic. I wanted to make pirate themed shirts that I wanted to buy, designs that are fun, whimsical, and bold but with pirate / nautical undertones. So that’s what I make. I started out by printing the shirts myself and then quickly found a local screen printing company in Longwood, shout out to Ink Bros. Through all the support of our Orlando community both online and in person, I’ve been able to expand my range of shirts and even start designing for other goods to put in the shop!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like any business, it’s never smooth sailing and there were definitely some rocky waters along the way. When I first started, I had to figure out how the shirts were going to be produced. I tried printing them myself and even invested in a screen printing set up. Then after 6 months of trial and error, I found out I am no screen printer, nor do I want to be. The labor was taking away my enthusiasm for the brand and the process. So, I decided I’d rather work with someone who knows what they’re doing and I could keep my focus on designing and running the business. However, trying to find a screen printing company that I could afford was also a challenge. I hadn’t made much money from my shirts yet, but I took what I had from the self-printed shirts and found an amazing screen printing company in Longwood that was local and worked with me to get some amazing shirts produced!
Another struggle was how to get Peculiar Pirate in front of the right audience. For the longest time, I felt like I was trying to paddle upstream, that everything I was doing to get people to notice us was not working. I would sell some shirts at the different markets but the people were not repeat customers. It wasn’t until I got a better understanding of which markets and pop-ups in Orlando were right for the brand and catered to our target audience. That’s when we started to actually grow our customer base and our online presence, getting repeat customers and a loyal customer following.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
While it is a business, Peculiar Pirate is still a passion project for me, and I like keeping it that way. It allows me a creative outlet that I can share with the community. My day job is as a senior graphic designer at a marketing agency. I do everything from creating brand identities for various clients, both from scratch or as a brand refresh, to UI/UX design for websites as well as illustrating and designing print layouts for ads, signage, and marketing materials. I think that’s kind of what sets me apart the most though. I have all these different skill sets when it comes to the realm of design and I can do whatever is asked of me, especially when it comes to illustrating. Most designers I’ve met either aren’t illustrators or they have a set style. While I have my own style of illustration, I can match or recreate any style that is needed. This has helped tremendously not only in my job but creates for some unique end products, and helps set me apart.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Art is what’s always helped me express myself and made me happy. I grew up painting and drawing, that’s what led me to design and has helped shape my digital illustration. I still love to go analog though and pull out the acrylic paints or watercolor. There’s just something so relaxing and nostalgic about it.
I’m also such an outdoorsy person and being at the beach in particular is my happy place. I grew up on the water, going wakeboarding on the boat or boogie boarding in the ocean. Every summer we’d vacation at the beach and growing up in Florida, a beach is easily accessible. There’s nothing better than the salty air on your skin or the sound of crashing waves. Maybe that’s also why I have such a fascination with pirates.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://peculiarpirate.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peculiarpirate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peculiarpirate
