We recently connected with Leanne Larson and have shared our conversation below.

Leanne , appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris in the spring of 2012, determined to turn my Studio Art degree into a living. At the time, I wasn’t sure which direction that would be.. selling art, pursuing teaching or some way I just hadn’t thought of yet. Just before graduating, I had been invited to a family friends wedding reception and with 3 kids and not a lot of extra cash for a gift, I decided to pick up my easel, a canvas and my paint box and paint something live – on site for them. I ended up painting their bouquet and head table with all the colors of their day. Everyone loved watching and seeing the painting evolve start to finish. unbeknown to me, this was technically the beginning of my live painting career. Fast forward to that summer after graduation, I created myself a website, made a collection of art and signed up for every art show in my state possible! I demonstrated live at almost every show and was thrilled to sell my paintings along the way. That winter I received a request to paint live at a wedding for another friend. It was then that I began looking into the idea of a Live wedding painter an could not find anyone who does it. I did find an artist on the east coast who had started painting at weddings as a plain air artist and then finished them in studio. I wanted to offer a service where I live paint a n entire painting from start to finish on the same day. Over the next couple of years I continued to sell my art at shows and in 2014 started my own paint and sip company where we held wine and paint parties for our local community. At the same time, I was booking 8- 15 live wedding painting gigs a year and growing. 6 years later I sold my Paint and sip business to focus on the demand of painting live at weddings. I now have paint live painted around 400 weddings and events throughout the entire US. I now have brought on board 2 additional artists and combined we average 40-50 weddings a year. In 2022 we did 65 weddings! If there was anything that would be considered a set back was perhaps taking on many opportunities at once and not being constant to one branch at a time. Also initially I feel like placing a higher value on my artwork could have helped me speed up the process to where I am at now – it’s hard to know. Learning to adapt in rapidly growing industry with authenticity and gratitude is key.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Some folks will call me a veteran in the industry of Live painting – It all started back in 2012 when I painted live at a friends wedding instead of purchasing a gift! From that day, I have evolved the wedding industry offering a unique service that not only provides guests with entertainment, but each couple receives a lasting keep sake to be cherished for many happy years.
as Picasso said ““The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
Being about to share your art process is both challenging and rewarding. The challenging part is the act of painting in front of viewers – Its a performance and the more you do it the better you become. The rewarding part is the connections you make along the way and the love stories you get to capture in paint. You become a part of each couples lives and capture the feeling and mood of their day on canvas – Everyday they look at their painting on their wall, they are instantly taken back to the energy and love of their wedding day.
At paint my wedding day, we offer a variety of live painting collections for each couple to curate their vision into a painting. Couples can choose their setting – Ceremony or reception – or both! they also get to choose the moment they would like painted – first kiss, vows or walking back down the isle. Our first dance paintings are also very popular and we pride ourselves in offering a way to include loved ones or even pets who were not able to be present at the wedding. we work withe each couple to find the most special way to represent their absent loved ones. it may be a dragon fly, flower or even have them painted in as if they were present.
We also now offer a way for guests to become more involved – our new Guest Canvas Collection offers an immersive and experiential entertainment at any event.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes, There are 2 books that Have been an inspiration ….Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life This book has truly set the tone for my outlook in life overall.
In Japan, there is no word that translates to “retirement.” Okinawa, Japan, is listed as one of the blue zones of the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest. The locals use another word, ikigai, which means “that which makes life worth living” or “a sense of purpose to life” (Mitsuhashi, 2017)
As an artist, Ikigai has helped me consider the everyday choices I make, including my health, sleep, and defining my purpose in life.

The second Book: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin – The legendary music producer explores the creative process and how to push beyond boundaries to create your self as an innovator.
Rubins book is helping me to shine a brighter light on my own artistic journey and gives inside and inspiration. Throughout his book, Rubin thoughtfully shares the process on how an artist moves from conception to creation while blending encouragement, direction and a world of inspiration. There is so much for all creators to absorb and learn from in this book. It helps you understand who. you are, how your brain works and how you can move forward with enthusiasm and pride as an artist.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Yes, the term Lazy. I used to think I was lazy, until I realized, I was in fact just needing ‘serious down time.’ I would go through the guilt and social struggle of not wanting to even answer the phone. Then after a period of downtime, It could be hours or days, I would have my most productive and creative studio sessions.
Much like the Blue Whale – which is now my spirit animal! – whales are associated with unbridled creativity. They needs it time to go down to the depths and then it comes back up and expels all the air – teaching us how to use creative energies more conservatively. For me, the exhalation through the blowhole symbolizes the freeing of one’s own creative energies. The Depths symbolizes that needed time to, like sonar, bounce ideas around where it is dark and void of the distractions in the loud world around us.

So as artists and creatives, it is crucial to essentially ‘do nothing’! We need time to gain insights, take a breather and come back up with a fresh wave of productivity.
Even one of history’s greatest innovators, Thomas Edison took advantage of his ‘do nothing’ episodes.

Let’s challenge society’s idea of productivity and understand that doing nothing could be the most productive thing you can do”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.paintmyweddingday.com
• Instagram: @paintmyweddingday
• Facebook: @paintmyweddingday
• Linkedin: @paintmyweddingday
• Twitter: @paintmyweddingday

Image Credits
Liza Standish Photography