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

Laurie, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

My art career began relatively late, after having two children and living “another life”. This life included my young kids, a family restaurant with my ex-husband, numerous pets and an active martial arts practice….and then I went back to school for art! I was in my mid thirties when I got my first studio and began showing my work in small local venues. It wasn’t until my early forties that I began to consider myself a “real artist”, showing, selling and doing some teaching. Sometimes I wonder how things would’ve been if I had started my creative career sooner, but I really believe that I needed to go through those early life experiences in order to cultivate the discipline and tenacity in order to develop and create art. I think it would’ve been much easier to give up once I hit a set back if I had started in my twenties.
While it would be nice to have an extra decade of trial and error under my belt, I wouldn’t change the trajectory at all. I believe that things happen for a reason and that divine timing plays a role in our lives.

Laurie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was searching for my voice as a painter for several years and then a friend invited me to show work at her open studio. I agreed although I was quite nervous about talking about my work and actually hid in the next room whenever it appeared that someone might ask me a question! To my delight, several paintings sold at this show, and from then on opportunities seemed to fall in my lap. I never set out with a game plan for building my career, but rather just followed my instincts and trusted that all would work out. It sounds very woo woo, but this is how it happened! I love to explore and see where things take me, so I’ve moved through a variety of “styles” over the years that all felt right to me at the time. Since around 2018 I’ve been interested in more sculptural work and now I’m creating what I call “portals’….wall sculptures made with oil, cold wax and acrylic on shaped plywood. This work appears to float off the wall, and the beveled edges are painted with neon colour which reflects off the wall surface. As the light naturally shifts throughout the day, so does the reflection…growing brighter or more diffuse according to the conditions. The surfaces range from subtle blends of white to bright combinations or unusual juxtapositions of earthy and vibrant colour.

I’m most proud of the way that I’ve never wavered or given up on creating art and living a life of meaning. I feel blessed and grateful for the opportunities that have come my way and also for the support of my partner, family and friends. I mentioned that my sculptures are referred to as Portals…I like to think of viewers being transported momentarily to a place of calm, optimism or simply presence of the moment.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe that society can benefit artists and creatives by educating themselves on what it actually entails to be in a creative field. Stereotypes still persist that artists are lazy or self-indulgent, sleeping in until noon and working when inspiration strikes. In my experience, very few artists are actually this way….most are extremely hard working, and have to wear the many hats of self-promoter, shipper, packager, book-keeper, and salesperson etc. The actual creative work is only a fraction of what they need to do to continue. Expecting discounts and low balling might decrease if people understood and respected artists and what they provide. Rather than spending money on soulless platforms like Amazon, people could visit Etsy sites, local art fairs or studio tours and Instagram. Similar to shopping at your local farmers’ market, where you get to know who’s growing your food and what goes into it….if people opted to buy from local artists or individuals that they grow to know online, I believe that the appreciation of artists/creatives would flourish.
Being open to bartering would also support artists, and could be a beautiful win win for everyone.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I was a reluctant Instagrammer initially, and believed that it would be a colossal time waster (and it definitely does have this potential!!!) But, particularly since the pandemic began, it has really contributed to my career success and helped me grow my artistic community. I didn’t set out to purposely “grow my audience” in any strategic way, but it did seem to work out very nicely anyway! When everyone was sequestered in their homes, as a way of feeling connected I began spending more time scrolling and finding artists that I admired. I would comment or direct message sometimes and some lovely relationships developed, despite often living in different countries. I think that the fact that I was engaging, responding to comments and messages, and trying to be authentic helped to increase my audience. I was definitely posting more than I did previously…but not excessively. Probably once or twice a week, sometimes three… I’m not a big reel person, but this is supposedly what you need to post to increase engagement. I believe that people should do what makes them feel comfortable….and step just a bit outside of that. For example, I began posting a weekly video of myself talking about a painting in stories. It was up for 24 hours and I called it Feature Friday. The feedback I received was inspiring and people felt more of a connection with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurieskantzos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurieskantzosart/

Image Credits
Ian Leach