We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Clayton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
A few years ago, I was primarily providing graphic design services for small businesses. I felt good and stable, but creatively, I felt deprived. I realize now, that I was running on a self-made hamster wheel. My system ran so efficiently, that I didn’t know how to get off and didn’t notice at the time how it was affecting me. Whether you’re working for yourself or as an employee, experiencing an unhealthy workflow can happen. In a traditional job, maybe you feel a bit trapped in this sense because it’s hard to escape the comforts of consistent cash flow, health benefits, and well-defined roles. As a entrepreneur, you may feel stressed by profit margins, your overhead or responsibilities to your employees.
One of the many things I’ve learned from me being self-employed is that I can disrupt my workflow and invent a new one. If something doesn’t feel right, I can hunker down, roll up my sleeves and change it!
As dreamy as this sounds, it can be extremely difficult. For me, being an entrepreneur also means I want to be self-motivated, detail-oriented, forward-thinking, adaptive and disciplined. I fill multiple roles, and some not all that well! Making that change feel like a seismic shift. But when you feel deprived and uneasy, its those big (and small) shifts that you need to create a new foundation.
In that time of deprivation, I needed to step back and see the forest for the trees. It was in those late hours of the night, working on a design project I wasn’t passionate about that I started to see what I was lacking. I notice my passion for the arts was missing. It was the foundation that had become covered by the structure of a business. In the succeeding years, I have worked to infuse more art making, and purpose into my personal and professional life. I began drawing and painting murals. I started work almost executively with nonprofit organizations, and began valuing quality over quantity.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a regular job. But whether I work for someone or am self-employed, I’ll still need to check in with myself and evaluate my mental and professional health. I’ll still want to be intentional about my actions, and make sure I feel at ease, fulfilled and happy.
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.
My name is Lauren Clayton and I am a Stamford, CT artist and graphic designer. I pursue my love for bold and impactful art and design through my business, Studio 162. I offer a variety of services from painting murals to designing brand identities. I have collaborated with international brands like Playtex Tampons and GE Appliances. In my design work, I place a special focus on working with nonprofit organizations whose missions I supports through powerful art and design. As an artist, I enjoy drawing and painting. I explore ideas of connectivity, ethnicity, and our impact on our community and beyond. I participate in local creative initiatives and am active in my community by mentoring art students and previously serving on boards.
I started my business after graduating from the Cooper Union School of Art in 2003. The previous summer, I worked a memorable summer internship at the Milton Glaser Studio. There, I witnesses business ownership not as a brick and mortar retail space, or a floor of cubicles but as a quiet, creative haven where a lead designer worked on interesting projects with an equally interesting group of creative professionals.
My exposure to this environment coupled with my entrepreneurial spirit gave me the gumption to start my own business. A gift I’ve found in running my own agency is that my service offerings reflect my evolution of artistic interests, curiosities and strengths. As an artist, I have works for sale and murals commissioned. As a designer, I design brand identities to marketing campaigns. I get to use my creative brain to solve problems like how best to raise awareness about a cause or how to convey a brand’s ethos.
Infusing a sense of playfulness and kindness into my creative practice and client interactions are essential for my company’s health. To that end, I prioritize building connections with my clients. These relationships, integral to my proudest work, transcend the tangible nature of products and services. As I expand my social media presence, I hope I can inspire others on their creative journey to take the leap of faith, and follow their big artistic dreams. As I nurture my existing client relationships, I’d like for them to know that my work is a reflection of my interest in their services, products or mission. I aim to align myself with clients and creatives who share my values so we can be innovative and grow together.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
A special part of my entrepreneurial journey is the story of how I received $20,000.
After graduating art school, I started my business Studio 162. I offered graphic design services with a focus on creating beautiful handmade books that captured a family’s legacy and memories with a visual and literal narrative. I planned to purchase a new laptop, and some printing equipment with my first substantial earnings.
The business was only weeks old when I was reading through an edition of Black Enterprise Magazine, and came across an article profiling winners of the year’s Miller Brewing Company’s Urban Entrepreneur Business Grant. I was excited to read about startups like mine, whose founders were managing their launch with poise thanks to this influx of capital and support.
The grant opportunity required that you prepare a detailed business plan including financial projections. I thought I had a good idea, but had to ask myself “how do I get investors to believe in my business?” I purchased some how-to books and consulted family members. This was a real challenge because I just started, and the deadline was in 3 weeks! Writing this first grant proposal was one of the best exercises I’ve experienced. I had to really think about my company holistically and strategically.
I worked non-stop, submitted the application and was invited to Milwaukee to make a presentation to a panel of judges. Now, I had to speak publicly, present a commercial of sorts and answer tough questions on the spot. This whole process was an intense initiation. Thankfully, I won the top grant prize, became connected to a community of likeminded small business owners, and garnered publicity helping to spread awareness about my business and community. I am forever grateful for this experience because it taught me so much. I learned how to articulate my ideas in a compelling way, sell my vision, project my earnings, speak publicly and challenge myself.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
It’s important for me to continue to nurture my personal and creative growth. I love reading books about entrepreneurship and creative thinking, as well as emotional and spiritual enlightenment. A few of the books that inspire me include:
The Accidental Creative by Todd Henry, The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma, The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, This is Marketing by Seth Godin, Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
I think the podcast and videos by Chris Do of theFutur are extremely good. His content is geared towards creatives, but the ideas straddle multiple industries. He and his guests really inspire me to think about how to live my best business, personal and artistic life. I really enjoy listening to the podcasts Design Matters with Debbie Millman, Studio Noize with Jamaal Barber and Make Art Not Content.
I have also received amazing guidance through the SCORE organization over the years. This organization is a mentoring program with executives who give invaluable advice and guidance to new and established business owners. They’ve helped me throughout my business’ journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: studio162.com
- Instagram: ihttps://instagram.com/studio162design
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studio162design
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenclayton162/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/studio162design
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@studio162design
Image Credits
Don Hamerman WahStudio Photography Kent Floris