We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christopher La Fleur. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christopher below.
Christopher, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
In 2018, I was laid off from a lucrative marketing manager job. It turned out to be one of the most important events of my career. The company I worked for at the time gave me a generous severance that allowed me six months to get my artmaking business off the ground. At no point in time did I feel like something horrible had happened to me. I hit the ground running immediately, with the acute realization that the clock was ticking and I had very little time to do a lot of foundational work.
Within two weeks, I’d registered my business, built a website and started to invest in art supplies. Within six months, I’d participated in my first group showcase, hosted my first art show and a second larger art show, sold out an entire body of work and acquired a following of clients who were able to support my dreams of being an entrepreneur and artist.
Most artists spend years securing their first several gallery shows. For me, using the large community of supporters I’d cultivated at previous jobs, I was able to exceed every goal I’d set for myself.
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?
I’m a professional visual fine artist and arts and culture event planner living and working in Denver, CO. Artmaking has been in my blood since I was a little kid. Growing up, I knew a career in the arts is what I’d always wanted. School was very difficult for me. I grew up in a rural area that was not accepting of LGBTQ+ people. The bullying and harassment was constant, so I’d spend my lunches and time after school in the art classroom. My art teacher seemed to see my potential and was harder on me than all of the other students. My assignments were judged more critically, and I often took on extra projects that kids in higher grades were doing in order to keep my GPA high. It always felt like artmaking was always there for me when others were not.
Entering the professional world, I discovered a love of event planning. I specialize in producing events for the queer community. These include events like vendor markets, galas and fundraisers, fashion shows and niche events tailored to the cannabis industry. The thing about being an event planner is that it’s a very human business. My guests aren’t a table number, they’re real people with real names and needs.
When you think about it, thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of man hours go into producing a 5 1/2 hour show or fundraiser. From the person who packed the champagne and loaded it onto a truck to the person who serves the champagne at the event, hundreds and hundreds of people are involved off-site and on. Caterers, servers, accountants, choreographers and people from dozens of other trades all come together in concert to support a single mission, a single moment in time.
The most startling aspect of my job occurs at the very end of a production—when the floors are being mopped, the chairs folded up and the infrastructure put away in storage. As if it never happened at all, that event, that moment, is gone forever—once again, you’re standing in an empty ballroom where the first site tour began.
Being able to combine these two professional interests has been critical to my success. As an artist, I can leverage my event planning skills to host huge shows and get eyes on my work whilst uplifting the work of other artists in the community. It’s a beautiful combination of tools that has elevated my work and set me apart from many of my peers.
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?
It’s not enough to be a talented artist. There are millions of talented artists around the world. What artists need the most, and what art schools often do not provide, are business skills. Knowledge of marketing and PR is essential. Building relationships and keeping them is essential. Above all, the arts community in any given place is much smaller than anyone thinks. Reputation is everything in this business. You need to be kind, calm and collected. You need to be able to handle rejection over and over again.
Some of these soft skills can be cultivated over time. The key is being receptive to critical feedback and listening to those you trust to see you when you may not necessarily see yourself accurately. Developing the hard skills is more time-consuming. While I did go to business school, I don’t think everyone should (or need) to go to college. Interning can be a vital resource. Taking a job in marketing or PR unrelated to the arts will also help you develop these skills quickly. What will never work for you is waiting for inspiration to strike or isolating yourself from your community and supporters.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The most important book ever written, ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius, was created in 69AD. Originally the private diary of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, this book is about the mastery of oneself. Aurelius meditates on what it means to be nonjudgmental, wise, nonreactive, magnanimous and just. His revelations are as applicable today as they were 2,000 years ago. Everyone should have a copy of this book, read this book and keep it close by for the tough times.
Some of his most important quotes include:
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
“The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
“If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don’t imagine it impossible — for anything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christopherlafleurarts.com
- Instagram: @christopher.lafleur.arts
