Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren DeSerres. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I wasn’t always convinced that I could be a studio artist. There was a lot of negativity around the arts as a career path, like the myth that you can’t make enough money to support yourself, etc. I responded to this by investigating different career paths within the art world, particularly education. Eventually, though, I decided that I wanted to take the leap and start my own art business- I eventually wanted to be in charge of my schedule and my own path. So I launched my art business in 2017 with my partner, Walt.

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 create mixed media paintings that address the challenges that we face in life and come through the other side. My work is whimsical, but it deals with very real life experiences. I create my work using layers of painted paper, acrylic paint, graphite, and ink. This layered technique helps the viewer to look closely at the work, gradually unveiling hidden nuances and details, both in technique and in the stories behind the work.

My work and my story are about resilience and navigating life’s challenges. In each piece, I use animal symbolism to tell a story about coming through hard times. My work is about finding light and hope in the darkest places.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think the most important lesson I’ve learned along the way is that if you want to be a business owner that does something that you love- whether it’s art or some other pursuit- you have to be willing to treat it like a business. You’ve got to research and constantly grow if you want to succeed. Making money in a new field can come really slowly. Putting ego aside and being willing to adapt and change is critical.

Another lesson that I’ve learned is that people want to know you and your story as an artist. In our society, artists are storytellers and it’s through sharing our stories that we are able to help others develop empathy, compassion, and resilience.

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

I think one lesson that I had to unlearn was the myth of the “starving artist”. As an artist you’re also forced to be a business person- treating what you make as a product and selling your work is a business- you can apply real business principles and you can be successful. Learning as much as you can about business is a critical part of this journey. I had a lot of folks remind me (even now) of their perception of the artist as a person trying to make ends meet and they can’t seem to fathom that an artist could be successful. But as soon as I started treating my work seriously and applying business principles to the creation of my work, I started to see real successes. I feel really grateful to have been able to have the space and time to learn as I went along and to grow and develop as an artist and as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurendeserres.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lauren_deserres
• Facebook: facebook.com/laurendeserresfineart

Image Credits
Lauren deSerres and Walt DeHaven