We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lara Cornell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lara below.

Lara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

As an artist and business owner, I’ve invested in everything related to my craft. From supplies, studios, marketing, workshops, photography, teachers/mentors, to traveling expenses, exhibition booths, and advertising costs. The list just goes on and on – and let’s not forget about the countless hours dedicated to building my businesses.

But let me tell you, starting a business isn’t easy. It requires both time and money investments. Looking back, I realized that I could have saved myself a lot of hassle if I had planned my investments strategically. You see, when I first started my business, I was too focused on creating products that I thought the market wanted. I neglected to consider what I, as an artist, really wanted to create and sell. Consequently, my business turned out more like a patchwork quilt.

If I had done some deep thinking about my impact and my goals, my investments would have been more focused. This is why I teach my clients to do the same. I’ve learned the hard way that investing in yourself and your business starts with knowing yourself, your values, and your goals.

Lara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My passion for artisanal crafts runs deep in my veins, thanks to my family’s heritage in woodworking, dried floral artistry, quilting, architecture, painting, and farming. Now I use my expertise to build handmade artisan businesses with a focus on sustainability, community, and prosperity.

With almost 30 years of sales and retail experience in impact-driven brands like Aveda and Laura Ashley, as well as executive positions in international travel, I now run my own art business. My art has even been showcased at the Louvre in Paris! I have also written two international best selling books; Maker’s Mark: Make a Living and an Impact in Your Artisan Business, and The Sustainable Maker: Better Strategies for Streamlined Success in a Creative World.

As the founder of an award-winning social impact venue and a global artisan strategy business I work one-on-one with artisans all over the world to cultivate their own legacy businesses, while prioritizing people, planet and prosperity. Through the new Sustainable Artisan Guild initiative, I am creating a global movement to help artisans build sustainable businesses through community support for their environmentally-friendly products and studios.

My broad expertise is anchored in my training in fine art, modern and contemporary art, and business institutions such as MoMA and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. I continue to hone my skills in marketing, branding strategy, and sustainable, impact-driven business strategies through the University of London and University of Copenhagen, as well as a MA in Sustainable Design at Minneapolis College of Art & Design.

When I’m not busy coaching others and discussing biomimicry and sustainability, I can be found surrounded by my creative pursuits, including botanical pigment making, block printing, and gilding. I’m a lover of slow flowers, great antique chandeliers, and any artisan-made mug that crosses my path.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Choosing a major after high school was an absolute crisis for me. I was a creative soul and I wanted to pursue studies in literature and the arts. However, pursuing those fields wasn’t deemed to be the best choice to make money in the future. I didn’t feel business smart at all, and the arts and business seemed like two different planets that didn’t intersect. But this shouldn’t be the case at all! Creative and artistic individuals should also be taught how to handle business because the world desperately needs more artists making a living doing what they love! Additionally, the business world needs more creative minds to help them think outside of the box. It’s high time that these two worlds intersect and work together.

I ended up following my passion for teaching, which I have been doing in some capacity or another since I was five years old. It was a perfect fit for me, and then I pursued arts and business. I realized that in order to succeed in building a business framework that wasn’t going to burn me out, I needed to understand how businesses operated.

Studying business has taught me that you can create a business that not only makes you happy but also empowers you! I know as an artist, the mere mention of the word “business” can make you feel like your creativity is being stifled. But what if I told you that your business can be created to reflect your values? You have the power to make a difference in the world through your business. You can create something that brings people together, spreads joy, or even healing. For me, the best thing I unlearned was that my business is not just about me creating in my studio, but it is an entire ecosystem that can make a real impact on the world. I have the power to make choices and create change. I love helping my clients discover what they want their legacy to be through their business. Let’s create something special together!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have three children who have known nothing other than watching me build a life and businesses as an artist. They’ve seen me painting at the kitchen table, taking classes online, completing certifications, going to banks to get a loan for my venue, organizing acoustic music events at my venue for local singer/ songwriters, plan and facilitate art retreats, attend photo shoots, and now write two books, start a podcast, write a keynote speech, and meet with clients all over the world, to name a few things. Alongside me they have learned to lean into their creative tendencies and are often sneaking my art supplies and never putting them back.

Just the other day, my ten-year-old son was asked what he likes to do at home, and he said, “I’m studying to be an artist.” My fifteen-year-old can often be found painting in her room or knitting something for a friend. She is incredibly artistically inclined because my husband and I have fostered that for her. Both of my daughters are passionate about social justice and can often be heard talking about how fast fashion is going to ruin the world.

My kids are change makers. I hear it in what they say and how they stick up for their friends. I see it in how they interact with people and their compassion toward others. I know in my heart they will change the world. But, right now, they are looking up to me, which means that I still need to be the example. I can’t be the one to sit back and wait for my kids to do it. What sort of message is that leaving?

The other day my daughter came home from school and said they had a guest speaker that day. It was an industrial painter. He talked about how they will never make a living being an artist and that being an industrial painter was a better job. Needless to say, I was enraged, not because industrial painting isn’t a good job, but because being an artist was so quickly dismissed. I remember this same programming from when I was a kid, and it was that programming that kept me from taking the art classes I wanted or even exploring what being an artist might mean.

I want my kids to know that they can live a life doing what they love that will make an impact in the world. That will make a difference. And I want them to know that making a difference in the world doesn’t mean giving everything away. There is balance in business, just as there is in everything. We need to be prosperous so we can make a living and put our money back into the economy and make a vote with our own dollars as well. But we also need to build a business that looks at the world as a whole and considers people and the planet in our decisions. I want to know that what I’m doing now will be my legacy and hopefully a legacy that my children will continue.

Living the life of an artist isn’t frivolous. It’s actually hard work. But when done right, it can bring so much joy and leave an impact in the world. As artists we have the unique opportunity to make the world beautiful through our art. For us, that means spending time in the studio doing what we love, going on adventures to gain inspiration (maybe even adventures around the world), and spending time with those we love. It also allows us the freedom to be able to build a business that supports and sustains ourselves, our families, and our dreams. We can craft a slow business based on an artisan model that we already love and is part of our souls where we can help heal the world and the people in it. Our big bleeding hearts are our asset and our guiding light.

This is why I wrote my books and created my signature coaching program. It’s about living your values, making an impact on the world around you, and building something that will last for generations – even when times get tough! It’s time to make a change!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artisanandcompany.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/laracornellart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaraCornellArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laracornell/
• Other: Download my books for free: https://www.artisanandcompany.com/free-book https://www.artisanandcompany.com/free-book-2 Secret Podcast: https://www.artisanandcompany.com/secret-podcast