We were lucky to catch up with Laura Erekson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Laura , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I was bullied as a child—only in elementary school, but it shaped my sense of self early on. I changed schools twice and was targeted each time for different reasons: a haircut, a pair of shoes, even the way my name was pronounced. Still, I always knew who I was. Confidence, I believe, is something I carried with me into this life.
Even when friends teased me, saying, “We only talk about you that way because we know you can take it,” I did take it—I just didn’t believe it. That strength became the foundation of my resilience.
In the art world, resilience is essential. It’s a field full of subjectivity—one juror loves your work, another passes without a second glance. I’ve been accepted into prestigious exhibitions and rejected from far smaller ones. You invest your heart, time, and resources, and then wait to see how the world responds. Creating art is a gamble, you roll the dice and hope for a return. It’s risky business, not for the faint of heart.
But I’ve learned not to take rejection personally. I believe deeply in my work, in my skill, and in the value of what I create. I believe I am everyones equal—not above them, and also not below. My confidence and inner strength—first tested on the playground, has carried me through the unpredictable, (both challenging and rewarding), beautiful chaos of an artist’s life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Art has always been part of who I am—it’s how I process the world around me and connect with others. I studied Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture at Brigham Young University and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from George Mason University, but my practice truly came alive when I began incorporating natural materials and found objects into my work. Those elements—plants, tools, remnants of daily life—carry layers of meaning and memory that mirror my own exploration of womanhood, motherhood, faith, and our relationship to the natural world.
Over time, my art has evolved into a tactile dialogue between the seen and the felt. I’m fascinated by the impressions we leave behind—literal and metaphorical—and how beauty often hides in the overlooked. Professionally, I’ve built a studio practice that balances gallery work with community collaboration and public art. My current focus includes expanding my public art portfolio following the completion of “Rooted”, a 15-foot-tall steel sugar beet sculpture installed in West Jordan, Utah, which celebrates the city’s agricultural heritage and connection to the land.
For the past ten years, I’ve been creating highly textural paintings that invite touch as much as sight. I incorporate found objects and plants into my process—materials rich with history and symbolism—which tempts the viewer to reach out and connect physically with the work. A few years ago, I collaborated with the Utah School for the Blind on a “Please Touch” exhibition, where students helped create the work, and visitors experienced the show by touch alone, blindfolded to heighten their other senses. That project deepened my belief that art should be inclusive, interactive, and felt on every level.
My work often celebrates Mother Nature and the beauty found in the mundane—the overlooked objects and materials that tell quiet stories of resilience and connection. During Utah’s record-breaking drought, I created a series called Pray for Rain, using crops gathered from local farmers to honor our shared reliance on the land.
Going forward, I’m continuing to merge painting, sculpture, and nature-based materials to create immersive, multi-sensory works that invite touch, reflection, and a deeper awareness of our shared humanity and place on this earth.
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?
The three qualities that have shaped my journey most are hard work, confidence, and a willingness to experiment.
Hard work is the foundation of everything I’ve accomplished. Art takes persistence—it’s not just about inspiration, but showing up again and again, even when it’s hard or uncertain.
Confidence has carried me through rejection and doubt. The art world is subjective; not everyone will understand or appreciate what you do. You have to trust your voice and keep creating anyway.
And finally, a willingness to experiment—and to play—is essential. Art should be joyful, curious, and full of discovery. If you don’t yet know what moves you, play until you find it. Try new materials, new ideas, new directions. Don’t listen to the voices that say you have to stick to one thing forever. The best work comes from love, curiosity, and authenticity. So keep working, keep believing, and keep playing.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I pause and take a break. Productivity doesn’t always mean constantly producing—sometimes it means giving yourself permission to breathe. I step back, let my mind wander and wonder, and remind myself that rest is part of the creative process.
When I return, I try to do something purely for the joy of it—not for sales, not for a client, but for me. A passion project that comes straight from my core. That act of creating for myself, after I’ve truly paused and taken a breath, always helps me realign with why I create in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ereksonatkinson.com
- Instagram: LauraEreksonArt
- Linkedin: Laura Erekson
Image Credits
Dave Carter took a few of these photos.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
