Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Little. 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 about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Thanks for having me! Well, the most meaningful project I’ve created, might seem like a bit of a sad one, but it was really healing and helped me overcome a lot of grief.
In 2019, my Nan passed away. She was one of my best friends and like a second mother to me, help raised me. My Nan made London her home after coming from Jamaica in the 60’s, when she was just 19. In short, she got married, had kids and set up her life as a carer and seamstress.
Her house was a collision of items that probably should “clash”, yet it always felt like a welcome home. To me, there’s something nostalgic about items like these.
After she passed, I had to move into her house amongst all of her belongings, placed exactly as she’d left it. Objects and things that have shared a life with her and seen many things. “If walls could talk” they’d have their own memories. All the memories were there in her home, but she no longer was. This is where I was living when the Pandemic hit and we were ordered to stay home. It was one of the hardest times I’ve had to live through.
When someone passes away, no matter much or how little they have, they don’t get to take their belongings with them. All that’s left behind are your memories. Their belongings move around. Things get donated, thrown away, and some are handed down to family and friends.
In 2021, I created an installation piece inspired my Nan’s front room, and exhibited it in the 1B Window Gallery, in East London. It was a type of ‘floating collage’ about the things our loved ones leave behind for us to remember them by, with focus on the Carribean Windrush generation’s home aesthetic.
Lauren, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
London, England, is where I’m from, and currently based, although Calgary, Canada was my home for 14 transformative years from the age of nine. I wear multiple creative hats, I don’t really remember a time where I didn’t.
My personal art practice is primarily rooted in the complexities and beauty of the people I Identify with and am inspired by. I usually use collage as way to explore my ideas. As long as I can remember paper cutting, gluing, painting and making crafts with my hands has always brought me great joy.
When I returned to London, my artistic endeavours took on new dimensions. Currently, I’m an art lecturer at a University, after having taught Primary and Secondary (Elementary and High school) for many years. Additionally, I’m the driving force behind Dark Yellow Dot, which is a platform I founded to uplift and support other emerging artists and their search for meaningful art opportunities. I’m also the creative mind behind Feeding Stick Figures, a blog specifically for primary school art teachers looking for lesson inspiration and printable art activities for their students.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Buy more art! Seek out and buy artwork from the new, developing, underrepresented artists. Not only does it give them a boost in confidence, but it helps them improve, learn and progress. Buying art from this type of artist also contributes to a fair and balanced art industry. Find artists locally, on instagram, from your circle of family or friends, they’re literally everywhere.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I knew more about the power of SEO (search engine optimisation) when I first started out. Although it seems totally unrelated artistically, and pretty unsexy, it’s the single most important thing that has allowed my businesses to grow and be found online.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artoflol.com
- Instagram: @artoflol
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/artoflol
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lolittlearts/
- Other: Emerging Artist Platform: www.darkyellowdot.com
Image Credits
Image 1: “Home Made: Nan’s Front Room exhibition’ Artwork by Lauren Little
Images 2-4 Collage portrait artwork by Lauren Little
Image 5: Hanging Artwork by Kelly Frank, photo by Annie Little Hair Arts
Image 6: Sierra Stone Photography