We recently connected with Laura Aranda and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

To me, being an artist has been a whirlwind. I believe I am happy in general, nevertheless, the art process has very dark and obscure days. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding what your next project might be, or if collectors and galleries are interested in your work and will purchase it. Art has also given me the greatest satisfactions, creating a new project, bringing my vision to life and seeing it on display at an exhibition or art collector’s space is incredibly gratifying. It has algo iven me the opportunity of meeting the most interesting peolpe, such as fellow artists, who always teach me something new.
In times of uncertainty, I do wonder what it would be like to have a steady job and have that kind of stability, and although it might be reassuring, I think I would get bored, and there is nothing I fear more than leading a boring life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always been interested in art. Grwoing up, my parents always encouraged me to draw and paint, took me to every museum and exhibit in the city. I always felt an inclination and a passion for painting. In university, I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to this discipline.
Currently, although I have my personal production, I have focused on commission paintings, incorporating the personality, design and spatial requirements of the collector, while maintaining my style and artistic language.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The artistic journey as an independent artist is uphill must of the time and a high tolerance to frustration is needed. You will hear the word no many times and you will be rejected in many of the calls to which you apply. Sometimes the project you had in mind did not turn out as you expected and you will have to start all over again. You need to be a highly resilient person to not give up and not take things personally. As an artist you need to not let yourself be defeated by these failures and keep trying over and over again and little by little you will build up a body of work and you will be accepted in more calls and collectors and galleries will approach you with the same enthusiasm.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I started painting professionally, I wanted to sell a lot of paintings so I could make a living from it. Instead of painting about what I was interested in, I painted works that I thought were commercial, even though I wasn’t passionate about them. It showed in the pieces, and the public wasn’t interested in them.
Then I decided that I could not create art in this way, art must be real and authentic and this is transmitted in the piece. At that moment people started to be interested in my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: lauraarandaart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraaranda_art/
• Facebook: @lauraarandapaintings