InsaneJournal

welcome to ashbury academy.

the artist, primarily working in print and paint media, he's rather introverted and hasn't actually displayed any of his work, although his friend THE MUSO encourages him. he's completely oblivious to anyone who has a crush on him

born premature by almost a week, taylor owen ollings was happily welcomed into this world on a cold and blustery january morning as they swept confetti off the street and shuffled their drunk and tired home. it was the first of the year and lily ollings had no plans to cut her new years celebration short in lieu of giving birth -- according to her doctor, she had a week to go. the pair (it was your classic boy meets girl, girl dates boy, boy proposes sort of story) had been married for less than a year and everything had gone according to plan, a baby within the first few months and a beginner home on the way except he was early! fred olling was frantic, his hair coming out in fistfuls as he took turns clutching lily's hand while her best friend and taylor's godmother stood on the other side of bed. it was a long and painful delivery, almost eleven hours in total from beginning to end and no one breathed once the small boy was within sight until after he was cleared by the pediatrician. taylor spent two weeks in the hospital, his first few days hooked up to a monitor that checked his heart, lungs, and other vital organs while his parents waited for him to open his eyes. when he finally did - and they were a watery blue, like his mother - their cheering could be heard all over the floor. the small boy was raised in a glass home, carefully padded and coddled by his precious parents, treated like porcelain that would crack with the first sign of rough treatment. taylor was a thin and frail child but only in body, his mind had outgrown his small body and inflated as he paid attention to the world he existed in, paid attention and learned. he was a smart kid but too flighty, too spacey. school was difficult for taylor, his grades were mediocre and his social abilities were average at best. his parents (who'd since loosened their overprotective grips) encouraged him to try various activities, afraid that their bright but misunderstood boy would slip between the social cracks. he was too uncoordinated for sports and not nearly athletic enough, music was too restricting, confining for his spirit which ached to soar. it wasn't until he picked up a paint brush that taylor found an outlet for all the things he imagined in his head. the newfound hobby eventually took over his life. his parents, always supportive, encouraged him to take as many classes as possible and he was always shuffling his portfolio from one end of new york city to the other, slipping the huge case between train seats. within the art group, he found like-minded individuals who understood that through their paint brushes there was a language to be learned and conversations to be had. eventually he found a niche. when his father (who was a construction manager) was offered a job in boston, ma, taylor was heartbroken. the city, however cliche, had been a bountiful backdrop for his art. however, the decision was out of his hands and taylor was enrolled in ashbury academy, a prestigious preparatory school for young men. surprisingly, the academy has a rigorous and expansive art program which taylor immediately enrolled in. since joining the school, he's kept mostly to himself, picking up and trying new forms of art although paint would always be his main love. quick facts painfully hipster nearsighted, wears large, trendy frames that often slide down his nose and get splattered with paint tall and lanky, five eleven and growing naturally dark and curly with drying paint in a multitude of colors most of his clothes is paint-stained prefers it that way listens to indie music, mostly, save for some embarrassing pop allergic to most small animals owns a turtle named "rabbit" has six cousins ranging in age from 4 to 22 left handed, taught himself how to use his right hand in middle school but not very well an amateur photographer paints almost every day breakfast english honors 10 us history geometry physics lunch studio art ii french ii homeroom french club art club yearbook greylock 3rd