We recently connected with Leah Walther and have shared our conversation below.

Leah , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

While I have always been into different creative forms throughout my life, I fell in love with painting during a scenic painting class in college. That was truly my only “formal” training. I found I had a knack for replicating pictures with paint for theatre sets and pursued scenic design and painting for a while after college. When my husband and I started a family, I needed an outlet for that creative itch. I began to paint at home, first with acrylic, and then with watercolor. I am self-taught in these mediums, with a lot of trial and error, and a few Youtube tutorials thrown in the mix. Every piece I create is an opportunity to learn more about the craft and the materials and what I am capable of.

I now wish I had taken the time while in college to take more art classes. As scenic artists, we are taught to work big and work quickly, so I now find I am impatient in my artwork and rush myself. I am a fast painter and typically finish each piece in one or two sittings. I can see the end result from the beginning most of the time and know exactly how I will get there. But I would love to take more specific drawing and painting classes to slow down and go back to basics. I believe I could continue to grow in my art my entire life and continue to learn something new each day.

Leah , 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 am a full time mom and part time artist. I’ve always loved to be creative and even studied and pursued theatrical scenic design for a few years in early adulthood. But when my husband and I wanted to start a family, I took a job in the corporate world and fell away from my creative side for a while. But art has a way of saving us!! The birth of my son was traumatic and the experience left me lost. I started painting again and slowly began to pull myself back together. I started with art therapy; painting what I was going through, painting my PTSD, my anxiety, and my traumatic flashbacks. At first, I was using acrylic paint because it was familiar, but with two little ones to take care of, it was hard to keep up with the mess and the clean-up required!

So I began to teach myself watercolor; a completely different medium, with less clean-up. I enjoyed the way the pigment flowed and how I was able to express myself through it. I noticed that I was expressing many emotions through flowers in my art, which is not something you typically associate with trauma, and I think that is what began to grab people’s attention. Once I realized other people were enjoying my artwork, I started painting different subjects and participating in pop-up shows. I started LMW Creations in 2021 and launched a website and an Etsy shop where my art, giclee prints, and stickers are available for purchase. I have a million ideas floating around in my head, so you never know what my next piece will be! A month ago I was working on a silly collection of watercolor animals as fruits (Fruity Friends) and some of those have since been turned into adorable stickers, but my most recent completed piece is a serious painting about chronic illness. I am blessed to be able to paint whatever I am feeling and put it out there in the world to share with others. My hope is to be able to reach someone and either make them smile or let them know they are not alone. My art is about community and bringing people together. I am hoping to continue growing for years to come! I truly feel like I am myself when I am creating and am so thankful to be able to paint every day!

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

The first and ultimate goal is to create and maintain community. I have met so many people through this journey that I never would have met otherwise. I have been validated in my efforts and I feel I have made an impact on their lives as well. I also have a goal to grow my business into one that does more than just support itself financially. I would like to be able to make a living off of being an artist. But I am new and my business is still small, so that is a big, future goal!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I grew up thinking that all artists were just born naturally talented. I was creative growing up, sure, but I was never that great at drawing. But art is a learned skill! The only natural talent someone has is how quickly they can pick up a skill. Everything else is absolutely something they can learn if they have the drive and resources to try. Simply by practicing daily, I have been able to improve on skills I never thought I would have. I’ve seen people around me learn new art skills they never thought possible. We have to unlearn “oh she’s so talented” and start learning about how hard people work to achieve the things they are able to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LMWCreations.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahwalther_art/
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LMWCreationsByLeah