We were lucky to catch up with Laura Blair recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

If you had asked me 10 years ago where I thought I’d be as an artist, I never would have guessed I’d be doing what I do now. Approximately 10 years ago I was the assistant director at a local community arts center. I was organizing a fiber art weekend with workshops, opportunities for students to work alongside artists, gift bags… you know, the works. I thought to myself how cool it would be if we organized a yarn bombing of the exterior of the Jacoby Arts Center building to commemorate the event. The area had never seen anything like it. Some folks lost their mind when they saw it. Previously, I wasn’t even a novice crocheter. I had attempted to learn and quit several times. Having been an avid art student most of my life, I could not adjust to how hard it was to learn. I was clumsy and not being able to catch on immediately was extremely frustrating. This project was the perfect opportunity to break through that block. I said to myself “trees aren’t going to complain about having to wear an ugly sweater.” I could stop placing so much importance on the finished project and focus on the process. That opportunity combined with the overwhelming positive feedback from the community, had me “hooked”. I had to get out of my own way.

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’m a St. Louis area based artist who specializes in facilitating and acting as the creative director of community yarn bomb installations. I take many pieces and turn them into an installation for people to explore. I’ve worked in galleries and studios. I’ve done administrative duties, lectures and workshops. But my favorite place to work is in the streets. I love bringing my own obscure version of soft graffiti directly to the public. Accessibility to art for everyone is embedded deeply in my heart. As a society, I believe we run a deficit when it comes to public art. To put it simply, I want to bring art to the streets for everyone. Public spaces are often not designed with the public in mind. With every project I design for people. A main goal of mine is to provide a space for the community to gather. Often an installation is placed in what is a concrete and asphalt desert. I want to transform a space into an oasis with the soft goodness of crocheted yarn work. The largest reward I take and hold with me is when a mother has a place to set her toddlers where their feet won’t burn. A play area for young and old. The work my group does pulls people together. I’ve been that mother before, I know how it feels. I’ve facilitated the making of great canopies that offer a respite from the sun and design lights for dark areas. Problem solving with people in mind is something I take great pride in.

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

When you create art, you really have to separate yourself from the work. Art is so personal, you put so much of yourself into it. It can be a physical representation of your thoughts, an archive of what you were going through, a tangible representation of some of your core values. But it is not you. A critique of your work is not a critique of you. It’s a very delicate balance to separate yourself, but once you find it, your work is free from your ego.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Working in the realm of public art is a walk in faith. You put your time and heart into a piece and then release it into the wild. How the public receives it has the potential to be a mixed bag of reaction. The uncanny nature of my work has far more supporters than naysayers. The naysayers have the potential to live rent free in your mind. When you work in a field that is so uncanny, not everyone is going to understand. I’ve had work stolen, cut down and even lit on fire. I feel I grow stronger with every episode of vandalism. I had an amazing instructor in college who said something so off the cuff, but it stuck with me tenaciously. I hope she doesn’t mind if I name her, but Laura Strand of SIUE, witnessed some vandalism to one of my works. She said to me “How does it feel to make powerful work?” She mentally checked me. To cause such a reaction, even a negative one, is a very powerful thing. That one question helped shape my resilience early in my career.

Contact Info:

• Website: blairlairstudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blair_lair_studios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blairlairstudios/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blairlair