Meet Angie Lavin

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angie Lavin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Angie, 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?

My purpose is to create. I am a highly curious, kinesthetic person, and a strong believer of the concept “leave it better than how you found it”, so I’ve experimented with so many different things, and although I’ve liked and been good at a lot of them, I always come back to creating, and whatever it is, I try to have a positive impact with it. I love helping and seeing everyone happy and thriving, so the commitment with myself is: whatever I do, I want It to have a positive contribution, it doesn’t matter if it’s to the environment, one person, an animal or a million. I don’t just want to make pretty things, I want to be a better person every day, to learn as much as I can and share everything I can with whomever it might reach.
I think my purpose wasn’t a one-occasion discovery, it didn’t happen based out of one event that made it click in me. Every experience I’ve had, has either confirmed I’m on the right path or has redirected me towards who I am today and guiding me towards who I am still meant to be. I think I was born with the urge of doing good however I could, I wake up every day wanting to be better and improve my surroundings somehow, art is my main tool for it. Of course, most of this has emerged by personal experience, for example, like a lot of people, I’ve struggled with mental health and as addition also physical health. This woke the interest in me to get informed about everything related to helping my wellbeing and in consequence, the one of others. I got certified in Art Therapy practice and Neuroscience of the arts, with the intention of healing and helping others heal.
I believe my purpose is to spread love, joy, healing and hope, and to make others believe that they can do that too. I try that every act, painting, sculpture, photo, performance, conversation, etc. holds a message of love, empathy and relatability.

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 was born in Sinaloa, Mexico in 1989 and brought to Tijuana, Baja California when I was just a baby, and so growing up in the most transited border in the world surrounded me with a multicultural environment, where I fell in love with my roots and with the possibility of growing further out into the world, discover as many places, cultures, flavors and folklore as I could. Three years ago I met an American guy and was smitten, not to be corny but he is my number one fan, PR, main investor, manager, shoulder to cry on, and the hand that holds me up. Over a year ago we got married and moved to Missouri, where I was welcomed with the most supporting and amazing art community.

I’ve been making art ever since I can remember, through out the years I have experimented with different mediums and styles. I do have my favorite mediums (oil paint, clay and photography), and I definitely think I have a style, but to this day, I love making myself uncomfortable by trying new things. I want to always keep learning and growing as a person and as an artist. I don’t think I could ever settle for just one thing, being the highly experimental and inquisitive person that I am. At the moment I’m working on the foundations for an Art Therapy practice, a project my husband and I are very excited about, and hope we can release soon. Additionally I am applying to galleries’ calls for art, signing up for art fairs, and doing my best to be part of the community.

I’ve always felt a big connection to nature in all its forms, humanity, flora, fauna, energy and spirit. I try to embrace that connection and transform it into something fruitful through everything I do. I believe in love being the most powerful thing in the world, and kindness and respect the strongest tools to carry with you through life.
So in a few words what inspires me is nature, growth, love, travel and discovery. This appreciation for nature, particularly for humanity has pushed me to explore other forms of expression like acting and dancing, this two feel like if they where an anthropological study, they give me a deep sense of connection and awareness, and i love it! I hope that I get the opportunity to create something meaningful with these.

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?

This is a hard one! But I would have to say, 1. Health is the best investment, 2. Having a solid support network and positive environment is essential to fully succeed on anything, and 3. Trust the process.

1. Health.
Getting to truly know yourself is honestly scary, but the more you learn about yourself the smoother your life flows because you make better decisions, you know what you want, what you need, you’re more assertive when facing adversity, healthier you has happier relationships, and so on. The work is hard and extensive but seriously, you are your best investment, and by that I don’t just mean financially, it’s your time, feelings, energy, what you do, what you eat, even who you hang out with. Just think about this, you are the only one that is with you every single moment, we only get the one body, mind and spirit in this life, why wouldn’t we want to make that the best possible? And because we are only human we are never in absolute perfect health all the time, but also, I don’t think “perfect” is the goal, I feel that the search for balance is, because during that quest is where you find all the gifts of life, all the lessons that make you discover what you’re made of and all the possibilities of what you can do. How to take care of myself, specially my mental health has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to learn, and sometimes, wanting to take care of myself is even more challenging. I know that sometimes it’s hard to keep going, but in reality, we just have to do the best we can with what we have moment by moment.

2. Support Network and Positive Environment.
I’m not saying that success depends on these things, but it definitely makes it better. Regardless of what your goals are, we all have moments of doubt, setbacks, fear and what feels like failure, but if we surround ourselves with people that set an example of resilience, that might give us some sort of inspiration or motivation, any kind of guidance or believe in us when we don’t, even if its something that seems little, it can make a huge difference on our next steps. Also, I’ve learned that anything is more fulfilling when shared, makes better memories, and at the end that’s all we’ll have.

3. Trust the Process.
One of those inspirational quotes that is easier said than done, but it’s tremendously important. I strongly believe that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason, and even if we don’t know what that is yet, we need to trust that it’s for our highest good which will eventually reveal itself and make everything make sense. And I think it applies on everything, the trouble we get into, the people we meet, the events we experience, we can see it clearly in our work, I know other artist can relate to when you’re mid-painting and it looks so awkward that you question everything about what your doing and wonder what is going to come out of it, but every brushstroke was what that piece needed to become that final result, and even if you don’t like it at the end, it was what you needed in that moment, it made you feel, think and believe different things you wouldn’t had experience without it, and not every step is groundbreaking or extremely relevant, but it is still a step. In that way, every word, every person, every place, every situation was necessary to lead us to this very moment. Life will take you where you need to go.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Mortality angle, nice! I like this kind of question because it makes you realize how you really feel about something, like when you’re not quite sure what you want between two options, someone else chooses for you and then you feel either happy about it or disappointed and then you realize where your heart is. This question feels like a reality check of how I’m currently living my life, my goals and plans, it makes me question if I would change anything, and I’m very happy to admit that the answer is no. But it definitely makes me more aware of things I haven’t considered, for example, I would keep building my business plans, because after over 20-something years of trying different things, I know now that’s what I want to do, but then considering who’s going to run it after I’m gone, I would still try and learn as much as I can about everything that interests me, because I enjoy doing it, but then I would find a way to share that knowledge with who wants it, I would still make as much art as I can because I love it, but then I would give more thought to every single piece a leave behind, travel is one of my favorite things to do, and It’s never being in my plans to ever stop moving around, but then I would make sure I’m always doing it with the people I care about, I already relish eating, but then I wouldn’t judge myself so much for what I do eat and just enjoy! I would make sure every day is well spent, even savor the whatever days where I don’t do much, also the hard times that would make the good days brighter, Isn’t that what we should be doing anyways?
I think that a life surrounded by the people you love, doing the things you enjoy and growing from your experiences it’s a life well lived, regardless of the length.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angielavin.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angie.lavin.39