52: Painting and Possibilities with Laura Menzies

Freedom of choice and taking up all opportunities are just two of the topics I chat about with visual artist Laura Menzies in episode 52 of An Art to It. From a multidisciplinary arts degree and early love of dance to developing a distinctive painting practice in Cornwall, Laura shares her creative business journey; and reveals how studying, teaching and later completing an MA in Fine Art helped her refine her artistic voice. We also discuss the reality of building a creative business: learning the business side on the job, approaching and working with galleries, and the inventive collaborations that have helped Laura reach new audiences, including projects with Celtic & Co https://www.celticandco.com/ and Neptune https://www.neptune.com/. Laura speaks openly about growing in confidence, learning to market herself in ways that feel aligned, and the value of staying open, flexible and resilient in a creative career. Topics covered Laura's early creative life and multidisciplinary arts degree Why visual art, rather than performance, became her focus Moving to Cornwall and the draw of the coast and creative community How her painting practice developed during and after her MA at Falmouth Landscape, memory, movement and "visual poetry" in her work Learning the business side of being an artist Building confidence in promoting and talking about her work Collaborating with Celtic & Co on a range of clothes using her painting Using books, branding and beautifully styled imagery as part of her business Growing into a more entrepreneurial mindset Her thoughts on success, freedom and creative choice Advice on resilience, flexibility and running a successful creative business You can see Laura's work at https://www.lauramenzies.co.uk/ and on instagram she is @lauramenziesart