Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Delaney Pavell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Delaney, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
After graduating as an art student in 2023, I checked myself into rehab with not only an extreme case of creative burnout, but a debilitating alcohol addiction. Finally stripped of distractions and chaos, I was left with one question. Who am I when everything else is gone?
It was there- in that powerful, vulnerable, extremely boring space- that I met myself for the first time at the age of 21.
When I was a child, I would play shop for hours, not just selling imaginary products but designing the packaging, setting up the displays, crafting the entire world around it. I didn’t call it “art” or “design.” It was just what I did when no one was watching. It was a part of me. Rehab taught me I didn’t just want to make things- I needed to.
As I tapped into the part of me that created out of instinct, not validation; I accidentally unlocked something deeper and more complex than I can pretend to understand. Now here is where the story gets interesting. I suddenly began feeling an intense and unexplainable pull to Peru. I was having dreams of Machu Picchu so often that it didn’t seem random anymore. It was like the land itself was pulling me in.
So I went.
Working as a volunteer in Cusco, things started to unfold in a way that felt less like planning and more like listening. I painted a mural for a local Quechua jewelry store in exchange for macramé lessons—learning not just technique, but tradition, rhythm, and patience. I traded artwork for a place to sleep at a hostel. It was the first time I really understood value outside of money. How making something well, with intention, was a currency in itself.
Looking back, the moment I truly knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally wasn’t a sudden epiphany. It was a gradual process—a rediscovery of a part of myself I had almost lost. Rehab gave me the clarity to listen, Peru gave me the space to learn, and both experiences connected me to a way of living that finally felt authentic, purposeful, and sustainable.
Now, somehow, a wild set of circumstances has me moving to Madrid in a month. I’m bracing myself for uneasy encounter ahead- showing up in a city I’ve never visited with my own small business, 2 years of sobriety, an absurd number of suitcases, and the full weight of all the creative disciplines and conversations I’ve collected along the way.
Delaney, 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?
My name is Delaney Pavell, the creator of GoLola, a multidisciplinary brand rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship and storytelling. Through reworked vintage jewelry, handmade ceramics, and expressive painting, I explore the beauty in the often overlooked details. Everything I create is one of a kind, inspired by the quiet rituals of the makers before me. I offer custom works, small-batch collections, and collaborative commissions, with a focus on sustainability and slow creation. GoLola highlights the importance of perfect imperfection. Whether it’s in a worn bead, an uneven edge or a smudge of color, my pieces are refreshingly, deliberately human.
My artistic essence has followed me my whole life. At a young age, experimenting and manipulating elements became a form of self and worldly investigation. My curious nature and knack for collecting has fueled an obsession with what I call “the quest”.
It’s a pursuit driven not just by curiosity, but by a deep desire to gather stories, skills, and moments that shape who I am. Seeing life as a quest allows me to collect hobbies and experiences like precious stones or metals. The goal? To never stop evolving, until I become the most interesting person I know.
As I have committed to a life full of unexpected adventures and budget travels all around the world, I have learned that creation is connection. The process of shaping, cutting, grinding and molding with ones own two hands preserves the tradition of creating mindfully in a world of mass production. It makes us human. Living in both Italy and Peru for a period of time, I was able see how time and effort were exchanged to benefit the community.
As I began applying those lessons to my own creative process, I found myself guided by the heritage of Quechua artisans and the time-honored traditions of Italian oil painters. I was overwhelmed with the beauty of details, enamored by unevenly laid bricks or graffiti on a wall. I could feel my life and purpose expanding by zooming in on the small details. I came to appreciate the blank canvas that is earth, and how we have decorated it. How lucky are we that we get to adorn our bodies and spaces with such meaningless beauty? For what is life without meaningless beauty?
