Meet Brooke Lark

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brooke Lark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brooke below.

Hi Brooke, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Finding my purpose has been an on-going journey of surrendering my own old stories — aka what I *thought* life should or would look like—and learning to live inside of the Now. Staying fully present & fully open to (and really, really learning to trust) the truth that Life is always handing me what I need to grow & expand into the best version of me.
And so, in the middle of a life full of wild and unexpected shifts, I am learning that my purpose can be constantly evolving. The journey isn’t to decide what I am. But to constantly stay open-hearted and curious to what I am becoming. To let the shifts and hard things in life teach me, to face life and growth with gratitude, and embrace the journey—whatever it is, whatever it may become—with presence and joy.
Which, I suppose, is all to say; I’ve learned that my purpose is learning how to “sing the song of Brooke” and love that process.

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?

I took a terrifying leap of faith in March 2023, opening a 2500sf production studio for Lark Creative Agency —we’d been helping brands build beautiful photography & video for 13 years, and had been growing wildly. And week after we opened the studio, everything shifted. Clients fell out, work started to shift. Suddenly, the studio that I’d so lovingly renovated for creative work was…just…crickets. I’d invested all of my life savings and now couldn’t get clients. It felt like certain disaster. I started beating myself up for being a “bad business woman” and felt like life was telling me to throw in the towel.

Then, one night, as I was writing down all of my devastated thoughts—I realized: I didn’t have to let this be the end. What if I started believing it was the best blank slate beginning I’d ever been given?

This lens shift changed everything. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with impending debt, financial destruction and a downward spiral of sorry, I woke to a sunny morning and a whole new way of looking at things.

“The Universe always trades up.”

Surrendering to this perspective allowed me to wake up everyday ignited with creative curiosity. What sounds fun to create? What could I turn this space into? What had been missing in my previous career that I could shift for myself, and turn into a gift for others?

And that is when LarkStudios.org was born. A creative co-working space & wellbeing lounge. By day, the nurturing, naturally lit rooms are open to members. Have the most comfy meetings ever in our Massage Chair room, settle in for a relaxing session in our soundbath beds. Or tuck in with friends or co-workers with treats from our Tea Bar. In the evenings, join our community for somatics and breathwork classes, or build your creative life & support your healing journey with beautiful retreats and workshops.

It’s so funny, a few months ago, I would wake sick to my stomach that I’d leased this studio. Since shifting my lens, I wake everyday excited and so incredibly lucky that I get to build this studio into a space that matters. I never thought I’d say it, but I feel so lucky I lost my job. And extra lucky that the Universe, in all her wisdom, knew that losing a job was exactly what I needed to trust the next step, create something that will change lives, and truly “trade up” into a purpose-driven path.

Which is all to say: if you are facing big shifts, huge or devastating loss, or staring down the unscripted unknown—welcome! You are not alone, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. And this place is an invitation to make your life ever more beautiful. Trust the path.

And if you need a cozy space where your creative side is nurtured by loving community, we would love to see you are Lark. We’ve been looking for you. <3

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My first advice is always: trust your path. It’s so easy to get down on ourselves when we see where others are. But our journeys are uniquely different, and life has a way of given each of us what we need to create our own personal walk. So be gentle on you, be where you are, and learn to let yourself be your own best friend & kindest cheerleader as you find your way.

For my own journey, these 3 things have been life-changing:

1. PEOPLE ARE MAGIC. Whenever I feel stuck, I look around & find someone who is doing something I admire. Then I reach out to them and try to find a way to collaborate. For instance, as I have been building in my studio, I needed to build my audience. And instead of running random ads to random people, I connected with big-name influencers and asked them if they would be open to being the guests at a videotaped event. In return for their time, I would take care of all the photography & video. So for zero dollars, I get to connect my space with truly incredible people. And they get cool content. Look for win-win ways to connect with and work with movers & shakers. And soon you’ll be a mover & shaker yourself.

2. REINVENT, REINVENT, REINVENT. I once heard that depression is holding onto the past, and anxiety is trying to control the future . Learning to let go of both the past and present, surrender my ego, allow my identity to shift and change and evolve and grow has been one of the most helpful tricks to unlock quick success. If I sat around crying about losing my photography jobs because my ego kept crying “but I’m a photographer!” I never would have been open to becoming a “Studio Maker” or “Business Builder” or “Creative Genius of Woo-Woo and Wonder”. When we let go of all the things we think we have to be, we allow ourselves to become what we are or can be. And isn’t that what we truly want—to find our own personal, magical calling? To create the path that is made just for us? Well, to do that, you gotta be willing to constantly evolve. And you gotta be extra willing to evolve into something no one else had been before. So welcome the constant reinvention & celebrate all the versions of you.

3. REDEFINE WHAT SUCCESS REALLY IS. I had to do a lotttt of work letting go of money as the thing that said I was successful. Truth is, before this year, when my business was absolutely “thriving”…I wasn’t. I was a stressed and anxious mess, always chasing the next dollar. When I finally decided to let go of my bank account being attached to my worth, I was finally able to start seeing success on my own terms. Now I cherish freedom, free time, a body that feels healthy and happy & being fully surrounded by brilliant and kind souls as the most successful accomplishment of my life. If and when money comes to that, I will welcome it. But I no longer need to have some dollar amount determine my worth.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes! As we grow LarkStudios.org, I am looking for creatives, creative teachers, somatic + movement facilitators, healers and disco-ball lovers to help us grow a kind community & build a calendar full of incredible events.

Artists, photographers, filmmakers, storytellers, writers, dreamers,
doers, entrepreneurs, connectors, space-holders, therapists, and humans who cherish connection—come co-work with us. We would love to welcome you into our stunning lil’ space b

Contact Info:

• Website: HTTPS://larkstudios.org and https://larkxco.com
• Instagram: Https://instagram.com/brookelark

Image Credits

All credits: Brooke & Jake Lark