Blue Ox / Gold Fern

About the Owner

There is no intention for this section to be in any way exhaustive, but I do think it's valuable for you as the potential client to know a few bits about me both personally and professionally (as these two things have a direct effect on each other). 

My backstory is not unlike many in Nashville. In 1999 I moved here to pursue music. The rest of the story is far less predictable. 
After graduating with a degree in Religious Studies, emphasis in Theology and a double minor in Music Business and German (Ha! Yeah, I know) I had a short lived record deal, recorded and toured, etc. 
Music did not pay the bills and during the early post-college years I worked various jobs in order to support the musical pursuits. Due to this my work resume is at least doubly eclectic as my college degree with a mix of construction worker (framing the East Nashville Kroger), mechanic (Tennessee British Motorcycles), barista (Portland Brew), and more including working for the no-longer-in-existence ArtHouse Gardens landscaping company. 
During my time with ArtHouse I signed a sync deal with Dualtone Records that I am still glad to have to this day. That is also the time when I met my wife. We married and moved around the Middle-Tennessee area a bit, but now with three boys have settled in pretty well in Goodlettsville, just north of the city. 
In 2018 I started Blue Ox / Gold Fern (then only Blue Ox) offering only stump grinding. The business has since expanded to offer a broader array of groundworks services. However, due to the seasonality of those services I began exploring other ways in which to keep the business moving year-round. Enter landscape design. 
Often times while grinding stumps I would find myself in conversations with home owners who had plans for after the stump was gone, but just weren't sure how to proceed. One thing led to another and there I was a few weeks later building a fence or planting some trees. 
Not only did I find that this helped to fill in the gaps of the slower season, but to my relief and delight, helped to provide a creative outlet that became increasingly harder to pursue in music.
Currently I am studying for a diploma in Garden Design from the National Design Academy in Nottingham, UK, while still working to provide the same groundworks and landscaping services I have been providing through BOGF over the past four years.
For more on my qualifications, approach to my work,  and other information it's probably best to just speak, email or even grab a cup of coffee together. However here are a few things that I believe are foundational to what I do and who I am: 
1. Every person is created with worth, value and dignity and therefore should be treated as such. 
2. We are "creative creatures who creatively create from creation."
3. No matter the size or scope, every job matters and should be sought to be done with excellence.
4. Relationships and good communication are key.

If you have read this far, I appreciate you taking the time to do so, hope that this site is a helpful tool in your search, and that it will even perhaps lead to us meeting and working together. Until then, best to you and yours - Taylor Sorensen