Today we prioritize bland pragmatism, mass production, and function over form. We inherently reject individualism, which is funny since we pride ourselves in honoring the individual. In other culture this isn’t the case. Families work together. People lend a hand when someone needs it. Cultural projects and art itself is seen as a currency. Therefore time isn’t wasted, time lives on through objects of significance. Seeing time as cyclical, tied to nature and rhythms, rather than a linear expense is ESSENTIAL in progression, happiness, and productivity.
When thinking of phrases, take the Italian “tempo guisto” – “the right pace” for example. Contrast this with phrases we value, such as “time is money” or “time waits for no one”. Crazy huh. Due to the prioritization of savoring the moment, act of creation in these countries is enough to exceed the cost. They value the effort and skill involved in creating intricate art because it reflects their capacity for patience, discipline, and mastery.
That being said, I am now on a mission to share my creative spark by adding mindful travel to my business. In Spring 2026, I’ll launch Lola on the Go, a group travel program offering creative retreats worldwide. Our first retreat, “Barcelona: Experience Local Life, Make Global Art,” invites participants to recharge creatively during a week on Spain’s coast—learning from local painters, exploring vintage markets, taking cooking classes etc. We’ll focus on mindful living, where I’ll share my tips for purposeful travel and how to use a place’s unique context to inspire your own creativity.
Although I have so many ideas for the future, for now I am still on my quest to understand the historical roots and origins of the creators that came before us. Whether I’m shaping a metal piece from Buenos Aires or searching for sea glass in New Zealand, GoLola is my small way of sharing the knowledge I’m still learning every day. It’s made up of fragments from every memorable design, pattern, shape, etching, carving, and brushstroke I’ve encountered—every tiny detail and idiosyncrasy that has caught my eye. Through GoLola, I invite others to zoom in and celebrate the details that make our everyday lives beautifully extraordinary.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I’ve spent a lot of time sitting with the question of why art matters. How can the average American value art when fighting financial insecurity, or risking debt from following a creative passion? The answer is simple really. It comes down to how we define art. When we see art as a luxury, it creates the sense that creativity is optional. Many will disregard creativity, believing it slows them down. We live by checklists and schedules. We can’t afford to be distracted. Somewhere along the way, we forgot that it’s okay to be sidetracked. That it’s okay to dive headfirst into historical rabbit holes—whether it’s studying the vast knowledge once held in the Library of Alexandria or learning the disciplined techniques of Okinawan karate masters. We’ve dulled our curious edge—the one that once fueled deep obsession. And obsession, when channeled, breeds action. Action breeds purpose.
We’ve forgotten that creativity isn’t limited to galleries or studios. It’s in hosting a dinner party with intention. It’s in perfecting a French soufflé. Art is in the details, in the rituals, in the everyday moments we choose to make meaningful. When we become enchanted by objects, ideas, or collections, we carry forward the spirit of our ancestors—those storytellers and craftsmen who shaped culture with their hands and stories. That is romanticism in its core!
It’s about shifting the mindset of the individual: honoring process over perfection, asking questions, or investing your interest in art that means something, even if the meaning is just to be beautiful.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My artistic goal is to spark conversation and revive the spirit of slow living. I want to inspire others to see everything as a meaningful quest—immersing themselves in daily life and discovery. I have spent so much time now training my artistic muscles to pick up on any type of nuance. I’ve learned to see the world in planes, forms, hues, shadows, and tones. The way a building’s facade contrasts against a deep blue sky becomes a potential composition. A faded sign on an old hotel, weathered in an unusual way, sparks curiosity.
I now crave teaching these ideas with anyone who will listen. I want to show how I’ve rewired my mind to become what I view as a sacred vessel, an intimate database, an every expanding reservoir- holding every moment I’ve ever absorbed. Through living a Through my creative work—and soon, through my travel business—I hope to guide others in reconnecting with their sense of purpose. Whether it’s through art, exploration, or mindful experiences, my goal is to help people achieve a life that’s both simple and richly extravagant, its a lot easier than you would think!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gololacreative.com/
- Instagram: @gololacreative
- Other: Tik tok: @golola_creative
