“I just didn't give up. I just kept on going,” shares Derrald Taylor, an Inuvialuit artist who lived in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories until the early nineties and now lives in Yellowknife. He first became curious about carving in the sixties, watching his father carve, learning from him and getting a feel for the hand tools as he worked with caribou antler and whalebone. When he was young, he would sell carvings with his brother to teachers and government workers for his dad and they would get money to go to the movies. In the seventies, he got more into carving with his dad and two other carvers named Jimmy Jacobson and Philip Raymond. Later, in the eighties, he started working with soapstone, making little birds out of it to sell to tour groups in the summer. Eventually, he learned electric tools, what stones to use and what he could do with them. 

While Taylor has his education and he took whatever odd jobs that came up, carving has helped with his income. In the nineties, he went to festivals like the Great Northern Arts Festival, learning from other carvers. In Tuktoyaktuk, his sales were seasonal, but moving to Yellowknife gave him access to galleries and to tourists in Edmonton. Along with some other carvers, he rented a studio and up to eight carvers from across the North all carved together. 

Taylor found his skills were improving, after feeling that his skills weren’t good enough in the beginning. He didn’t take criticism personally, instead turning it into a learning opportunity and a chance to better himself. He’s gotten into detail work now that he’s been carving soapstone for 35 years. The feedback he has received over the years has shaped him into the artist he’s become and helped him hone his skills. “I'm still not one of the best carvers, and I never thought of myself as a best carver or anything. I just enjoy what I do, and a lot of people, collectors, galleries like the work I do,” he reflects.

He’s inspired by other carvers of all skill levels and he loves to teach his children the basics. Even beginner carvers have something to teach him, Taylor finds, noting, “There's some carvers that are just natural born, they could do carvings just as well as what I could do, even if they just started.”

His advice for Indigenous students thinking of leaving their home community in pursuit of opportunities would be, “Just go out and take that chance. You won't find out unless you go out and take that chance and go work on yourself. Just focus on focus on your skills and focus on your skills and just push yourself.”

Moving to Yellowknife was scary for him, but Taylor knew he could make a living off of carving and it helped finding odd jobs here and there, too. While the first few years were hard, it turned out well in the end. Moving was his biggest and best choice. He encourages that there is so much help available, all that is required is to get over the fear of leaving home, something that will always be there… “You could always go back, but go ahead and give it a try instead of just growing old, wondering what would have happened"

Being an artist has been challenging for Taylor given how many other carvers there are and how much artwork is out there. Looking back, he wishes someone had told him, “You’ve got to really better yourself and really focus on what you're gonna do, what you're doing, and work hard at it, and just turn the negative into positive, and just keep on.”

To stay balanced, Taylor focuses on the positive and perseveres. He uses his own style and draws inspiration from the land, the animals, people and culture. He tries not to let people’s words about his art influence him so much that he gets away from his own style. He loves to share his space with other carvers. 

His advice for someone starting their own carving journey would be to learn their tools and the stone. Taylor encourages aspiring carvers to just try it and not focus on how well they carve, but instead focus on the piece of stone and picture what they want to make. Working away towards the end result gradually, time and hand tools will work together to reveal. He urges patience and continuing to work at things.

He learned by carving with others who taught him what he can do, now he’s trying to do the same, teaching soapstone carving through Connected North. Moving from his small community to a larger city, Derrald Taylor brought his handiwork to a larger audience and created more opportunities for collaboration. From hand tools to electric tools, his techniques have evolved from when he first started but taking time and practicing patience has remained the same.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.