Taryn Singleton

I am an artist and a teacher. I teach high school art and classes at local galleries and arts centers. I have an MFA in painting and I recently started a small pattern company where I am designing sewing patterns and patterned fabrics. I exhibit works regionally and I love working with fiber in all sorts of capacities, particularly sewing garments and making embroideries. Artist Made Patterns was born out of my desire to merge all my creative habits together under one roof so to speak.

What influence does music have in your life as a creative?:

Music has always been a big part of my life and my creative practice. Growing up I was that awkward kid listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam while all my friends were jamming out to the Back Street Boys. I will own up to getting down to some Spice Girls occasionally however. I started going to local shows as soon as I was able to drive and I loved getting to see small bands from around the country that were creating different sounds from what was available to me on the radio. I always felt out of place as a kid and especially as a teenager. I was fat, opinionated, an atheist, and I asked too many hard questions that the adults in my life and my peers didn’t really want to think about. Music was and honestly still is a sort of escape for me, in the same way that sewing and making art is.

Music helps me channel my feelings into my hands and what I’m working on. If I’m feeling happy I’ll put on something nostalgic from the 90’s and early 2000’s that makes me want to move. If I’m feeling angry about something I’ll put on some metal or psychobilly while I work to try and get that feeling out. If I’m feeling sad I might put on some somber alternative so that I can sit with my grief and process while I make. If I’m feeling restless I’ll put on a video game soundtrack or folk metal because I want to feel like I’m on an epic adventure while still sitting at my sewing machine or easel. Because I am an atheist music is also somewhat spiritual for me, if I’m struggling with something or feeling lost I will put on the Indigo Girls to help me feel more centered, I’ve cried listening to Closer to Fine more times than I could ever count.

When I’m not listening to music I like to read a lot of news and listen to news podcasts, my favorite is The 1A on NPR but I’ve also been listening to Homeland Insecurity recently. It’s really easy to feel overwhelmed when you are consuming information about all the terrible things going on in the world on the regular. Listening to music and making, whether it is garments or traditional fine art, is what helps me stay turned in without getting burned out.

Tell us about your playlist:

Music has always been a big part of my life and my creative practice. Growing up I was that awkward kid listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam while all my friends were jamming out to the Back Street Boys. I will own up to getting down to some Spice Girls occasionally however. I started going to local shows as soon as I was able to drive and I loved getting to see small bands from around the country that were creating different sounds from what was available to me on the radio. I always felt out of place as a kid and especially as a teenager. I was fat, opinionated, an atheist, and I asked too many hard questions that the adults in my life and my peers didn’t really want to think about. Music was and honestly still is a sort of escape for me, in the same way that sewing and making art is.

Music helps me channel my feelings into my hands and what I’m working on. If I’m feeling happy I’ll put on something nostalgic from the 90’s and early 2000’s that makes me want to move. If I’m feeling angry about something I’ll put on some metal or psychobilly while I work to try and get that feeling out. If I’m feeling sad I might put on some somber alternative so that I can sit with my grief and process while I make. If I’m feeling restless I’ll put on a video game soundtrack or folk metal because I want to feel like I’m on an epic adventure while still sitting at my sewing machine or easel. Because I am an atheist music is also somewhat spiritual for me, if I’m struggling with something or feeling lost I will put on the Indigo Girls to help me feel more centered, I’ve cried listening to Closer to Fine more times than I could ever count.

When I’m not listening to music I like to read a lot of news and listen to news podcasts, my favorite is The 1A on NPR but I’ve also been listening to Homeland Insecurity recently. It’s really easy to feel overwhelmed when you are consuming information about all the terrible things going on in the world on the regular. Listening to music and making, whether it is garments or traditional fine art, is what helps me stay turned in without getting burned out.