Meet Lindey Anderson of LALA Creative Studio in Harvey Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindey Anderson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lindey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always wanted to be an artist. So from a young age, I knew this is the only thing I really, truly loved. After I graduated high school, I bounced from ambition to ambition, to make ends meet and doing art and design on the side for friends and family. In 2009, the business that I was running closed and I found myself in an economy that was not favorable and had no idea what the next step was going to be.

This is when I found myself making a commitment to art full time. I went back to school. While in school, I found myself as a non-traditional student more grounded and focused towards this dream and commitment. I had exhibited in my community for years before but had three exhibitions two which were graduate exhibits and the other was the opening exhibit for a new gallery in the area in a matter of four months.

Once I finished my degree at the University of Iowa, I immediately applied for graduate programs. As I was feeling defeated through the year, as I didn’t get accepted into all my top programs, I started to curate my own “graduate program”. I applied for multiple artist residencies in Italy and Greece and was going to spend six months traveling in Europe and creating. As all of the residencies started to line up, I was accepted to a program that changed my life. Transart Institute is a low residency MFA and Ph.D. program that is based out of New York City but is held all over the world. The intensity of like-minded, open-minded, creative people from all over is exactly what I needed to solidify my path.

As I started to graduate school, I moved to Denver. I fell in love with the Santa Fe Arts District, I had a solo show and from there I fell in love. The community, the support of the city and the opportunities seemed endless. I got a studio on the corner of 8th and Santa Fe with a colleague from undergrad and started to show on the First Fridays. I opened a gallery space adjacent to my studio space for emerging artists to have creative freedom over the space and the exposure to a First Friday and month-long exhibition for free. It was my dream. As time moved on and I graduated and moved to a home that could accommodate my studio, I had to make the difficult decision to move my studio and chance occurrences resulted in the gallery space closing as well.

A year and half went by and I did not create. Anything. I crossed paths with the right inspirational people in 2019 and that sparked the real dream which is a culmination of all my passions. 2019 I launched LALA Creative Studio, which is an online shop that features upcycled and recycled home and garden goods, original paintings and prints, and numerous projects and classes. We have been going strong from four months and 2020 looks awesome for us!

Has it been a smooth road?
 A smooth road no, more like a trail of speed bumps! I think the biggest struggle has been and continues to be the internal conflicts. The lack of confidence, the shoulda-coulda-wouldas, and the wish I would have listened to my gut on that one. The other full-time struggle is managing time, especially if you are working a full-time job separate from your business. The juggle of creative energy is something I work on all the time.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the LALA Creative Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
LALA Creative Studio is an online shop that I can sell and show everything that I love to do. It is meant to bring new life into the old, reimagine the purpose and think outside the box creatively not only to help our community but to bring more creativity into our own personal world.

The shop has four elements to it. LALA GOODS features upcycled house and garden goods that can be customized. Everything from revitalized curtains to cedar cut plant stands. LALA ART is select original paintings and prints from the past 15 years of my portfolio. ART DEN is a community-based project set to launch in late spring of 2020. Art DEN will provide creative supplies to creative in need. Small art shop hosted in yards and hopefully community spaces. STUDIO FRIENDS is a podcast featuring emerging creatives that are making ripples in the art world. Chatting with them about everything from their favorite color to the least expected occurrence in your career and sharing their vision and process for making a difference in the world.

I am a jack of trades master of none! So is my business. I love to do a lot of things, and LALA Creative studio encompasses all of the things. I think I have as a painter and definitely now been proud of my continuing effort to help other emerging creatives. I have a passion and vision to share, team up and be this mega powerhouse of artists who help one another along the way. Support each other.

LALA is unique because of its inclusion. It draws people in an inviting way. Home décor should. I think the foundation of recycled, up-cycled, and repurposed materials eases the intimidation factor. I try and put extra care and effort into selecting my materials and give them new life while maintaining the integrity of the material. This reflected across my entire brand- the idea that everything can be born into something new again.

Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
I can only see the customized upcycled home/garden goods industry becomes stronger. Each year people’s awareness is heightened into buying with purpose and reusing things in a new and different way. I think everyone will start doing the DIY for real themselves. The wonderful thing about creativity is that it’s not trendy, it morphs and evolves with the environment. I hope people still want art in their houses in 5-10 years!

Contact Info:

• Website: Lalacreativestudio.com
• Email: Lindeyatlala@gmail.com

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