We recently connected with Lauren Lakis and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

I ask myself this question every day, coupled with the question “what does it even mean to be happy?”. Happiness if a fleeting, unsustainable state of being; I think feeling contentment, satisfaction, and joy is a more attainable goal. To be happy as a creative means I am inspired, excited about what I’m working on, and curious about life…while also being compensated for my output.

On a personal level, I am a happy artist. Externally, some of the things that frustrate me are inconsistent financial compensation, the need to constantly establish boundaries, disrespect and an ever pervasive selfishness in the world. I think these things would plague me in any industry though; it’s part of embarking on any endeavor as a human being.

Each time I have dipped my toes into having a “regular job” I have pretty quickly aborted the idea. I can’t seem to will myself into doing anything I really don’t want to do. At this stage in my life, I’m still more interested in pursuing an unpredictable, adventurous life where anything can happen, rather than trade it in for something more “secure” and “stable”. For me, to choose safety over the things that light me up, equals a kind of death.

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 am in the business of telling stories, and I use a variety of mediums. Creativity was always encouraged from the time I was a child, and in high school I decided to focus mainly on film portrait photography. I grew up in Baltimore City and there is no shortage of fascinating people to photograph there. While focusing on darkroom photography, I also got very into music at this time, and started learning how to play guitar. I never wrote music or started a band because music was so sacred to me, and I felt like I wasn’t good enough to write my own songs. One of the biggest regrets I have is not starting a band and just going for it when I was a teenager. Once I was at Goucher College, I was majoring in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography. I needed to fulfill an elective and decided to take Acting I…this class changed everything for me. Shortly after being bitten by the acting bug, my car was broken into and all of my photography gear was stolen, including my binder containing every single negative I had ever created. All evidence that I was a photographer was gone. As devastating as that event was, it felt like a nudge from the universe, encouraging me to pursue acting. After a few months in Prague and Tokyo respectively, I moved to LA to pursue a career in film. I then joined my first band after someone I met at a Toyota commercial audition asked if I’d be interested in singing for his band, and a few years after that, finally started writing my own songs.
Personally, I see art as the Great Connector. Sharing our stories brings us together and helps us feel less alone. My only goal in acting, writing music, and photographing people is to unite us. I love to express what it means to be human; I want to champion humanity and celebrate our stories. I especially love sharing stories of those who have touched the bottom, and have risen back up. I resonate most with those particular characters.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I sometimes wonder if non-creatives understand *anything* about our journey and what it takes to keep going. I have found that there is a disconnect between non-creatives and the movies, shows, music, books etc that they consume; they tend to forget that there are real, living, breathing human beings creating it all. Throughout my career, I’ve faced judgement for the path I pursue, and have felt various people look down on me for being an artist…and yet it’s these same people who are happy to spend hours in front of Netflix before bed. It’s the most frustrating thing. It is countless people like me, who struggle to build a career in the arts, who collectively shoulder the weight of the entertainment industry. I wish more people realized that. I also wish non-creatives knew how many hats we creatives are forced to wear. As an actress and musician, I also wear the title of social media manager, content creator, video editor, photo editor, marketing and pr agent, graphic designer, website builder, tour manager, booker and promoter, sales agent, etc. Perhaps if people knew the reality, they would accept a career in the arts as a “real job”.

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

As a society, we have forgotten the value of the arts. It’s becoming something of an afterthought, especially in schools. The ability to stream music, movies, and television practically for free has significantly diminished the value of these art forms. People don’t feel like they need to pay for it anymore. I’m interested in the music industry becoming unionized, like SAG-AFTRA. At the time of this interview, the SAG-AFTRA strike officially ended last night at midnight. I am so grateful to have the union representing me in one part of my field, as without it, there would be no future where middle class actors exist and make a living. None at all. I wonder what protections would be in place today for musicians, if there had been a union to step in when streaming started to dominate. I feel like too much has been given away with music, and there is no turning back. Touring has become the final frontier in regard to making a living as a musician, but even that is eroding.
Society needs to see the value in art and music again in order to create a thriving ecosystem for artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlakis/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/laurenlakis
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3637755/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lb2A86IQoaWDc57lUT7Qy?si=1lxNLlq0R3a9UyKFLj_iNQ

Image Credits
Monica Ramos & Rick Perez