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

Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school

In elementary school I was granted extra time on tests. At that time I was not diagnosed with dyslexia. I knew there was some sort of delay with my reading, but I did not want to be singled out. Instead of being pulled out for testing, I chose to stay with the other students and accept the standard amount of testing time. Thinking back on it now, I probably should have taken the extra time as I would have scored higher on the test. My fear of being singled out or picked on for being different got in the way of what was most likely best for me at the time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As an artist, you are the brand. The art is merely an artifact of something that comes from a deeper place. Growing up, I always struggled with reading and writing, but never could put a finger on the cause of the issue. Living in a small town in North Carolina, resources were limited in the public school system. The art classroom was a haven for me, the place where I felt safe to explore. I was not diagnosed with dyslexia until age 27. By this point, the lack of self-confidence and shame associated with an undiagnosed learning difference, weighed heavy on my ability to succeed. I was in graduate school at the time,
seeking a master’s degree in art education.

I knew from a really young age that I wanted to teach people how to tap into their creativity, but because I weighed my decision-making so heavily on the advice of others, I unintentionally got driven further and further from my true personal goals. I traveled the world to get out of my comfort zone and find my true self. I worked on a farm in Italy for 4 months and then taught English in South Korea for a year and a half. This afforded me the opportunity to quiet external opinions and learn to listen to my inner voice. I was able to clear my head and begin to visualize a life that I truly wanted. Upon returning home from South Korea I became quite depressed because I could no longer put my life on hold. It was time to figure things out and start moving forward. I needed to find a job, but I didn’t want to just have any job. I wanted to have a career that I was passionate about. I wanted to wake up every day, knowing that I was working towards goals that were not merely to pay bills and countdown the hours until the weekend.

Being diagnosed with dyslexia, was like ripping a Band-Aid off of a wound that I had been trying to hide way too long. The traits I had to tap into in order to overcompensate for what I saw as a disadvantage turned from a perceived weakness into a distinct strength. Grit, tenacity, and resilience far outweigh my initial setback. Now was the time I had to flip my perception and realize that dyslexia could and would be my superpower.

I began teaching art in the public schools and 2014 and opened my art business in 2019.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In order to make it through school, I was always focused on my differences. But it is time for me to shed that part of myself, and realize a new phase in my life. Now I am learning to see all the positive aspects in interpreting the world uniquely. Dyslexia for me is no longer a disability but simply a difference. It allows me to see things in a totally different light, problem solve in new ways, and create things from nothing. Learning how to celebrate my differences instead of hiding them from the world is one of the key drivers for my success.

In 2020 I realized character traits that were holding me back from pursuing a career as an artist. I set up my LLC in 2019, but it was not until I began removing mental blocks, limiting beliefs, and scarcity mindset that I was able to grow as a selling artist.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

My art is about nurturing my inner child as I learn and grow as a mother. A client reached out to me sharing her personal journey into parenthood. She purchased a mother and child abstract portrait and told me she had been struggling to conceive a child. She shared later that every time she looked at the piece she said a prayer, hopeful that one day she would hold in her arms a precious child. Six months later she became pregnant. I believe art is a powerful vehicle for staying mentally healthy: both the process of creating it and the act of viewing it. It’s hard to put a price on that. That’s why the balance between art and business is so tricky.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: laurenmerceronart
• Facebook: Laurenmerceron art