We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Weiss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Yes, Definitely driven by mission! Now looking back it’s really wild to see how I got from point A to point B. I think I’ve mentioned before that I grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri- a city that will always have my heart. Growing up I always had an affinity of the ocean, learning about it and studying it. I have always been hyper-aware of climate injustice. Living in Missouri, I grew up around poisoned waters from nuclear waste, Endless trash strewn about on the side of the highway, and a general mentality of “if it’s out of site it’s out of mind”. fast forward to some time spent living in Philadelphia after I graduated college. I for some reason had the perception that bigger cities, especially blue cities, would have a better approach to waste management. I was disappointed to see that was not necessarily the case. After a handful of years in Philly, I moved to the South Bay outside of LA in California. I have the beach as my backyard. It’s incredible- until you realize that there is so much plastic waste, and tar that comes up onto the sand. Again my perception that California had that aspect more immediately together was shattered. I was disappointed and quite honestly angry.
Through my anger I decided that I would create something from that. I really wanted to make art work, but at the time I was struggling to find my place artistically. I thought maybe I could somehow incorporate some of the trash with my art. I worked with that idea for a little bit before a friend mentioned that she actually thought my photography was amazing and that I could do work in the ocean with that. When she mentioned that to me I completely forgot that was what my goal was in college. When I had that realization it was Important to me to get started on rebranding and refocusing my business model.
Now, Pathos.Co is a creative collective that primarily offers photography for brands what practice sustainability and ethical consumerism. I also work a lot with people in the water, and really try to make my services as accessible as possible. I really want to create a comfortable environment for people, leaving them feeling more empowered after they are done working with me. I love the bonds that are made through photography. It’s a goal of mine to start monthly meetups on my beach with anyone who wants to come. I want to make community building events through beach cleanups and women’s circles and such. I think now more than ever, having a community is so important. Additionally, I still make art and pottery, but I make them slowly. It’s important to me to emphasize slowing down and having a slow production artistic approach. With every sale or session booked I donate 1% to help fight climate change.
I guess through my actions and through my business, my mission is to help change the world, even if it’s a little bit.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Yes! Well, my name is Lauren Weiss, I was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. Ever since I was little art has always been important to me. I really started to become interested in photography in 4th grade. I’m not sure what the catalyst was for being interested in it, but I really loved using a camera. I remember the Christmas when I was 10 years old, I had asked my parents for a canon point and shoot digital camera. It was really sweet the way may parents gifted it to me. After opening all of our presents and sorting through a mountain of wrapping paper, my dad asked me if I had gotten all of the gifts I wanted. In my best effort to not seem entirely disappointed about not getting the camera or seeming ungrateful I responded that I got everything and was so excited. My dad said he needed to go out to the garage and do something and he came back inside with one more box, which was sure enough, the camera. It felt truly like a Christmas story haha. From then on, I couldn’t put the camera down. I still have it to this day.
As for how I got into the industry? That’s kind of a long story, but I am more than happy to share!
I started out in school for marine biology and specifically wanted to study ichthyology, specifically bony fish. I REALLY wanted to be a shark scientist. I also REALLY hated math. My disdain for math was enough to put me on a different path. I happened to transfer to art school and completely fell in love. I graduated early with both my BFA and MA because I loved art school so much. I have a BFA in graphic design and art history with an emphasis in photography and a minor in ceramics, and my MA in painting and photography.
7 Years later I have a small business Pathos.Co, where I provide photography services to individuals and brands that promote ethical and sustainable consumerism. I also work a lot shooting in the ocean. I created my business Pathos.Co initially as a small slow production pottery studio, but now I primarily do photography with the goal of empowering my clients and telling stories for products that are better for us and better for the planet. I still continue to paint and do pottery, although I really believe in having a slower process, I work very intuitively and. have many different ideas.
When I started Pathos.Co, I struggled deciding on a name for my business. I thought through all kinds of things like Themis (mostly inspired by an ode to the greek goddess of justice which was fitting but ALSO was the name of a store that Jim Morrison’s. girlfriend owned on the sunset strip in the 60’s) or something oceanic related but I knew ultimately I wanted it to be elevated, familiar, somewhat groovy (?) and an ode to something ancient ( I LOVE ancient pottery).
Initially wanted to incorporate beach trash into my work but upon further working with that idea I decided it would be better to maybe build community around Pathos (invoking compassion) and using that to have events like beach cleanups. I decided to pivot and make Pathos Collective, Pathos.Co for short, and focus on using art as a way to give back.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I really feel that my brand is not just a curated extension of something I’ve dreamt up. I feel that it’s very authentic and genuine to who I am in the way it presents itself and how I feel towards a very looming issue. This is essentially. me working to create something that can be ethically consumed and help other people build that for themselves too. Also, I feel that having something that brings function or aesthetic into your home is necessary and all the better if a bit of the cost of having that piece gives back to a cause you otherwise wouldn’t always think of.
I also think that in terms of what my business is, I am definitely not the first person to create something like this- I think. In a way it’s giving power back to the people. The way and rate that we consume is disturbingly problematic, and If I can bring even just an iota of attention to it, I think that counts as a success.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Yes! I LOVE this question!!
First I want to say that I think about this a lot, and I genuinely feel like there is some truth to this. I think the motivation for me is knowing that consumerism has gotten completely out of hand. I think that there needs to be a universal shift in how we as families or individuals consume and what the impact of that is.
A good thought to think about is that my swimsuits I had as a baby won’t decompose for another 478 years at least.
when you put that into perspective of the amount of waste that we generate due to mass consumption and trends perpetuated by big companies and influencer culture, it really makes consumer culture feel truly dangerous in my opinion.
I know that the world we live in relies on consumerism to make things work the way they do, but. I also think that the way things are working, they aren’t working very well.
I would say that the climate crisis absolutely is driving my creative journey.
Right now, my creative journey is absolutely Fueled by the threat of what’s to come in the next few years. I know a lot of people feel similarly. I think something that is important to remember though is that the fate of a lot of companies and corporations lie in the wallet of the consumer. We can make choices to not engage with certain brands or companies because of the environmental injustices they commit.
SOOO I guess that’s where Pathos.Co comes in. I want to be known for working with ethical and sustainable brands. I want to work with them to help change the narrative in the way that we consume. Frankly working with brands that aren’t ethical makes me feel uncomfortable. I guess also in a sense part of my journey is to practice what I preach. That can be hard when financially it’s not always feasible to turn away a job, but when I think about it in terms of “does this or does this not contribute to the greater good?” it makes my job easier.
In terms of my artwork, I am inspired by a slower lifestyle. I hope that my artwork depicts that. I also try to focus a lot on color and texture especially in my paintings. I take a lot of inspiration from the colors and patterns of so many things in nature ESPECIALLY underwater, so. much of which is threatened by our actions. I think that if we can collectively slow down and just observe for a few moments all of the incredible life around us, it would help to change the trajectory of the path we’re on.
I apologize if that seems pessimistic or intense but I feel like this is really at the core of Pathos.Co, certainly the catalyst of how it came to be. I am holding out hope, which I think is important now more than ever.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
ABSOLUTELY. I feel like this entire journey has been a story of resiliency for me!
I think that overall a common theme in my journey is to stay focused on what I really want to make of my life. I have ALWAYS wanted to work for myself. To be my own boss is a dream come true. It allows me so much freedom, but at the same time requires me to have incredible focus, which comes tricky to me since I have ADD. Pathos.Co is primarily a one woman show. I say primarily because I owe so much thanks to my support system and the people who have been there to show their support for me.
I think something that has really required me to be resilient is having boundaries. In the art world, you can almost guarantee that there will be copycats and people who are going to try to get in your way. I’ve dealt with that a lot. I think having boundaries and staying focused on what is driving you is so important. For me sometimes that is really hard, so I just give myself the space to be upset or frustrated because that is only natural. Making sure I don’t dwell on that for too long is where I have to hold myself accountable, enforce those boundaries, and stay in my lane and keep my eyes on my goal.
Running a business myself when I didn’t have all of the knowledge has also been a journey. I think just trying to remind myself that it’s ok, and we’re all living for the first time and learning new things everyday has been helpful. Definitely hard but helpful. To bring something very creative and kind of new to the scene I think fills me with a bit of vulnerability so I want to go about it the best way I can- ESPECIALLY if I’m going to challenge the societal norms. I honestly feel that I owe the success of this so far, to really believing in myself. The way we talk to ourselves is really important.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pathoscollective.com
- Instagram: @pathos_collective
Image Credits
Lauren Weiss