Today we’d like to introduce you to Taj-Micah Campbell.
Hi Taj-Micah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my love with two forms of art pretty early. I’d draw and dance majority of the time as a kid just for the fun of it. But the real-time that I pushed myself to be better was around middle school for drawing art and high school for street dance. From 6th-grade art classes drawing random things to college level course drawing more random things I loved the process of creating and developing by just doing. Making marks to resemble the detail of the objects in sight and later expanding on ideas with visuals outside of what’s real opened my mind to what art can be. What’s possible.
And what I can convey about the world and the world within myself. Especially when I dove deeper into dance. Going from dancing in front of the tv to Michael Jackson, to exploring styles of street dance and it’s culture was a burst of amazement I thrusted myself into. Throughout high school I started the journey learning from friends in a small crew, for what feels like a short time now, about breaking and popping. Then once I hit college, my eyes opened even wider in lessons from new friends, experiences in battles, performing choreography and having great times within an organization, and joining a crew where we became even closer than the last. Learning different foundations of moves, how they came about, embedding them through practice, using them to learn about myself and express my feelings, and exchanging in movement with others in the scene.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Of course nothing was really smooth especially since learning is generally trial and error along with having to build patience. If it was smooth don’t think I would be learning much. But there was one time period where I was hit with a hard health experience. 2017 I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and I felt how it is to lose dance and movement all together. My insides where inflamed, my joints slowly became the same, so much so that I was constantly in pain to the point I couldn’t get up from bed. My mom and dad had to help me everyday with normal things like just eating. While I would take prescribed medicine, which had side effects of their own that messed with my body, I practiced patience and faith while working towards the next day to get back to my life, my artistic expression and eventually gained it back along with an even stronger appreciation for the ability to creating through drawing and movement, along with the constant growth in this beautiful journey. We really shouldn’t take for granted what we have.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As far as my visual art I am a contemporary artist through various media like painting with acrylics, drawing with graphite or ink, and create digital work though programs like Adobe Illustrator. I’ll usually create pieces and designs of my character I call FOMO which was a kind of deep personal idea that formed after I recovered some from UC health issues. With him I digitally creating prints, painting on canvas, sketching out ideas, and paint customized items of him on clothing or sneakers. FOMO as an idea came from certain qualities in myself as well as artistic inspiration from of my favorites like KAWS and McFlyy. I really enjoy exploring the idea of him in my work and have big aspirations for sharing him with everyone and see how they react to him. Eventually I want to create an art toy/figurine of him for sure!
I’m also available for art piece commissions through the same methods and graphic design commissions if you need a logo, social media flyers, clothing design visions brought to life, or any other visual branding. Under commissions you my might see me as my name or T. Soup Design. Keep a look out for me at different art shows around DFW too! As far as in the dance scene most know me by my dance name T. Soup! Thought I was clever making that up in high school using the “T” in Taj and Campbell like the soup, haha. My personal style of dance is a smooth groove while mixing everything I’ve learned in my twelve years of diving into dance. I session with the Dallas homies in the scene and enter battles around DFW and, whenever I can, in other areas like Houston, Austin or San Antonio. Definitely wanting to travel and experience more in places like New York or Memphis to experience the birthplace of the culture of the styles I’m learning and learn from the OGs themselves if I can. Also available to be hired for dance performance gigs if you even need me or others from the DFW scene!
How do you define success?
I think I define success as being able to do what you truly want to do. If you’re working on your goals whether that be your passions or working on yourself and you reach even milestones on the way to those goals, I believe you’re successful. I feel like success can also be the realization that you have the power to do anything you put your mind to.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Behance.net/tsoupdesign
- Instagram: Instagram.com/fomo.feels
Image Credits
Lucky Button Photography Alan Nguyen
