A lot of people have hobbies as a way to express themselves further and explore life, and Tally Grost is a person who has many hobbies outside of her studies. Aside from her studies at New Mexico State University, Grost is always trying new things life has to offer. In her spare time she experiments with cooking, does various forms of visual arts, and also DJ’s. Her time is never wasted.
Grost’s first hobby she picked up was being a DJ. She started playing turntables in 2002. She taught herself using traditional turntables and now she plays on CDJ’s, which are specialized digital turntables. Her musical influences ranges from punk rock, rock, and pop artists such as The Ramones, Black Flag, Rage Against the Machine, The Deftones, Madonna, Björk, and David Bowie.
“Music is a huge part of my life. I play dark, bass driven progressive house and breakbeats in addition to dark and ‘techy’ drum and bass.” Grost stated.
“It’s a special treat to hear her mix a DJ set as well. I love her musical taste from funky, deep beats to hard and heavy Drum and Bass,” stated Alisha Wilson, who’s known Grost for 16 years. Grost also loves to cook when she is not playing her turntables.
Grost is currently teaching herself how to ferment and pickle foods. She also would like to learn to garden, “so I can grow my own food,” she said.
The list does not stop for Tally Grost; she also does photography, stenciling, and spray paint art.
The past year she has been focusing on Polaroid emulsion transfers, which Grost stated, “is a process of boiling off a printed Polaroid photo and transferring it to other things.” She has been transferring them to vinyl records that she spray paints and stencils herself. Although Grost may seem like she has a lot on her plate, that is how she is experiencing life her way.
“She does her hobbies as she’s searching for herself in life. She is always looking for something new, she’s in constant development and always doing different things,” said Grost’s friend Soloman Gallarzo.
Her success in the many things she accomplishes does not go unnoticed. “She has evolved into a true artist, fearlessly taking on creative endeavors…Tally in sum is an energetic quasar in the form of a magnetic woman radiating creativity in everything she does,” said Wilson. As for her studies, Grost is working on her masters in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction: Language, Literacy, and Culture. She is also minoring in English as a second language. After graduation, she is planning on applying to UNM’s law school, where she plans to study Environmental Law, International Law, or Civil Rights Law.
Grost will also be applying for teaching and literacy positions in the Bay Area of northern California just in case. There she states, “I would like to work with at-risk youth and those who lack many of the privileges I have been fortunate enough to have.”
Tally Grost surrounds herself with so many new experiences. She won’t stop trying to learn new things as she accomplishes her career goals as well. Life is about learning and figuring out who you are, and that is exactly what Grost is doing.