Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Miller.
Hi Lauren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My creative path started when I won a local competition drawing Bart Simpson on a skateboard, winning a family pass to see Simpson’s on ice and meet the local kid’s station dj; it was a fantastic experience until directly after my mother squarely telling me art led to nowhere and I should focus on being a doctor or lawyer.
Fast forward many years. I was in college working towards an international business and French double major, intending to travel the world, so I took a pottery class as an elective credit. I dreamed about clay until I changed majors, much to the dismay of my family. Yet here I am, the only female to go through college, let alone earn a master’s degree. Officially, I have a master’s in craft and material studies from VCUarts (Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond, VA. I earned my bachelor’s locally at The Ohio State University. I loved college. I am glad I went all the way with it. The time to dedicate to my practice was worth it. I met some fantastic people, and I have traveled and grown personally.
I always practiced or learned new elements of the healing arts but thought it was separate. In all honesty, I had some pretty traumatic experiences and inherited some lovely generational trauma, and I was looking for healing. Looking back, what was so hard about academic life was the vulnerability it took to make work talk about it and see myself more clearly. My art practice has been an excellent mirror for me to work through ideas and experiences. I’m beyond grateful for the support I have received from my practice over the years. They seem connected but supportive of each other through good times and bad times in life and my practice. I was on a mission to do as many gypsy art excursions as possible when my son blessed me with his arrival in my life. It was the surprise of a lifetime, and while in moments of his early life, I thought my practice was over. Yet, it was shifting and becoming what would be the healer’s toolmaker.
As I had begun a more concentrated study of the healing arts, including training for yoga, reiki, Thai yoga massage, and folk herbalism in 2013, it blossomed in 2018 with grief and inspiration colliding as I started my journey with curating my medicinal gardens, harvesting, curing, infusing and creating small batch botanical skincare and smudging products. Over the last few years, I have focused on photography and my work, again making a portfolio of practical use guides for my current job and capturing the beauty and vulnerability of my models, exploring tools and botanicals in artfully curated shoots. I am creating a food forest and medicinal garden, an active studio practice, and in-person vending experiences. It’s been a remarkable period of growth in my personal and professional life. My work truly invigorates and inspires me to continue making new designs and learn new ways of merging my practices and creating immersive experiences.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am grateful for the many ups and downs my practice has brought me. Losing family, going through a significant upheaval of where I was living, and becoming a parent helped me grow into a more determined artist. I love my practice, and any obstacles that have come up, I have genuinely learned that leaning into my creative practices gives me the courage and vitality to move forward and forge new paths.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an earth-based artist focusing on ceramics and botanicals grown in my garden or foraged. My work at present is created to help folks become more aware of their body to take more pleasure and responsibility in their potential for wellness. I am making tools for the body, such as Gua Sha, acupressure, and lymphatic massage tools. I am making vertical planters, sculptures, and functional planters to hold and handle while caring for the plant. I also focus on various smudge tools and small batches of house-infused natural skin care to complement the bodywork tools. I am an oddball ceramicist but still love and respect the craft. I pull from so many different aspects of art and, ultimately, am interested in creating immersive experiences—a ritual or practice to bring into your lifestyle. I love it when people tell me the tools are sculptures, as I see them as delicate art objects with a function. It is its niche, blending practical body care with high art. I’m especially interested in photography and moving images and see that as a part of my practice.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am currently living in a small village. It’s perfect to focus on my garden and my studio. I love seeing the Appalachian foothills every day; they are just beautiful. However, I miss the culture and folks in Columbus, my hometown, and I often spend time there working and socializing.
Contact Info:
- Website: Hey, check out my website, “TheHealersToolmaker” with this link: https://www.thehealerstoolmaker.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehealerstoolmaker?igsh=MWxwczk3dDJvNnpzeg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehealerstoolmaker?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
All photos (except last one of planters) by Taryn Lindsey Photos
