Meet Elléna Lourens

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elléna Lourens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elléna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I don’t know that I’ve found my ‘purpose’ per say, but I have found it to be true that pursuit of that which excites, and intrigues me, gaining knowledge and skill on the things that I find inspiring and which intimidate me has felt immensely fulfilling, and has brought me the closest in alignment with how I imagine ‘purpose’ to feel.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

South African artist Elléna Lourens began working on personal and collaborative creative projects while in school. Since then she has further pursued illustration, street art, painting and embroidery. Her style lends itself to the past , while voicing an intuitively current aesthetic that resonates and seeks to redefine emotional iconography, and explore the unconscious pulse of desire. She has immersed herself in the creative world, working alongside established artists, as well as furthering her own practice, taking part in shows and creating murals in both South Africa and internationally.

Currently she is based in New York City, and has most recently created an eleven story mural in Romania.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three things I believe it is important to foster in oneself in the pursuit of a creative career are – an ability to communicate honestly with oneself, commitment to your craft, and a thick skin when it comes to outside opinions.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would love to collaborate with architects or interior designers, on creating temporary instalments or permanent artworks that work within the design of a space, including tiled installations and murals.
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Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ellenalourens.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenalourens/