We were lucky to catch up with Laurie Maves Guglielmi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laurie Maves, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Creating art and writing in diaries have been constants throughout my life. Now at 53, they remain as integral as ever. Over nearly three decades of my professional career, I’ve maintained a regular rhythm of creative work: I make sketches which can evolve into drawings or paintings and then I write about them. At night, I dream, and upon waking (when I can remember them) I write about those dreams. Sometimes, those stories, ideas, or feelings transform into paintings. The combination of writing and painting feels as natural to me as breathing—they are innate parts of who I am.

In 2024, my life underwent significant changes. I moved to a home by the waterside, prepared for two major hurricanes, downsized my studio space, and underwent surgery to correct a pinched cervical disc and spinal cord. I also experienced the painful loss of my beloved elderly cats but found joy in fostering a new kitten. Amidst all this upheaval, I needed to maintain my creative processes for my mental health and well-being. However, I also needed a physical break from producing large contemporary abstract paintings for local interior designers. My body—and especially my neck—required rest, and the surgery forced me to slow down for a few months.

During this downtime, my son introduced me to a blogging platform he uses to write about topics like cryptocurrencies and financial markets. I quickly realized the platform was also popular among writers and artists. It struck me that I, too, could create a “creative home” there, connecting with others who shared a similar process. All I needed were my sketchbooks and a laptop.

Now, 50+ blog entries later and with a small following of subscribers, I’ve discovered a renewed sense of creative energy in how I approach my day—and my life. My blog is titled The Sketchbook Diaries of a Menopausal Art Therapist. Why this title? Because it captures who I am without declaring, “I’m an old lady” (a notion I absolutely dread!). While aging isn’t something I relish, I do embrace the idea of growing wiser.

Through my blog, I share book reviews, meditation practices, yoga, health and wellness resources, and advice on navigating peri-menopausal and menopausal challenges. There’s so much to learn about this stage of life—and I feel incredibly lucky to have made it this far. I want my sketchbooks to serve as a visual cornucopia of useful information for people my age, both women and men, who may be experiencing similar transitions.

Above all, I hope to show others how keeping a daily sketchbook or journal can foster a healthy mindset. By exploring thoughts, ideas, and meditations from different perspectives, we can cultivate resilience and creativity. For me, this project has become deeply meaningful. I hope it continues to inspire and positively impact others, encouraging them to embrace their own creative journeys.

Laurie Maves, 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?

Laurie Maves Guglielmi’s career path has been anything but conventional, reflecting her adventurous spirit and unwavering passion for art. She began her formal study of studio art at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Like many young artists, she faced uncertainty about how to launch a creative career. This uncertainty led her to explore the world—waiting tables in Ireland and working as a stevedore in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. These experiences helped clarify her purpose: she wanted to use her love of art to help others. This realization inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1997.

After completing her studies, Laurie moved to Denver, Colorado, where she began her career as an art therapist. Over the years, she worked in a wide variety of settings, including nursing homes, preschool day treatment programs, cancer centers, and kindergartens. At the same time, Laurie was always creating—constantly drawing and painting. Her work quickly gained recognition within the Denver community, and she developed a loyal base of over 500 collectors who appreciated her unique, stylized representational art. Remarkably, she achieved this success largely without traditional gallery representation.

One of Laurie’s most memorable career milestones occurred in 2008 when she performed live painting at Red Rocks Amphitheater, captivating a crowd of 10,000 alongside three other artists. This moment solidified her reputation as a “celebrity” live performance painter in the region, an identity she embraced with enthusiasm and grace.

In 2017, Laurie and her husband, Ralph Guglielmi, relocated to Sarasota, Florida, seeking new inspiration. A year later, she participated in an intensive intuitive painting workshop led by German artist Bernd Haussmann, an experience that revolutionized her artistic approach. She discovered a passion for large-scale intuitive abstract painting, a practice that delved deeply into her subconscious and pushed her creative boundaries. Through this process, Laurie embraced bold experimentation with media, color, mark-making, and composition.

This transformative period led Laurie to establish her own arts studio, The 11th Orange, in the spring of 2019. There, she developed and taught her signature “BE FREE” large-scale painting classes, empowering hundreds of students to explore their creativity without constraints. Unfortunately, the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Laurie to make the difficult decision to close her studio in 2020.

Despite this setback, Laurie continued her journey. She became the in-house artist for JKL Design Group, a prominent interior design firm in northern Sarasota. There, she collaborated with designers to create bespoke large-scale contemporary paintings for luxury homes and corporate spaces while continuing to teach her BE FREE concepts to students.

Today, Laurie works from her home studio in Palmetto, Florida, focusing on custom oil paintings for clients and interior designers, crafting statement pieces that bring spaces to life. In addition to painting, she writes for her blog, <i>The Sketchbook Diaries of a Menopausal Art Therapist</i>, where she shares insights on creativity, wellness, and life. She also offers one-on-one art therapy and teaching sessions, helping individuals discover more about themselves through the transformative power of art.

Laurie’s journey is a testament to her resilience, adaptability, and unrelenting passion for using art as a means to inspire, heal, and connect.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

“I have yet to reach my highest potential.”

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

As Western society becomes increasingly consumed by the digital age, I believe one of the most important things we can do—for ourselves and for one another—is to remain rooted in the act of creation. By staying connected to the creative forces within our own lives, we engage our minds, hands, and bodies in meaningful ways. Whether it’s through singing, painting, collaging, writing, cooking, or reading, these acts of creativity allow us to cultivate vitality and resilience. As we age, this connection helps us grow into the fullest and most vibrant versions of ourselves, reflecting the health and wholeness of who we truly are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lauriemavesart.com
• Instagram: lauriemavesart
• Facebook: Laurie Guglielmi
• Twitter: lauriemavesart
• Other: Substack: https://lauriemavesart.substack.com/