Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenniffer Taylor.
Hi Jenniffer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts like most of ours, dating all the way back to my childhood days when my mind was in the sky. I grew up in the heartlands of Florida sandwiched between Orlando and Tampa about 45 minutes to an hour away each. My family and I were pass holders at Walt Disney World and would usually go once or twice a week. Amongst going to the parks I would also spend my time flying with my uncle on some weekends. As a kid I daydreamed about flying and was going to become a pilot someday, but unfortunately my uncle passed away in a plane crash and my interest in it dissipated. There was something that fueled my younger days more than flying and theme parks, I also loved photography and film. I asked for cameras for Christmases and began shooting films of my travels to the theme parks with my family and friends alike. There was also another thing we did a lot of, which was going to the cinemas. With all this fascination of photography, film, cinema, and storytelling I began using my imagination to world-build and create stories of my own. Eventually after some struggles of trying to decide where I wanted to go to college for and what, I did enroll in a film school in Tampa. Eventually it would close its doors on me as they didn’t have enough students enrolling every semester; this was because they stuck to shooting on film and not digital multimedia.
So life took a quick turn as I packed my bags and headed north to Sandusky, Ohio, where I spent a full season as a ride operator, operating on some of the park’s largest and most well known rollercoasters and attractions. I had so much fun doing this that when the season ended and I would return home I would go to apply at Walt Disney World and operate some of the attractions there. I spent almost a decade of my life working for the mouse and learned some really important things in my time there. I also made (and lost) lifelong friends, battled cancer, and overcame a life transition all in my time here growing in ways I never imagined. At one point I met a friend who became very close and lived with me for quite awhile. She was pursuing acting and wanted to move to Atlanta to do so. Since I wanted to do something with film I thought it would be great to tag team and move up there while we still could.
Living in Atlanta proved to be challenging, although I fell in love with the city. I was able to find work pretty easily and worked multiple jobs, sometimes as a bookseller, hostess at a restaurant, or I would also sign up for background actor work and production assistant jobs working in both indie films and on larger film sets as well as television. Things were going well, mostly, until they didn’t, when at some point I had become overworked, tired, anxious, and frustrated. Unfortunately I began to struggle with mental health related challenges and decided to move back home to Florida to take care of my mental well being and self.
When I moved back I began a rehabilitation process for myself where I was successfully able to take care of hidden issues and trauma from an abusive middle school experience and other life challenges. I had a lot of issues I had to work through and spent years being patient with myself and allowing myself to heal, something that I think more of us should get the chance to do. At some point during my recovery I decided to go out and buy a newer camera and try again at making my own film. This time it would be a nature documentary of my collected travels to beaches, parks, and wildlife trails and preserves showing off the timid and much more relaxed “nature side of things”. Then one day I went over to be with my sister and brother-in-law (at the time) and he introduced me to a wonderful piece of cinema, a film called ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ by Godfrey Reggio. It completely blew my mind as well as changed the vision for what I wanted to do with my own documentary, ‘Floridaland’. So I began writing and spent up to four years creating a script for a documentary style film that would take place in all of Florida, showcasing both the nature and humanity side of things.
Along with these visions other story ideas began coming to my mind. I came up with twelve other script and story scenarios that I’m adapting to screenplays and hope to turn into films. As I began taking this more seriously I eventually got an LLC to film under as well as release my writings, books, art, photography, and anything else. It’s been a steady but continuous journey where I’m constantly taking small steps up a very large mountain.
Where I would like to go with my career is to be in a place where I can create stories, films, books, and paintings regularly, creating more and more. I think artists create to create and not create to destroy which is what makes art one of the most fascinating outlets we have. To escape the reality we’re placed in and go to somewhere new and unique. To use our imagination and see something that can’t normally be seen, and to go there. In my entire life I’ve learned nothing but the beauty of storytelling, all around in me at theme parks, and at the cinemas, watching films, reading books, and just exploring the very idea of continuing on with this very process. I’m just at a new chapter in my story, hopefully I’ve got a lot of time left to tell the stories I’ve been creating and share those stories with others. I hope that they will educate, entertain, provoke thought and challenge our ideas about things, to teach us that overall we must be kind to one another and that no matter the seemingly despaired outcome of how things may be, love always wins.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No it has not.
(Ha-Ha!)
I believe truly that our struggles and challenges are what helps us grow. If we’re not being challenged we’re not growing and if we’re not growing we are not learning and sharing what we’ve learned. Truthfully I think all of the challenges that has come with owning an LLC to film on as well as getting this film put together (while working on other projects at the same time) has been tremendously challenging; especially overwhelming.
I don’t know if I would call it a bumpy road, but it’s certainly been a challenging one. I’m so thankful that it has been and will continue to be one.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Relatively speaking, my work is too young to be compared to what my style is like, but I can tell you something that helps make it original. Since I’ve gone through life and have experienced so much I have learned a lot and grown. I’ve been handed a bad deck of cards several times and dealt the hand anyways. You must endure. Keep Moving Forward.
Hopefully my films will inspire others to create and will set a good influence as I am doing this so I can advocate for us as human beings. We all deserve rights and are all on this wild, beautiful journey, called life. We’re in it together, so I think if we can learn to live together despite our differences and beliefs we are winning. That’s a place I dream of, a place where we can all go to, to be ourselves and share the visions and perspectives we have with others.
Each and every day I wake up thankful for what I have. I think it’s important to remain focused on what you have, what you’ve been given. We are all alive and that alone is a blessing despite our circumstances. If we can remain focused than we can focus on what we have, what we’ve been given, what we’ve got to work with, and most importantly we can focus on the kind of energy that we want to give off, put forth, and pass along to the world.
I’m so proud of myself for continuing during the hardest of struggles, and starting from scratch has not been easy and I’m trying to learn an overwhelming amount of things so that I can do what I love most and dream of best.
How do you think about luck?
Personally I don’t believe much in luck. I think that a person has an opportunity to become lucky, maybe sometimes it plays in your favor, but throughout most of our lives we spend time trying to figure things out, they don’t just happen. With incredible challenges we can achieve and overcome even what we put forth as the best of our abilities, so I think as long as you’re doing your best, you’re doing the most you can ever do. Sometimes that may mean that things are paced slower or faster than you hope for, but as we endure and overcome we become resilient with stories to share with others and remind ourselves that we’re not where we are because of luck, no matter what that is. We are here with the intent of purpose and belonging. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, “I create my own luck and don’t let the fate of the universe decide for me.” — I try no matter how hard and I think its important for all of us to remember we are still doing that as long as we’re alive.
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