We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Garcia recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I started singing when I was four years old. My parents were stage parents, but they were also evangelicals who believed in the prosperity gospel—a unique mix. For a while, I think they saw me as their ticket to fortune. I loved music, but my voice was never truly mine. It belonged to Jesus, the church, my family, my community.

I attended a performing arts high school and was accepted into Berklee but we couldn’t afford it. Instead, I went to community college, paying my way through school while gigging and chasing the dream of making art my full-time career. It didn’t work. My voice became my means of survival. That almost felt worse.

Eventually, I earned my bachelor’s degree and pursued a master’s, nearly completing a PhD in Sociology before I realized—and finally accepted—that it wasn’t what I wanted. Slowly but surely, I found my way back to art. Today, I work at a multidisciplinary arts organization housed in a historic church, and I play music with my friends because it feels good.

The detour I took before returning to art was both important and necessary. It taught me resilience and gave me the confidence to set boundaries, which has kept me from being taken advantage of this time around. Now, I use my voice for what I want and what I love. It belongs to me. It was a winding road to get here, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Lauren, 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?

I’m a musician, recovering grad student, and the executive director of NorthStar Church of the Arts, a nonprofit arts organization housed in a historic church in Durham, North Carolina. I’m deeply passionate about art, community building, and the South.

My journey into the arts started at a young age. I began as a singer and pianist, pursued a sociology PhD, had a stint in publishing, and eventually found my way back to art through event production and nonprofit leadership. These experiences shaped me into a versatile creative leader with strong values who understands the importance of both the artistic and operational sides of the arts.

At NorthStar, I oversee a wide array of creative programming that includes visual art residencies, music and performance art, Sunday Service gatherings focused on healing and reflection, and community events ranging from open mics to yoga and movement workshops. We provide a platform for marginalized voices and create spaces for people to connect in a world where connection is rare.

My greatest strength lies in merging creativity with strategic vision. I draw from my background in sociology and community organizing to address not just artistic needs but the broader social challenges artists face. You can’t create without a roof over your head, clean water, stable housing and a strong network. The values that guide my personal and professional life are deeply rooted in the understanding that structural problems require collective solutions. The individualism our society creates is so harmful. In line with the concept of mutual aid, we can share money but we can also share resources, cultural and social capital, and our collective knowledge. When nonprofits collaborate instead of competing, we create the foundations for the world we want to see; one where artists and communities are safe and whole.

I’m incredibly proud of my leadership at NorthStar, my dream job. I’ve helped secure significant grants, create sustainable programming, and amplify the voices of underrepresented artists. For years, I worked unpaid to help people because I believed it was the right thing to do. Now, I’m fortunate to make a living by doing that same work. It’s an incredible feeling. I believe that when we work together and collaborate with our neighbors, there is no such thing as scarcity. Every day, people take care of each other, no matter what’s happening in the world. That’s how marginalized communities have survived for centuries, and it’s how we’ll continue to thrive. I’m proud to be part of that process, stewarding resources back into projects that promote healing and growth.

For potential supporters or collaborators, I want you to know that NorthStar is more than an arts organization; it’s a community hub, a space where we build power and solidarity through art. Whether you’re an artist, a supporter of the arts, or someone seeking a place to belong, we’re here to welcome you and grow with you.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can best support artists and a thriving creative ecosystem by advocating for policies and systems that address both the tangible and intangible needs of creatives. Beyond funding or exposure, we need structural change that prioritizes the long-term sustainability and dignity of creative work. Here are some ways this can happen:

1. Universal Basic Income and Benefits for Creatives: Recognize that art is labor and provide a safety net for artists, including universal basic income or artist-specific funding programs. This would allow creatives to take risks and focus on their craft without the constant pressure to commodify their work to survive.
2. Affordable Access to Spaces: Ensure access to affordable studio, performance, and community spaces. Gentrification often displaces artists, pushing them out of neighborhoods they helped create while tokenizing a select few. Cities and communities can dedicate funds and unused properties to preserve spaces for artistic creation and collaboration.
3. Reforming Grantmaking and Funding: Simplify the process of accessing funding and remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Provide unrestricted funds rather than program-specific grants, allowing artists to allocate resources as they see fit. This flexibility is vital for addressing real, immediate needs and frames artists as humans rather than commodities.
4. Create Opportunities for Collective Ownership: Encourage cooperative models for arts organizations and creative spaces, where artists and community members have shared ownership. Put the power in the hands of the people.
5. Promote Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Invest in programs that bring together artists, scientists, activists, and policymakers to address societal challenges. These partnerships amplify the impact of art by placing it at the center of community-focused solutions.
6. Reframe How We Value Art: Shift away from the mindset that art’s value is solely monetary or entertainment-based. Society should emphasize the role of art in shaping culture, questioning norms, and cultivating empathy. This involves changing public education to include more robust arts programming that emphasizes art’s role in civic engagement, as well as providing political education on how art can counter propaganda.
7. Provide Professional Development and Business Education: Offer accessible resources to teach artists how to navigate the business side of their careers—grant writing, marketing, financial planning, selling their work—so they can sustain their work long-term.
8. Create Peer Learning Opportunities: Peer learning groups allow artists to carve out dedicated time and space for sharing skills, knowledge, and resources. These opportunities allow artists to begin to view each other as collaborators and build off the shared strengths of their community.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Several books and essays have profoundly shaped my thinking on leadership and community.

“Finding Hope in a Loveless Place” by Tressie McMillan Cottom
This essay has a personal resonance for me, as I had the privilege of working closely with Tressie for years. She has a tendency toward cynicism, so her pragmatic thoughts on hope are always a balm in tough times.

“Making All Black Lives Matter” by Barbara Ransby
Ransby’s reflections on grassroots movements and Black feminist leadership have been instrumental in shaping how I approach coalition-building and advocacy. Her focus on intersectionality and collective power informs the way I view the “off-season,” or the moments where people aren’t paying attention to your movement. That’s the time to build.

“But Some of Us Are Brave: Black Women’s Studies” edited by Gloria T. Hull, Patricia Bell Scott, and Barbara Smith
This foundational text in Black feminist thought underscores the importance of centering the voices and experiences of Black women in every space. Its emphasis on the intersections of identity and power, on those who are left out of the conversation, guide my decision-making.

Additional required readings:
“We Do This ‘Til We Free Us” by Mariame Kaba
“How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective” edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
“Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black” by bell hooks

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurencgarcia.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/laurendoes_