@TaydeeTravels on Instagram is a content creator focused on the travel and exploration niche. We caught up with “Taydee” after her creative approach to color story caught our eye.
Why we love this artist: she found a unique angle in an already saturated field. This creativity helped her stand out- to other IG users and our own IA&C team.
Read our full conversation below.
Thanks for sitting down with us today.
Of course! I’m very happy to be here!
Okay, we’ve got to ask. Is your real name Taydee?
Haha no! My real name is Taylor. Taydee is a nickname from my grandma. I used to absolutely love lady bugs as a child, and she used to tell me she loved me just as much. So she would call me her “Taydee Bug.” So now I find a lot of joy in being called Taydee. It kind of comforts me in a weird way, it reminds me that I am loved.
What was the moment you first realized you wanted to create—and how has that moment stayed with you?
I sort of accidentally became a “content creator,” so I don’t think I could put my finger on one moment. I have simply always been a creative type. Literally my entire life I’ve always been writing or filming or acting or something. This kind of just feels like another step in that lifelong creative journey. No beginning, no end. Just always there.
Your work often varies in style —what draws you to each style, and how do you explore it differently with each destination?
I love that you picked up on that! I love the creative freedom that comes with mixing up my style. I always wait until after a trip has finished so I can tap into the emotion of what it felt like to be there, and then I edit my content to emulate those feelings as best I can. It’s really coming from a place of wanting anyone who comes across my content to understand the experience of a place authentically.
What does a typical day in your creative process look like? Any rituals, routines, or chaos?
Not exactly. I’m not a full-time creator (yet?), so I’m always balancing my Instagram with my “regular job.” I try to stick to weekly rituals, like planning my full week out every Sunday, but honestly it’s not a perfect system. I always feel like I’m behind!
Who or what outside your discipline most inspires your work—and why?
I’m honestly finding so much inspiration in studio work and choreography lately. I think there’s something so compelling about pushing yourself as an artist to tell a story through multiple avenues. I have felt so moved by the storytelling in galleries and theaters, and I’ve definitely brought some of those same principles into my photography & video content. Things like communicating through not only the subject but also the color grading, pacing, which music I choose, how I crop- it all goes into creating a narrative.
What has been the most surprising reaction to your work, and how did it shift your perspective, if at all?
I’ve been very surprised at how having an online platform, even a “micro” page like mine, has sort of “flattened” my in-person relationships because people already perceive themselves as “in the loop” if they follow me. It has this strange effect where everyone just assumes that what I’m posting is all there is to my day (or to my life overall). But there is so much more happening behind the scenes! Inner thoughts, emotional world, day-to-day wins and hurdles, the creativity and work I put into the page itself…Especially since I’m still working my day job outside of content creation too. It’s surprising when someone will say to me, “must be nice to have just relaxed all day today” because I posted a calm moment from my morning, when there was so much more that happened afterwards that I just didn’t post. I don’t expect online friends to show the same discernment, of course, but the false assumption that my Instagram page contains everything about who I am can make me feel unseen at times in my in-person relationships in a way that I didn’t expect. Total champagne problems, and I acknowledge that. I just haven’t quite figured out how to get around that yet.
How do you balance the personal and the public in your art—especially in an era of constant sharing?
This one is so tough, but I feel that I’ve found a really great balance finally through my most important rule: I post all of my travel content after I’m home from a trip. So that gives me some emotional freedom within my travel experiences. I can breathe and live in the moment more as I’m traveling, because I don’t have the pressure of a quick turnaround for editing. I can take my time and really curate an experience on my Instagram page.
Tell us about a piece or project that challenged you the most. What did it teach you?
I think the most difficult destination to shoot was, ironically, also one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, Bora Bora. It had nothing to do with the destination itself. It was truly stunning. But it overlapped with my personal life in a challenging way. I had just lost a close family member a few weeks prior, so I was deep in the grieving process, and the trip was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon for my husband and I, so I just ended up feeling pulled in so many different directions. Trying to grieve, but also be romantic, but also capture content- it was really overwhelming. I think it was a difficult but valuable lesson that not every trip should be a content trip. Travel can fulfill different needs at different times, and being clear about the intention and emotional priorities from the beginning can make or break an experience.
In what ways has your environment or cultural background influenced your voice as a creator?
I think this is really informed by travel itself, so it’s constantly evolving. I learn so much about the world, humanity, and myself with every single trip. It has really defined my worldview, which of course comes back out in what I create. I’m also feeling very connected to my hometown lately, in a way that I feel keeps me grounded and grateful, which I also try to be loud about on my page.
What do you hope someone feels or thinks after engaging with your work?
I hope they feel in awe of our beautiful planet, and inspired to explore it.
What’s one question you wish people asked you about your work—but rarely do?
What travel has done for me internally. It’s easy to see the external benefits, the views, the experiences- and it seems like that’s usually where the conversation stops. But travel has led me to prioritize such immense gratitude, even through darker times in my life. It’s this feeling of like, “yes, things are hard. Yes, my life is falling apart. But WOW, look how that sunlight drifts through the forest trees. Even with everything else going on, I feel lucky to be witnessing THIS.” And I’ve experienced that time and time again. It’s a sort of perspective shift towards the beauty of nature and the gratitude to witness it that’s been life-changing.
Thanks for chatting with us today. Where can patrons connect with you from here?
Thank YOU! The best way to connect is on Instagram, of course! I’m @TaydeeTravels 🙂
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