We recently connected with Laura Mauger and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I actually found my purpose through setbacks. After being a graphic designer for a few years, I got married in the summer of 2019 and moved to Richmond, VA. After the move, it took a few months to find a new job, but eventually in December, I began working at A.C. Moore Arts and Craft Store, which was going out of business. The store was already set to close in the spring of 2020. Then the Coronavirus happened and sped up the closing process so that the store closed in March. However, because the store closed early, I ended up with a lot of free art supplies like acrylic paint, paintbrushes, alcohol markers and paint racks. During the pandemic, with all of the free time, I experimented with making polymer clay jewelry from some clay that I had leftover from a previous project and with all of the new paint supplies, got back into painting. Through lots of thought and prayer, that winter, I decided that I was going to attempt to sell my jewelry and paintings, and applied for Arts in the Park, an annual art show that takes place the first weekend in May in Richmond, VA. I was accepted and began the next few months to prepare for the event. In the spring of 2021, Covid was still a big concern and I received a letter in March saying that the organizers decided to cancel the event because of it. To say I was really disappointed would be an understatement. An acquaintance then informed me of another event happening that same weekend. I applied, was accepted, and the 2021 Orange Uncorked Wine Festival became the first vendor market I ever participated in.
In January of 2022, I experimented with sculpting my first crown and I have been making them ever since. The more crowns I created, the more I wanted to keep making them. Even though not a single one had been bought, in 2024 I decided to make designing crowns my focus. I really felt led to make them and began to google the meanings of crowns as well as any verses about crowns in the Bible. Which is how I came across Isaiah 61:3 “and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” That’s what I wanted my crowns to be, a bestowing of beauty instead of ashes. A chance to show the creativity and beauty of God through my art that could not only be beheld with the eyes but could be felt with the heart. When you put on one of my wearable sculptures I want you to feel beautiful and for that feeling to bring you joy.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My focus is on creating wearable sculptures in the form of crowns and fantasy headpieces as well as earrings, necklaces, and hair combs. Each sculpture is unique, hand made from a single color polymer clay, and hand painted with acrylic paints. They’re perfect for fantasy photoshoots, or to be the statement piece of your wedding or fantasy ball attire.
Currently, I am working on creating a whole collection of accessories based on Greek gods and goddesses. It’s my first crown collection and I am very excited about it. I have drawn between three and four design sketches for my Poseidon, Dionysus, Ares, Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Demeter, and Nyx themes that I will attempt to sculpt and have photographed in styled shoots. The intent is to have that completed for a fantasy theme event called The Book Faire hosted by the Feminine Urge on April 12th at the Renaissance in Richmond. It’s going to be a tight turn around, but I am looking forward to seeing the collection come to life.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three things that have been most impactful in my journey are practicing, finding the right tools for the job, and learning to organize my creative ideas. Continued practice is how I have increased my sculpting abilities in such a short time. In the past, I used to say that I wasn’t a very good three dimensional artist and that my skills were mostly in two dimensional art. The last four years have shown that’s just not true. In that time I have sculpted more than 500 pairs of earrings, 50 necklaces, 5 hair combs and 35 crowns, and you can see that with all of that practice, my skills have improved quite a bit. It’s not that I was bad, it’s that I hadn’t developed those skills because they didn’t come quite as easy to me.
However, practice can only take you so far if you’re using the wrong tools. I realized that I needed to change the type of polymer clay I was working with to be able to achieve better detailing in my designs. Sculpey Premo and Sculpey Living Doll were much better suited to my sculptures than Sculpey original, Sculpey III or Super Sculpey. Sometimes the limit on your work isn’t your skill, it’s what you’re using, and finding the right tools for what you’re trying to do will allow you to continue to progress as an artist.
Lastly, learning to organize my creative ideas has been a game changer in terms of coming up with new designs. When I started making crowns, I didn’t necessarily have a set idea in mind when I would sculpt. I just let how my hands handled the clay in the moment guide me. Or I would start with a vague idea and go from there. Those are good for occasional spontaneous creativity and just going with the flow, but they aren’t sustainable or good ways of working if you want people to commission a piece. To help solidify ideas I began creating mood boards based on certain themes, some were broad like a seashell crown and others were more specific like a masquerade mask to match a dress I already owned. The mood boards have photos that either give inspiration for color, texture, shape, or design details. They also include a six piece color palette to help narrow down the main colors of paint I will use and are helpful for choosing a matching outfit. The next step after the mood boards are created, is to then make different design sketches of specific crown or matching jewelry set ideas. Since each mood board is a collection of inspiration I have the freedom to make different design sketches all based on one mood board which can then be reused and revisited as many times as I want. After sketching the ideas I then use alcohol markers to color them in so I can even plan out how I specifically want to paint the finished sculpture. The benefit of sketching and coloring specific designs, is when it comes time to sculpt, I know exactly what it is I am attempting to make, and the finished product tends to look very similar to my sketch.
My advice to someone who is at the beginning of their art journey, is to keep at it, even when things break or don’t turn out the way you wanted. Keep going and learn from your mistakes, and as you go, start to experiment with other tools until you find ones that work for what you’re trying to make. Then as you refine your process, learn to organize your ideas. It might look like mood boards, it might just be sketches, or it might be something else entirely. Figure out what best helps you narrow down your ideas and fine tunes your creative process so that if someone asked how you go about making your work you could give them a general walk through of the process.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client would be a fantasy enthusiast who is not afraid to get dressed up and feel beautiful. They are a person who you could find at a Renaissance fair, fantasy ball, or quirky local market. They are individuals who appreciate art and the time, care, and skill it takes to create it. They know that special moments deserve special things to help celebrate them, like a bespoke crown for their wedding or special fantasy photoshoot. These people are dreamers, who dance with whimsy and overflow with joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lauramauger.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maugerlc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maugerlc
Image Credits
Laura Mauger, Josiah Mauger
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