We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Cressman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
As a young child I absolutely loved to make art and create and would often make art for others around me. All of my gifts to family members were handmade. As I grew, I started to sell black and white portraits, bracelets, and my art to people in my neighborhood. I loved getting commissions and seeing people react to my custom art. From then I knew I wanted to make a living off of the arts by either teaching or making art. It wasn’t until I was twenty-one that I started an Etsy page and promoted my art that I realized it was possible. Since then, I have created my own business, participated in art galleries, sold my work in stores locally and nationwide.
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 find the most joy in expressing myself and telling stories through my art. Not only do I own a ceramic business where I sell ramen bowls, mugs, and dinnerware sets. I also love to paint and sculpt the female body. I find the female form to be beautiful and inspiring. I share stories of empowered women in my art. I am inspired by women in my own life and also those in Greek mythology. When I am not expressing myself, I love to offer commissions. I offer commissions on female sculptures along with custom pet mugs. Anything you can dream up I would love to make. I have also recently built a small studio and have been offering private pottery lessons.
I took ceramic classes in college and was determined to get better at it. I took three different classes including an upper level one with grad students. I spent any extra time I had to practice sculpting and making pottery. Each day I would make a new goal for myself to improve. From there I have been mostly self-taught. I practice figure drawing, painting, and sculpting throughout the year to push myself as an artist. My goal this coming year is to participate in more art gallery shows and improve my figure sculpting.
My work has been shown in many different shows including the last three business card shows at JKR gallery in Provo. I also enjoy supporting my fellow LGBTQ2+ artists by selling at pride markets including BYU rainbow collective pride night. You can now find my ceramics and art at Salt and Honey 9th and 9th and at Fashion place mall. I look forward to doing more markets and expanding my business.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I graduated with my teaching degree and started teaching in 2020, I started to get very overwhelmed and really missed creating for myself. At that time, I had to find joy in the teaching aspect while finding time for my own creativity. Before this time, I thought I would make art for a side hobby while teaching. I then had to make a choice whether or not teaching was going to consume my time or if I was going to continue to sell my art and be in art galleries. Making the switch to selling while teaching was very difficult. I found myself a first-year teacher not leaving school until after six because of the studio needs. At that point there was no energy or time left for me to create for myself. That is when I started to work on projects and my skills with my students. Not only did my students start to understand and create better work but I started to find more joy in teaching. A favorite project of mine is sculpting hands. Each semester I sculpt my own hand along with my students and each year I continue to improve. My students help drive me as a teacher and a creative. When I see them working hard and improving it makes me want to improve as well. By the end of my first-year teaching, I had built up enough of my own work from helping and teaching my students that I was able to participate in my first farmers market. Soon after that, I opened up my own private studio with a pottery wheel in my basement. I now work hard creating work throughout the year, after school, and during the summer to participate in many art galleries and markets.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My art drives me in many different ways which none of them are money. Currently, I do not create enough art to live off of. Often, I create art for the enjoyment of it. When I sit down in front of a painting or the pottery wheel, I feel at peace. When I am teaching others, I also feel at rest. The most magical part of being a creative is that you can think of an image or an idea and then are able to see it come to life. Many times during the summer, I get depressed without a constant job. What helps me through those times is sitting down with a pen and paper or a blob of clay and seeing what comes out of my mind. Lately, I have been driven to improve my skills especially on sculpting. For many hours, I can sit in my living room on the floor and sculpt figure after figure while watching tv. Through these motions, I become more mindful, centered, and accomplished. Another thing that drives me is being able to share my art with others. Nothing brings me more happiness than when my art is able to speak to someone. I often set up booths for long hours at farmers markets where customers compliment my work and want to buy a mug for their cup of coffee or a painting for their home. It is at those moments that I feel fulfilled and that my talent is worth sharing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cressmanceramics.com
- Instagram: @cressmanceramics
- Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CressmanCeramics1