Meet Brady Taylor of YBtheArtTrapper in West Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brady Taylor.

Brady, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
On and off throughout my life, I was in and out of the creative realm. I was naturally creative but when I was in elementary school, I thought I was the best artist ever until this new kid came in. He just knew how to legitimately sketch faces, hand postures, even had mortal kombat characters down packed and at that moment I didn’t want to be an artist anymore.

All up until high school I tried venturing deeper into the arts but still struggled with the basics, but at the time my life had so much going on I just left it in the air again.

It was when I attended college that I really felt the artist-unique trait taking its own natural path within me. Once I left, I was sewing clothes that I got from the thrift, “Trying” to spray paint, had a few building lessons from my uncle, etc. One day, he gave me a canvas and at the time, I was working with graphics a little so the ideas were moving. On my computer, I had this graphic I made that I wanted to recreate as a painting. Although I knew very little about painting, I created my first piece in December of 2013. The quality was trash but as I learned over time, I went back and corrected it. That’s the foundation of what got me here years later.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not exactly a smooth road. My life was based a lot around my friends at a point and I didn’t exactly know how to mold my creative time with the time I spend with others doing whatever. And I only say whatever because when I think about a lot of the time I spent it was a lot of nothing. Wasn’t motivated to grow I was settled with the so so life.

I moved a few times trying to help my life get better but didn’t have too much luck. My issue was I second-guessed a lot of my stuff. When I first started, it was like a test to myself with the ideas. I was trying all kinds of stuff. Somewhere along the way, I started caring about what people thought of my work more than what I wanted to just create. Warped into doing customs or “commissions” as some artist will call it, took a big toll on my creative process for about a year or so. I just felt drained tossed back to the non-motivational vibe again. During the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2017, it was just like a major artist block. Nothing worked. I cover canvases after canvases. I just didn’t feel I was creating higher vibrating items. And by that, I mean pieces that when I looked at them I gained some sense of knowing that I could take into my next piece and work from there.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a very unpredictable styled artist. I honestly feel I’m some sort of mystery box. I never know what something will look like once it’s down to painting it.

I’d say I specialize in acrylics, but I’m still learning new techniques and styles along the way. One day, I’ll transfer over to oils.

As a creative, I’m most proud of the realm of freedom I live within as far as the way I can express my ideas and thoughts. I like the fact I don’t really have to say what I felt about painting because others related to it could be a completely different vibe then what you thought of. Some people’s stories are simple, and some have gone in depth and had me think about life.

Definitely what separates me from the others is probably my color schemes. They never go hand in hand with another piece unless I’m on a series run. The colors I use tend to pop more than the average image. I just choose those type of colors because I fell it reflects life.

What do you love about our city and what do you dislike?
I like the food. I lived in Georgia for a while and southern cooking is always the go too but I’ve tried more things here that I have anywhere else. I’ve kinda been in a “why not” type of phase with food lately.

I like the reactions I get from the locals here. They leave me feeling they’ve never seen anything like my work. It’s weird a little sometimes because I’m not really big on the spotlight ordeal because I’m such a ghost but it’s dope to feel the love Phoenix shows for the arts.

I don’t like that everything closes are 2 am, lol. Having a nightlife like Atlanta in play for my upbringing from the beginning of my teenage life till around 21-22. It was just cool. You up at 2 am and just wanna take a night drive and go somewhere there’s always something. Other than that, it’s just the summer heat. It’s unheard of. One of my biggest fears here is to trip and fall onto a Walmart parking lot at the peak of the summer heat.

Contact Info:

• Email: Yb.arttrap@gmail.com
• Instagram: Ybthearttrapper

Image Credit:
IG: @MariahBunk (for photo of me)

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.