Life & Work with Lauren Rice of Kingsford, Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Rice

Hi Lauren, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My artistic journey began in high school, where I discovered my passion for art. I took four years of art classes, exploring mediums like painting, drawing, pottery, and photography. Continuing on a creative path, I pursued a degree in Graphic Design from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.

After college, I gained valuable experience working in a print shop and then as a marketing specialist at a local dentist office. These roles helped me apply my creative skills in a professional setting for the first time. Currently, I work as a marketing specialist in the healthcare field, designing materials like member brochures, ID cards, and various other designs as needed (flyers, social media graphics, etc).

In addition to my full-time job, I run an Etsy shop, YooperCreativeCo, featuring products inspired by the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Midwest. With over 200 sales and 74 products (and still growing!), my shop allows me to express my creativity freely and earn extra income doing something I love.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After college, I faced a challenging start to my creative career. With limited work experience, I found it tough to land jobs that typically required several years of experience. However, my first role at a print shop proved to be a valuable stepping stone, providing me with much needed experience.

I also quickly realized that the creative job fields were competitive, making opportunities hard to find. I had expected this challenge, knowing that my chosen profession wasn’t as in-demand as fields like nursing or engineering.

To overcome these obstacles, I chose patience and perseverance. I understood that gaining experience and building my skills would take time, but that it would ultimately pay off and lead me to better opportunities.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My favorite specialty in fine art is drawing. I began with black-and-white graphite drawings, but soon moved on to color pencil, which became my medium of choice. I love bold, saturated colors, and color pencil was perfect for achieving these shades. I’m particularly fond of creating portraits of animals, from domestic pets like cats and dogs to wildlife like birds and tigers.

One of my fondest moments as an artist came during my college drawing class.
When collecting my pen and ink drawing assignment, my professor looked surprised. “You really drew this?” he asked me. Then, he instantly graded it as an A with his marker, and walked away without another word. His surprise and immediate recognition of my hard work made me feel proud and validated as an artist, especially because he was an expert with so many years of experience. He even created the Green Bay Packers’ current logo in 1961 as an art student!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I hear a lot of people say “I’m not creative”, but then I see them doing something that is indeed creative. I’ve seen many forms of it: 3-D printing and designing, decorating a pretty Christmas tree bow, or a knitter at the local craft show. People may think being creative means that you have to be good at drawing or painting, but that’s not true. I think that there are so many ways that people show their creativity and it goes far beyond the scope of the usual fine art categories. I always appreciate all of it. Our different creative talents make the world a more interesting and unique place!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yoopercreativeco.etsy.com/
• Instagram: @yoopercreativeco
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/laurenriceart/