About Us

WHO WE ARE

TalfordArts LLC is an arts company that produces and publishes various forms of art, that entertain, educate, uplift and inspire the community.

The company (formed in 2014), is owned by Matt D. Talford—a NY-born, Carolina-based writer, who also served in the United States Army and Army Reserves for 8 years as a medic, then retired from a 16-year career in the Information Technology (IT) Services Sector (2013). 

From 1998–2002 (while working as a full-time IT Services professional), Matt also moonlighted at Cultural Calendar Magazine—a Charlotte NC-based Arts & Entertainment publication (owned and managed by his wife Joetta).  There he held the position of Senior Editor, writing original articles and curating & editing pieces by contributing journalists.

 

SEEDS OF A NEW BEGINNING

"It was a painful decision my wife and I arrived at to print our last edition of Cultural Calendar in June 2002, but I always believed we would one day combine our creative talents in business again.  Joetta is a visual artist by nature, and an entrepreneur who started her first business creating and selling sorority and fraternity artwork while still in college.  I am a literary artist and *vocalist, who since leaving home for the military at age 17, through age 40, had always used my talents here and there, but never could use them full-time (sort of hard to do when you work 50+ hours per week at a corporate job)." 

*Matt is also a singer and has a number of on-stage credits, but nowadays prefers only to entertain family and friends on karaoke nights, or on occasion, at the special request of charity or church organizations (and sometimes shares those videos on YouTube).

"Fast forward to 2010/11, when a major health challenge, followed by a frightening diagnosis sparked a change in my perspective on life, causing me to focus more on what's important.  That event (which you can read about here), was the catalyst to my leaving Corporate America to pursue my dream of living life as a full-time artist." —Matt Talford

 

WHAT WE DO

TalfordArts LLC's mission is to produce and publish works of art that are built upon four pillars of purpose:

  • To entertain
  • To educate
  • To uplift
  • To inspire

As such, every item available in our online bookstore serves at least one of those four purposes.  Our commitment to excellence is the driving force behind the high standard to which we hold ourselves, and the partners who provide the supporting services that produce and deliver the physical representation of the creative vision of each of our artists.