Art & Life with LAUREN HAMELIN

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Hamelin.

Lauren, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve always been creative…drawing, painting, sculpting, even crafting. In high school, I fell in love with jewelry making and went to college for metals with a concentration in jewelry. I spent over 20 years in the costume jewelry industry and did everything from sample making and design to managing a large account for the company I worked for. This gave me the solid base I needed for working with clients and creating product lines.

My beginning in the wedding stationery industry is similar to other stationers who created their own wedding invitations: we all wanted something different, couldn’t find it, so we made our own! I remember making the invitations for my wedding & loved the process. Everything from creating the layouts in Illustrator to printing and trimming the invitations. I enjoyed every part of it and received wonderful feedback from family and friends.

I’m originally from Massachusetts & have only been in the Valley for about 2 years. When my husband & I made the move to Arizona, it was a given that I would start a new adventure, aka business (but I prefer to call it an adventure). I’m a very visual person with an eye for detail and color. I was looking for a creative outlet and a business that would let me incorporate these qualities. I opened an Etsy shop in April of 2017 and Lauren Yvonne Design was born. My original designs were all DIY, meaning that I just revise the wording on the invitations and the couples took the digital files to print on their own. I worked like this for about a year and felt like there was something still missing.

I love paper, color, texture, different print methods and just having the DIY designs was not satisfying the other side of my love of creating, the tactile part. So, in March of this year, I completely changed my product line to printed invitations with a handful of DIY suites. I LOVE being able to work with all the color, textures and materials that paper mills and print houses have to offer. I’ve printed on wood, hand painted on some suites and added gold leaf to others. The endless possibilities keep me going and creating new and unusual designs for couples who desire unique wedding invitations. I truly love what I do and enjoy working with couples locally and all over the country.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I create semi-custom and custom wedding stationery for couples who desire invitations that capture their unique wedding style and vision. I get so excited every time I am approached by a new client. Each wedding suite has its own message and that is to convey the story of the couple and what how extraordinary their wedding day will be. Wedding invitations are the first thing guests see and they set the mood for the wedding. Each couple is special and their stationery should reflect that. My goal is to work with each client on a personal level and create something that will excite their guests the moment they open the envelope.

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Every artist is different and I don’t think the role has changed over time. There will always be artists who create for the love of beauty, some who create to make a political statement and some who just create for deep personal reasons. World and local events don’t really affect my art. My work is based on concepts that are aesthetically pleasing to others. Whether I create for myself or a client, it is always for the visual appeal.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Most of my semi-custom wedding suites are available in my Etsy shop: https://etsy.me/2qDlvLc. My website is a labor of love a still under construction. I’m hoping to launch by December or January. I can be found on social media (@laurenyvonnedesign), especially Instagram, and new work is posted there as I receive professional photos from weddings and styled shoots. I am always happy to accommodate custom inquiries and answer any questions via email.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laurenyvonnedesign.com
• Phone: 857-256-0974
• Email: hello@laurenyvonnedesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenyvonnedesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenyvonnedesign/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenyvonnedes
• Other: https://etsy.me/2qDlvLc

Image Credit:
Jade Min Photography
Tony George Photography
MaeWood Photography
Ashly Arts

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