Paducah, Kentucky is known for being a city surrounded, supported, and ingrained in the arts, even internationally, and no one has ever embodied this attitude and spirit more than Aurora Taylor.
Taylor is, suffice to say, very involved with the arts, and has been since an early age. As a child, she aspired to become a fashion designer. Now, not only does she draw and paint, but she also plays three instruments – the guitar, the violin, and the French horn. According to Taylor, playing the violin has been her favorite skill she has learned so far because “…it makes [her] feel closer to [her] family because they played it.” Learning how to play the violin, and especially learning how to play it well, has brought her immense happiness and a sense of fulfillment in her life.
That sense of happiness carries over into any art form Taylor has tried her hand at. Although some people may believe simple forms of art don’t really “count” or could be considered “real art”, it’s still important to take into account just how much they matter to others, as shown in Taylor’s attitude towards her own work. “I just like creating things, even if it’s just silly doodles. They just make me happy,” she stated.
In addition to being a source of happiness for her, she also finds art to be a useful creative outlet for self-expression when other methods would be a lot harder. She has also found it to be helpful during difficult times, using art as a means of expressing her emotions when possible. Even when it proves difficult to create, Taylor has kept on doing so, overcoming personal rough patches through creativity, as well as her “chubby as all heck…chaos god…” of a cat, affectionately given the name Loki.
As easy as it is to say Taylor’s outstanding skills are simply a product of her environment, what with Paducah’s roots firmly planted in a ground made up of colorful patches, plaster, and paints rather than dirt, her own hard work, dedication, and creativity must not go unnoticed. Sometimes, even the most polished pieces of art in Lower Town can’t compare to someone’s sheer will to create, no matter who sees it or how it turns out.
For Taylor, the creative process starts by simply coming up with an idea, no matter how insignificant it may seem. “I just kind of find something,” she says, further describing it as “ [the] brain gets [an] idea, execute the idea.”
This has culminated in some very impressive projects. One such project was a collection of drawings showing the wedding dresses of many countries and cultures around the world. These drawings, which have been posted to Taylor’s TikTok account over time, give insight into the numerous different styles found across the world. They also show appreciation for their distinct and unique beauty that is often left untouched in mainstream art and media. Taylor’s favorite entries in the project were those from East and Southeast Asian cultures, particularly India (pictured below) and Mongolia, due to the stunningly intricate details found in the clothing.
Taylor also says that her art has opened up a world of connections and friends that she likely wouldn’t have otherwise. In such an art-centered area, it’s really no surprise to hear that, but it perfectly highlights some of the realities of being an artist. The amount of support and inspiration you can gain from such a community is unmatched, especially when that support comes from fellow artists.
Despite her deep passion for art, that isn’t all Taylor wants to do with her future. As far as her post-graduation plans go, she wants to attend college for psychology and become a psychologist. In the broader sense, Taylor states “…helping people is a big thing for me. Wanting to do something to help others, whether that be in a medical role…or becoming a politician…to try and fix what’s kinda broken.”
As if that didn’t make her selfless goals clear enough, the one thing Taylor wants people to know and remember about her is that “…I have a laissez-faire attitude. They can come to me with their problems, I’ll help them the best I can…”
Taylor’s pursuit of helping others shows a significant amount of inner strength, likely aided by some advice she keeps close to her heart. “I think the best advice I’ve given myself is, like, kind of a repeated phrase. It’s like, ‘forgive but don’t forget’, almost,” she says. She continues to explain that you can always forgive someone, no matter how many times you choose to do so, but forgetting makes it even worse if the person repeats their behavior. “You can always hope that somebody has gotten better, but you can’t forget and expect them to be better.” She also adds later on that “…generally, I am very forgiving…as long as people know they can come to talk to me when they need to, but I’m not gonna let any transactions that were bad fly.”
As for personal advice (or so-called “words of wisdom”), Taylor says that striving to be the best version of yourself that you can be is incredibly important. According to Taylor, the choice really lies between being happy with being yourself, with some people liking you and others not, or being unhappy and putting on a persona to get others to like you, leaving you with a negative mindset. According to Taylor, “if you’re not you, then you’re not living your life.”
Despite the normal chaos of McCracken County High School’s halls or the quiet aisles of a small town comic book store, there is an incredible amount of talent and potential lurking in everyone, even though it might not be obvious at first glance. It could even be said that Paducah’s longstanding history of art persists in certain people, no matter what art form they’ve dedicated themselves to, and there is certainly no one better to prove that idea than Aurora Taylor, the girl with multicolored hair and a teal guitar case.
