Taylor Villanueva

This week we sat down with influencer Taylor Villanueva to talk about 11 items that represent her and her life in the past, present and future!

One item that represents my childhood: Sandy bathing suits

“Growing up, my family and I made a lot of trips to the beach. It was always an opportunity for exploring and getting adventurous - not going in the water though, I let that to my family and now when I’ve grown up I let it to my boyfriend."

One item that represents my nationality: A library

"The National Historic Library in Washington D.C is an absolute treasure chest. That’s where I would go to learn about other cultures. That is incredibly American to me, that we have access to all that knowledge - reading is an amazing pastime."

One item that represents my biggest passion: My honours medal

"It was given to me at college. I am the first woman in my family to get a college degree. I really believe in education, not just in terms of learning maths and science, I believe education is also about learning to be self-aware, emotional intelligence, learning to stay in touch with ourselves and understand and trust ourselves. The medal represents doing something for me and investing time and energy in my personal development."

One item that represents my highest ambition in life: A pearl in an oyster

"You don’t see what happens inside the oyster, it just reveals itself one day. Whatever that pearl is for me, I am excited about it and looking forward to cultivating it."

Images from Instagram: @a_littlemango // thedesignfiles.net // stackedshelves.com

One item that represents my current mood: My Noguchi paper lamp

"Because I finally feel light and hopeful again."

One item that represents my favourite person: The valentines paper my partner gave me on our first valentines together

"We had only been dating for a month, so there were no expectations for romantic valentines day plans. I went for a yoga class in the evening, and when I finished I had non less than eight missed calls from him. It turned out he had driven all the way from South Bay to San Fransisco just to give me flowers."

One item that represents my style: My Oscar de la Renta blazer

"I have a friend who owns an online vintage store, and she outsourced an incredible Oscar de la Renta blazer. It’s a men’s blazer and on me, it’s the perfect oversize fit, it has lots of pockets and a very practical design. I appreciate the lines, the quality and the gender fluidity it imposes. If we want to see change, we have to create it ourselves, not wait around for someone else to give us permission."

One item that represents my greatest fear: Mould and dust

"It’s usually the result for something not being used, sitting in an unhealthy environment. Both mould and dust are so small, you can’t see it creeping in on you. This ties back to my passion for education and awareness. If we don’t continue to stay aware and in touch with what we are doing with our lives, ultimately we grow mouldy. "

One item that represents my profession: A notepad

"Partly because my memory is two seconds short, so I always have to go back and re-read. Both in work and in my private life, I think it is extremely beneficial to track what you do and be able to review and reflect on it later as well."

One item that represents this year: My fluffy socks

"We’ve spent a lot of time with ourselves this year, more than ever before! I think there has been a lot of pressure to keep being physically productive: read books, learn new skills. But in reality, this has been a time to realise that just getting by the day, is an achievement as well. Remember to hug yourself and give yourself some credit."

One item that represents me: A mirror

"I wish it was something more sentimental, but I really shaped myself. I haven’t taken much from my heritage. I chose my own building blocks, and I build my foundation over time. A mirror is dynamic, and what it reflects changes over time. But when I look in it now, I see myself as I am, in the moment, and I know that throughout my life, the only constant is me."