[Peen-ya Tay-lot-uh]. Founder and Florist at PinaTaylotta Petals, Country Music Critic; also known as Taylor.

I didn't always want to be a florist. I wanted to be a writer, a painter, a drinker of hot tea out of some ceramic kettle I handcrafted. But here we are, and I couldn't be more excited for us!

My grandmother Ruth, Wela as I call her, has always had an extreme green thumb and flourishing garden for someone who lives in the scorched Earth of south Texas. My appreciation for my power color yellow comes from her deep love of yellow roses and our affinity for basking in the sun while pulling weeds.

I am a trained painter. A Western fashion enthusiast. An Army veteran. An Indigenous woman. & so much more that shapes this brand beyond the limited range of a traditional flower shop.

I want to show that there is such incredible art in nature-- from the veins of an anemone to the craters and curves of a fuschia celosia. I am always nipping at the heel to form a composition with the stems of my gatherings for you to enjoy, if even for a fleeting moment.

 

   

The Music

Just so you know I'm not full of cow manure, I have an extensive music industry background! Since 2014, I've written about and lived the country music lifestyle with years of Christian music background beforehand.

Throughout my college experience at Texas A&M University, I wrote for Texas Music Pickers and ran the social medias with Editor-in-Chief Chris Fox. Years of standing on the sidelines at concerts with my camera and recorder shaped my ability to get all types of content at any given time by the seat of my pants. I've sat on stages babysitting Koe Wetzel's stuffed coyote from being stolen to hosting multiple day marketing and branding seminars with hundreds of industry professionals including Billy Bob's Texas Marketing Directors and Mile 0 Fest booking agents. I've even gone to Ireland (twice!) to cover Texas Country music tours with 30+ touring artists.

With years of Texas Music Pickers forming a strong foundation for my music career, I moved to Dallas where I was Director of Operations for celebrity designer Travis Austin (now of Nashville). I began the Travis Austin Songwriter Collective which was an exclusive listening room experience to include live recordings, videography and photography from each show for each artist. This side project launched me into my artist management company One of One & Co. with musician and sound engineer Tyler Rogers and TV Producer/Director Madeleine Beck where we had several artists on our roster (think young Tanner Usrey!)

Of course, I had to take time for my personal life outside of music which ended up being (you guessed it!) MORE MUSIC. I relocated to Stephenville, Texas in pursuit of happiness. Taking a step back from Texas Music Pickers and individually reviewing music, I began aiding 501-C Nonprofit Buck Fuffalo's Family Christmas and its spin off festivals Buck Fuffalo's Family Vacation/Back to School jam. For the next few years, I solely worked on behind-the-scenes marketing, booking, and all the ins and outs of putting on these festivals with a stellar team to include Tori Cain (Cain & Co.), Shelby Synatzske (Larry Joe Taylor's Texas Music Festival), Shayna Myrick (Larry Joe Taylor's Texas Music Festival), Callie Fender (Foster's Home for Children & fundraising chair extraordinaire) and more.

In between the chaos of all the concerts and travel, I somehow managed to find florals. For years now, I've wanted to marry my music and florist lifestyles in a cohesive and interesting way. Finally I bring you Pickin' Petals, a PinaTaylotta exclusive publication. I have many cool projects in the works that involve hundreds of beautiful blooms and sets of six strings, but can't give too much away too early.

I am just eternally & extremely grateful for the support and friendship I've received over the years in order to launch this new endeavor. The music industry is not just my job or hobby, but where I've found my closest friends, favorite clients, wildest loves and more. Enjoy your reading & stop to smell the flowers.