Faith Taylor has been Faith Taylor for 16 years. She started as an 18-year-old, with people telling her she’s “too pretty to be running around the bar as a boy.”
They were waiting for her to do drag, and so was she. “As soon as I opened that curtain and the spotlight hit me, Faith was born.”
Since then, she’s worked all over the country as a well-known drag queen, but, when asked if she will move away from the sunshine state, she said Gainesville is the hardest to leave.
After being a staple in Gainesville drag for over the past decade and a half, Faith Taylor continues to be a light in the scene, demonstrating that the possibilities are endless.
9:30 a.m.
“The first thing I do is roll over and check what time it is.” As an entertainer and a show director, social media is a business, and timeliness is everything. Taylor checks her notifications from fans, colleagues and businesses first thing in the morning. “These are all opportunities that I need to jump on,” said Taylor, “I think one of the things that makes me stand apart in this business is that I do self-promote so hard.”
10:00 a.m.
She has her morning cup of coffee. “That’s pretty important to the start of my day.” She recently started a fast, which requires her to not eat until noon. “I used to eat first thing in the morning. As soon as my eyes open, I’m hungry, but not so much anymore.”
11:00 a.m.
The marketing doesn’t stop. She recently started a position as a talent agent at Spectrum Talent Agency, in charge of booking entertainment and clients. “That has now started to take up some of my time during the day.”
12:00 p.m.
Lunch. “I look forward to lunch.”
1:00 PM
“I usually try and watch TV to try and clear my mind,” Taylor said. “A lot of people don’t realize how hard I work, but it’s really constant.”
While she’s distracting herself from work, she’s also answering emails and instant messages surrounding drag. “It’s my time to do what I want with my time, how I want with my time.”
She contemplates her routine for the night, as well as possible future routines she may do.
3:00 PM
Meal No. 2.
3:30 PM
“On the weekends, I work at Hamburger Mary’s,” she said, referring to the Jacksonville location of the popular LGBTQ+ friendly burger chain. “They have earlier shows, around 7:30 PM.”
6:00 PM
Taylor is at the venue with her make up ready. “From there is go, go, go.” She gets dressed, does her hair and gets the shows line-up together. “I usually like to check with the DJ or the hostess to see what kind of crowd we have.”
Figuring out the demographic helps Taylor decide what music she wants to perform and with what outfits.
7:30 PM
The show begins with a production, in which Taylor is typically the lead. “We do two sets, which are typically about eight minutes long for each person, followed by a closing production.”
Then, it’s a couple minutes to get photos with the audience, then time for shows No. 2.
9:30 PM
Show number two does it all over again.
11:30 PM
“After that, I try to get out of the building as fast as I can.” Faith Taylor goes home, eats her final meal of the day and rests, knowing the next day will be full of more networking, business and drag.