Issue 29
Jordan Taylor (Tough Luck UK)
Tough Luck UK is an Instagram account that captures the essence of the UK and EU’s nightlife and youth culture. With images that are raw, chaotic, and quite stunning, browsing through the account feels like diving headfirst into the vibrant world of underground raves, house parties, and euphoric club scenes happening across the globe every week.
The platform showcases a mix of photographs by up-and-coming photographers such as Isabelle Farrington and Miguel Maldonado-Velasco iii and iconic images from established artists like Neil Massey and Ewen Spencer, offering a distinct view of the evolving music and fashion scenes over the years. In the last two years, Tough Luck UK has also evolved into a community hub, where documentary photographers from England and beyond contribute their shots of wild parties, hoping to have their work featured on the page.
The creator of the platform is Jordan Taylor, a 24-year-old from Newcastle in northern England. Taylor launched the account in mid-2020, during a time when Britain and much of the world had been under lockdown for months, with clubs and venues closed indefinitely.
- Who/what are you?
I'm Jordan Taylor founder of platform Tough Luck
- Where did your journey begin, have you always had an interest in photography?
I've been into photography, in particular film photography my whole life and in 2020 lockdown I decided to start a film photography archive account with a focus on rave and music culture while people were inside for months and were missing that sense of freedom you get in clubs so it was a cool thing to look back on.
- How do you think social media has changed the landscape of photography, has it lost or gained anything from it?
I think social media has dramatically reshaped photography, offering accessibility and exposure allowing photographers to reach global audiences instantly and connect with creators. It's also created new opportunities for collaboration and commercial partnerships. However, I feel like the oversaturation of content can make it difficult for unique voices to stand out.
- Were there road bumps or any particular hardships you’ve faced that you've learnt from?
There have been plenty of road bumps on the way as I've started this from scratch on my own so there hasn't really been anyone to assist me on how to grow and develop this particular page. One notable aspect are my photography exhibitions; I decided to throw exhibitions/parties all across the country having never done a single exhibition before this. I've had to learn curation, operations, finances, logistics etc all from nothing and have had a lot of things go wrong but can now say I've definitely gained all those skills in the process - one of the biggest things I've learned is to not let the road bumps phase you and move on from them asap.
- What is your biggest milestone to date?
My biggest milestone to date is probably an exhibition / party I curated in collaboration with Nike and END; two brands I've looked up to over the years so it was really cool to be doing stuff with them.
- What does “Dedication’ mean to you?
Dedication to me means consistency; the whole reason Tough Luck is where it is today is because I was consistent with everything in the start such as posting content everyday, constantly reaching out to brands and thinking of new ideas on how to grow and develop.
- What keeps you motivated to keep the page going?
Being able to do cool stuff with tough luck such as exhibitions / parties, books, shooting festivals etc.
- What advice would you have for anyone else looking to get into your space?
I'd probably say find a niche topic, keep consistent with the content around it and if you like what you're doing it's more than likely other people will and you will eventually start to grow.