We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Mantecon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with lauren below.

Lauren , appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been an artist and arts educator for over three decades, and while I have been able to make a full-time living from my creative work, I don’t believe there’s any way to speed up the process. It’s a long game — and one that requires deep commitment, patience, and trust in your evolution as both an artist and a human being.

As a visual artist and painter, I’m a strong believer that a sustainable and meaningful art practice takes time. It takes time to understand your own process, to discover your voice, and to develop the techniques that allow that voice to fully come through. That only happens through trial and error — and many bad paintings that eventually lead to the good ones. Patience is truly the key.

Teaching and mentoring was a natural progression for me. After receiving my MFA in painting in the 1990s, I spent many years teaching in academia. When I moved to Santa Fe in 2014, I gradually transitioned into leading private workshops and offering mentorship programs. That shift allowed me to create in a more holistic and integrated way — one where I could nurture not only my own studio practice, but also support others in theirs.

I believe deeply in nurturing the individual — in helping others connect with their own creative intuition, and in building community through the shared experience of art-making. Over time, my creative livelihood has grown from this foundation of trust: in the work, in the process, and in the power of art to transform not just surfaces, but lives.

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 Lauren Mantecon — a visual artist, educator, and creative guide whose work lives at the intersection of contemporary art, soulful exploration, and embodied intuition. My journey into the arts has been lifelong, but it truly solidified during my years earning an MFA in painting and mixed media. Since then, I’ve spent decades exploring not just how art is made, but why we make it — and what deeper layers of ourselves it can help reveal.

I began in the traditional art world — gallery shows, residencies, teaching at the university level — but over time, I found myself drawn to a more integrative path. One where art isn’t just a final product hanging on a wall, but a process of personal transformation and deep listening. That shift led me to build a practice and platform that holds space for both: my own studio work and a growing body of workshops, mentorships, and creative experiences that support others in unlocking their unique voice.

My offerings range from large-scale mixed media works and limited-edition prints to immersive art workshops, intuitive painting classes, and personalized coaching for creatives who want to break free from perfectionism, overthinking, or creative blocks.

Many of the people I work with are seekers — individuals craving a deeper connection to their inner lives, their bodies, and their creative impulses. Some are artists, some are not. What they have in common is a longing to trust themselves again, and to feel fully expressed.

The problems I solve aren’t always visible, but they’re deeply felt:

Creative paralysis

A disconnect from intuition

The pressure to create “perfect” or commercially-viable work

A sense of disembodiment or burnout
Through guided creative practice, I help people reawaken their inner authority, remember their inherent creativity, and build a relationship with art that is alive, nourishing, and sustainable.

What sets my work apart is the blend of contemporary art sensibility with ritual, depth psychology, somatic awareness, and sacred play. It’s not just about making “pretty things” — it’s about creating spaces for meaning, mystery, and liberation.

I’m most proud of the transformations I’ve witnessed — both on canvas and in the hearts of the people I’ve worked with. I’m also deeply proud of the body of work I continue to create in my own practice, which is often described as visceral, layered, and archetypal — a visual language that invites people into their own subconscious landscapes.

What I want people to know is this:
Whether you engage with me through my art or my programs, what I offer is not just content — it’s an invitation. An invitation to slow down, to get messy, to feel deeply, and to reclaim your creative birthright.

This isn’t about producing more — it’s about remembering who you are when you create from a place of truth.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

For readers who may not have encountered my work before:

I’m Lauren Mantecon — a visual artist, educator, and creative guide whose work is rooted in both the material and the mystical. I explore painting not only as an aesthetic form, but as a transformative practice — one that bridges intuition, embodiment, and the unseen realms.

Early in my career, after completing my MFA, I reached a crossroads. I was deeply committed to painting, but I felt my work was misunderstood in an art world that prioritized conceptualism over the kind of intuitive, spiritual inquiry that fueled my process. I even considered quitting.

In that moment of doubt, I did something radical: I asked for a dream. I literally asked my subconscious to show me what I needed to understand about my work.

And I received one.

In the dream, I was at an art opening — part mine, part a colleague’s. On the right was a conceptual sculpture made of recycled materials. On the left were seven radiant, red-violet orbs — 30×30 inch paintings, each pulsing with color and energy. An elder man and woman stood beside me, each taking one of my elbows. In unison they whispered, “Do you know what your work is about?”
“No,” I replied.
“It is about raising vibration through color frequency.”

I woke up with clarity. Though it would take 12 years before I actually painted those seven pieces — one for each energy center, or chakra — that dream marked a turning point. It reminded me that my work had purpose beyond trends or market validation. It was part of something older, deeper, and profoundly needed.

Today, my work moves between visual art and transformational facilitation. In addition to creating large-scale mixed media works, I offer workshops, retreats, and creative mentorships that support others in accessing their own intuitive power and creative voice. My teachings often combine somatic awareness, ritual, and deep listening — creating space for healing and reconnection through the act of making.

The people I work with come for different reasons — creative blocks, burnout, a yearning to find their artistic voice or reconnect with themselves. What unites them is a longing for depth, truth, and expression. I help them remember that creativity is not a luxury — it’s a life force.

What sets my work apart is its refusal to separate the sacred from the artistic. Whether I’m painting or teaching, everything I do is rooted in the belief that art is a vehicle for transformation — that color, texture, and gesture carry frequencies that can shift our inner states and collective field.

I’m proud of many things — of continuing to create despite doubts, of those chakra paintings that once came to me in a dream, and of the countless moments I’ve witnessed others reclaim their own creative truth.

What I want people to know is this: My work is here to remind you that the answers you’re seeking aren’t out there. They live inside you. And art — honest, raw, soul-connected art — can help you find them.

Would you like a version that focuses more on your chakra series or goes deeper into your offerings for clients and students? I can also tailor this depending on where it’s being published — e.g., an art magazine vs a wellness publication vs a gallery feature.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

How I Pivoted My Business During a Crisis

Like many, when COVID hit in March 2020, my entire schedule of live art workshops, private bookings, and weekly open studio classes came to a sudden halt. Overnight, the vibrant, in-person community I had built seemed to vanish. At the time, I wasn’t actively using my YouTube channel, which had just around 200 subscribers, and I had never hosted a Zoom meeting before.

But within a week, I committed to learning Zoom and reached out to everyone I had on file who had taken a workshop or class from me. I started offering my weekly open studio classes online, which slowly grew in popularity. This eventually evolved into a color class that became an evergreen, always-available course on my website.

Building on that momentum, I connected with serious artists who had previously taken workshops with me and launched a nine-month, in-depth online art program. Now, five years later, this program is thriving and continues to evolve, helping artists deepen their practice in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without that initial pivot.

That moment taught me the importance of agility, community, and embracing new technology—lessons that have shaped the future of my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://manteconstudio.com/ https://www.laurenmantecon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmantecon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauren.mantecon/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-mantecon-a999596
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurenmantecon
• Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/@laurenmantecon

Image Credits

All images are the creative content of mantecon studio