Janice Taylor

My name is Janice Taylor, and I am a Weight Loss Artist. A Weight Loss Artist is someone who makes art about food instead of eating it and, in the process, loses weight. A Weight Loss Artist pledges to be creative when it comes to weight loss ' to substitute arts & crafts for food whenever appropriate, to courageously stare down full-fat ice cream and make the world a better place by setting a healthy example for all. I am proud to say that I am our country's premiere Weight Loss Artist - in fact, I invented the profession.

Prior to being a Weight Loss Artist, I was a just a plain ole artist. I have studied textile design, floral design, jewelry design, and fine art and have exhibited in galleries from NY to LA to Berlin. I was also a life-long yo-yo dieter. My favorite food group was 'fried.' I owned enough diet books that I labeled an area in my office the "Watch Your Waistline District." My hope was that there would be enough fat-burning power in the combined mass of words alone that a mere visit to my bookshelves would prove sufficient to remove fat. It didn't work.

It wasn't until Our Lady of Weight Loss entered my life that I was able to connect with my 'inner thinner core' and permanently remove more than 50 pounds of my own excess baggage.

It all started one day when I dragged myself to one of those weight loss centers where people obsess about weight and food. I weighed in and nearly keeled over - the scales of injustice were heavy indeed. It was all so dreary and depressing. I thought, "I'm never going to make it."

That's when I heard The Voice. It said, "If you think you're never going to make it, you never will." I wondered where the voice came from, and quickly concluded that this wise sentiment had to come from an outside source, as I was way too mired in self-pity to think of anything constructive on my own. The Voice continued, "You're an artist. Make weight loss an art project." And so I did.

As the weeks and months passed, I collaged, sewed, and crocheted my way through mountains of cakes, cookies, candies, and fries. Instead of eating these tempting yet self-defeating treats, I made art about them. In the process, I exchanged over 50 pounds of excess weight for 50 pieces of art. I realized that with Our Lady of Weight Loss at my side to support and motivate me, I could redirect the feeding frenzy and change my relationship with food. I also discovered a powerful new source of artistic inspiration. Once I focused artistically on weight issues, my work started to gel in a bigger, more global way. The enormous interest and positive response ever since has been overwhelming.