Tell us about yourself and your creative background
I was born in Barry and grew up loving to experiment creatively, mostly in art and drama. I loved trying everything in art class and definitely leant towards more abstract and expressive forms over traditional sketching. I spent my free time either drawing, painting or creating stories and acting them out. I struggled to know what to do for some time, torn between my academic subjects and creative subjects. So many people tried to persuade me to go the academic route but I really loved acting and ended up pursuing this in college and beyond, and kept on creating art in my spare time. After some years of acting I discovered my true passion for design and found it bridged my love for solving problems and using logic with my creative side. After this discovery it became clear that design had been quite a large part of my life growing up but I never really took notice of it. I decided to go back to education at 25 to do my degree in Interior Design. It felt overwhelming at the time to choose to do a degree, mostly because I felt like I wasn't capable of such a career change, but it was the best decision I have made.
What is your Creative First?
My creative first is setting up my own business! I am now a self-employed interior designer working on residential and commercial projects. I always knew I wanted to work for myself when I was heading into my degree, but I couldn't have anticipated doing it so soon after graduating, but the timing and some opportunities came up that I couldn't pass up, so here I am. It's still very new to me and I have had to learn in a short few months, but it's been an exciting journey and I have been loving it so far.
What was the biggest challenge that you faced in that process?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was pushing beyond the boundaries of my own comfort zone. It’s easy to feel like you need to know everything before you start, but I’ve learned that growth happens most when you take action, even when you don’t feel completely ready. Instead of comparing myself to others, I’ve focused on continuous improvement—learning something new every day and striving to be better than I was yesterday.
Do you have any tips for people wanting to either work in the creative industries?
1. Don't let the competition overwhelm/ dishearten you.
It can be difficult when there are so many people doing something similar to you, but I think you have to in some respect zone out all that noise. Stick to the things that resonate with you and your business and don't let what everyone else is doing influence you too much.
2. Never stop learning
Keep learning, keep reading and listening to podcasts and absorbing everything you can. Knowledge is power and your education shouldn't stop when you leave school
3. Embrace rejection
I've been inspired by a lot of business people recently to embrace rejection. A graphic designer I follow online, Liz Mosley, is currently doing a rejection challenge and it has had huge benefits for her. Most of us have grown up thinking rejection and failure are bad things that should be avoided, but really they lead to the biggest learning and the most growth. Change your mindset on rejection and failure.
4. Connections are everything
Networking has been a huge benefit for me and my business so far. I missed out on a lot of networking opportunities during university due to Covid. Most of my business so far has come from my existing network and word of mouth. It also just feels really good to have great connections to talk to in your industry!
Why choose Barry for your creative first?
I live in Barry and had no intention of moving after my degree, so I was here by my circumstances anyway, but I find the creative community in and around the Vale of Glamorgan to be so friendly and welcoming. Everyone is a lot more open and giving than you would first anticipate. With my network at the moment I don't feel in competition with anyone. I want to foster connections with other creatives in the area and hope to see it grow over time. Plus all the beaches help!
What can we expect from you next?
I am passionate about wellbeing and sustainability and I have been planning the launch of my workshops that focus on these areas of design. I also have some digital products in development too. Find out more about Lauren's work by subscribing to her newsletter.
