We recently connected with Lauryn Kai and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauryn, thanks for joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

I chose this question because I feel that it is something that I encounter often as a black woman, creative, and free-spirit who kind of floats her way through life to the best of her ability.. I often find that I am put into a box and when I don’t fit into that box, it can often cause misjudgement or mischaracterization of who I am.

Recently, I was challenged with working in an environment where one could assume that customers and coworkers would be more open minded. However, unfortunately that was not the case. Towards the end of last year up until the beginning of this year I worked at a metaphysical crystal shop.. I found not only was I being misunderstood and mischaracterized by a coworker, but it was also happening with customers who would come into the shop. This mischaracterization showed up as being completely avoided by customers and judgement being casted on my character. This was upsetting because it made it hard to feel like I could be myself in the environment or even show up and be excited to work. When I brought it up to the work place they asked me to specifically describe an experience or customer who had been racially profiled. This made me feel invalidated in my experience because oftentimes when these things happen, if you’re not actively experiencing discrimination it can be difficult to understand how it may be occuring. As much as I usually try to ignore these kinds of experiences they do cause discomfort for me especially in an environment I want to feel safe and seen in.

It is interesting to interact in our society today where so many are working towards liberalism and open minded view points but still many BIPOC and non-conforming individuals face discomfort from the same people who claim liberalism. A few years ago, I was very passionate about speaking up about these experiences when it came to racism and discriminatory acts but it got to be very mentally taxing for me.

I appreciate the space to speak up about these specific experiences because not only does it allow me to process them but provide solidarity for those who can relate to similar occurrences.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure, my name is Lauryn Kai .. I am 26, a visual artist, and spiritualist (as one may call it) born and raised in Maryland. My creative exploration and journey started with fashion photography then slowly trickled into filmmaking/visual artistry. When I moved out of Los Angeles I put my camera down for a while when it came to photographing fashion and being actively creative in the way I once was.

Los Angeles provided a lot of opportunity for me to create with models who are pretty established in that industry as well as assist/photograph renowned musicians, creatives, etc. I was able to have absolute creative freedom and make a world of my own through fashion, photography, and visual art. Not to mention, I met so many beautiful people who were open to ideas and creating together. (Most of my work/publications can be found under ‘Lauren Kai’ on Google or at www.laurenkaiphotos.tumblr.com)

Now that I have reeled the intention back to myself and what it is I want to present to the world. I’ve realized that I’ve very seldom been JUST one thing.. I’ve always enjoyed mastering multiple hats. Currently, most of my focus goes towards creating a brand for myself online through content creation, visual art, dance, spoken word, and a sprinkle of my art/creativity. I am really working on honing in on my craft/niche and what it looks like for me. Most of my visual art is now on YouTube @LaurynKai , I focus on creating visual diaries where I mash up snippets of my life to create a story, as well as speak about topics and experiences that I am passionate about, and I hope to share more of my expressive movement too.

What I feel sets me apart from others who are also doing similar things to what I am doing is that there’s no simple or easy way for me to express myself. As I said, I like to wear many hats but while also finding which hat fits the best..I firmly believe it is always good not to put yourself in one category. I think what is special about what I do is that it’s so specific to who I am that it can really only be expressed by me.

That is what I am working towards, is being my most authentic self and sharing it with the world in hopes that it can inspire others to figure out what that looks like specifically for them, so they feel free to do the same.

There are some things in progress when it comes to my spiritual platform/business but while I work on those things feel free to connect with my art/painting/macrame pieces @theclairsense on instagram.

Have you ever had to pivot?

After I had moved out of Los Angeles I realized I needed to pivot because my entire world was changing. Honestly speaking since 2020-21 when the pandemic first took occurrence it has been a pivot for me.

That is actually how ‘The Clair Sense’ my spiritual business came to be but it hasn’t been easy at all. As an artist, creative, and entrepreneur it must be stated that there are difficult times that are faced when you are trying to get your business off the ground or even find what fits/works best for you.

Recently, I went back to working a ‘normal job’ a ‘9-5’ and it was doing something that I actually had passion for… crystals and crystal healing! However, it was unrealistic and stressful for many reasons. I also realize I kind of lost my initial draw to crystals which can happen when a passion becomes a ‘normal’ job.

The pivot from being entirely a fashion photographer to an independent artist has been a major transition as now the focus is entirely on representing myself as a brand and creative. And let’s be honest, there isn’t always a constant flow of income from this kind of work but it is important for me to maintain my autonomy.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

There is always the question of, ‘why be a creative or an artist if you struggle?’ non-creatives that surround me don’t always understand why I chose this path if I am not successfully supporting myself through said choice of work but that ‘struggle’ is a part of being an artist and creative.

Similar to what I said above, this path doesn’t always generate solid income until you’ve solidified yourself within said path. These kinds of things take time and persistence. I’ve given up a few times and tried to go back to the easy route of working a job that I don’t necessarily like, for not much pay and it doesn’t ever really work out. I become miserable while also not focusing and growing in what I genuinely love to do. It actually sets me back further in my journey when I decide to give in to something that doesn’t quite align with my path or who I am.

If you are also a creative who is developing their artistry and you have others who are non-creatives who don’t quite understand the journey it is important to surround yourself with a community or foundation that can understand your rough patches and be willing to support you in whatever way they can during those times. As well as having a good head on your shoulders to understand that it is not always easy but that doesn’t mean the path isn’t for you.

Currently, I live in my first ever creative community that allows me the space to be able to create art. This has provided me the space to be able to focus on my passions and of course, the everyday stressors of life come up but I’ve got a great canvas to work with to develop myself for as long as it is available to me and for that I am grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laurenkaiphotos.tumblr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mseducationoflaurynkai/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenquartey/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRMtEiB8kwi6bRQf63HpSA
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mseducationoflaurynkai