We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Underwood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve been a bookworm ever since I was a little kid. I remember being three or four years old, and my dad would read to me before bedtime. He’d ask me to pick one book, but I’d bring a whole pile of them to him instead, proudly exclaiming, “Read these!” (and because my dad is my #1 hero, he always read all of them).

My love for reading and books eventually led to my love for writing. When I was in fourth and fifth grade, my teachers really emphasized creativity during writing time. I remember writing stories that always made my teachers laugh out loud. It may be hard to believe, but that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to impact others and create that emotional response my teachers had experienced.

Throughout middle school, high school, and college, I wrote a lot. It was mostly fiction, which is my favorite genre to write. I decided to pursue an English degree at the University of Kansas with an emphasis in creative writing. During my time in college, I took various fiction and poetry courses and writing workshops, which further drew me to the craft. I knew it was something I wanted to do professionally, and I dreamed someday of being a published author.

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.

I am originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and lived there until I was 18 years old. I am a mountain girl at heart, and I love being in the outdoors. I grew up hiking, going camping with my family, and skiing. I even went snowshoeing in high school on Pike’s Peak.

Once I turned 18, I moved to Lawrence, Kansas, to pursue my college education at the University of Kansas. So many people always ask me why I decided to move away from the mountains to be a flatlander, but truthfully, I’ve been a KU fan my whole life (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!). Because of this, I knew that it was the perfect college for me. I loved college because I felt like I could finally take classes focused on what I wanted to learn about and really hone in on my own passions. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English (emphasis in creative writing), with a minor in French.

My goal after college was to be a writer, but I wasn’t really sure what that would look like or where I would end up. I landed a job at a digital marketing agency as an SEO (search engine optimization) content writer. I never thought I’d work in digital marketing; after all, journalism was not my thing, and I didn’t take even one marketing class in college. I knew absolutely nothing about SEO or marketing strategy, but I did know how to write. Fortunately, everything else I was able to quickly learn thanks to my boss and coworkers.

Today, I still work for the same company. We are a small agency and a very tight-knit group. I eventually moved from the position as a writer to Content Manager, which is my current role. I still write, but I also do a lot of strategy work (SEO, keyword research, etc.), along with reporting, editing/proofing, and social media. Even though I never thought I would work in marketing, I’m really thankful for my position because I’ve learned so much and I actually really enjoy it. My job also gives me the flexibility to do my own writing on the side, which is how I started really leaning into my own creative work and pursuing publishing.

While I love fiction, poetry has always been something I’ve turned to when I need to process life experiences and emotions. I never thought I would share my poetry with anyone because it is so deeply personal. In college, I struggled a lot with major depressive disorder and anxiety. I felt like I was constantly battling my brain, and writing poetry was something that helped tremendously. It wasn’t until after I graduated (and was in a much better place mentally) that I started to wonder if my poetry could impact others or, at the very least, give them something to relate to during their own struggles. I started putting my poetry together in a book in an attempt to tell a story of emotional trauma and healing. Thus, my poetry book “these nights I spend with my ghosts” was born. I was suddenly so eager to get my work out in the world that I decided to self-publish the book, which is something I am so proud of. Seeing my poetry in book form and seeing how it impacts other people has been such a cool experience.

There are thousands of poetry books out there in the world, but I guess what might set mine apart from others is how raw and honest it is. Some of it is a bit ambiguous, as I tend to use a lot of complex imagery that is open to interpretation by the reader. I could easily give the description of the book that’s on Amazon, but the truth is, this book shows how I was completely hollowed out and put back together again. Yes, it is a story about healing, but it’s also a story about how healing is ongoing and not an ending.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In my experience, I think many creatives are taught early on that it’s almost impossible to pursue a career in their creative field. I can’t even count the number of times people asked me what I would even do with an English degree, or how many times someone told me I could never make a living just as a writer. I also believe (again, based on my own experience), that other fields like math and science are always emphasized over creative fields and are held on a higher pedestal. This only further discourages creatives, especially when they discover their passion early on in life.

I think creating a thriving creative ecosystem starts early in school. If education systems held creative fields to the same high standards as other courses like math and science, and if students are encouraged to follow creative passions rather than told they’ll never make it, our society can better support these individuals.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My battle with depression has been one of the most challenging journeys I’ve ever experienced. When I reflect back on how bad it got in college, I always wonder how I had the resilience to make it out alive. Some may say I’m exaggerating, but it really was that bad. I truly believe that without the help of remote learning (due to COVID), I wouldn’t have passed my last semester of college solely because I was so depressed. Somehow, I got by, which I’m very thankful for, but it was extremely difficult. Thankfully, with medication, therapy, and support from others, I found a way to move forward.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenunderwood_author/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenunderwoodauthor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-underwood-166441179/

Image Credits

Lauren Underwood