By Marcy Rosner
The purpose of creating art is self-expression. Through our mosaics, we are able to release feelings and emotions. It can be therapeutic and a stress reducer. Some artists are content creating for the pure enjoyment and have no need to share with others. However, for many of us this is not enough. We may need the financial support. Recognition and feedback from others may be fulfilling. Our own homes may be overrun with mosaics and we may have made gifts for all our friends. We want to continue to produce and buy supplies but don’t know what to do with all we make. Whatever our reasons for expanding our scope it can be difficult to make the leap. How do we turn our passion into a business?
MSoP member Laura Lyn Stern has been able to do it and shares how she began working with clients over 35 years ago, her insights into what has made her successful, what she finds most rewarding, and the challenges she faces.
Laura Lyn knew from a young age that she wanted to be an artist, although her parents were not in favor of her pursing art as a career. She studied textile design as an undergraduate and holds two master’s degrees in ceramics and sculptural design. She began making ceramic tiles when she no longer had the studio space for large projects. The question was how would she support herself doing something she loved and what additional skills did she need?
As well as developing technical and creative skills, one needs to know how to make a living as an artist. Laura Lyn believes that a business background is important for artists, an area lacking in art education. After graduation, she was fortunate to have been hired by several companies in Lancaster. These jobs gave her opportunity to learn a great deal about business while to expressing herself creatively and experimenting with new techniques. She began to gain notoriety. While working as a product designer at Wilton Armetale, her service piece collections were sold at stores including Bloomingdale’s. She also made production tiles for a company in Lancaster that were featured in several national magazines including Southern living and Veranda.
Laura Lyn expanded her horizons when she moved to Philadelphia about 27 years ago. While teaching art part time, she continued producing ceramic tiles. She worked with interior designers and sample tiles for kitchen places and contractors. Her business began to boom and she realized she was earning more money making tiles than teaching. Unfortunately, the recession hit. People were spending less on custom backsplashes and shopping more at Home Depot. However, they were buying more individual art. People were looking for quality wall pieces that were intentional and unique. She embraced the opportunity and changed her focus to suit the needs of the public. Laura Lyn has learned to tailor her business to what the market dictates. She continues to thrive making some very expensive and extravagant installations.
How did she acquire her client base? Laura Lyn believes marketing is an important skill and one of her strengths. Connections and exposure are key. After reading an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the tiles Laura Lyn made for her own kitchen, a client commissioned her to design a piece reminiscent of Monet’s Giverny. She has many
repeat customers. She has made other connections through galleries. Networking with other artists and professionals and joining organizations are also helpful. Her Rousseau mural was commissioned by a client who found her through MSoP.
When asked what the key to her success is, she said respect and a mutual relationship between herself and her client. Ego doesn’t come into it. It takes a certain personality and negotiation skills. When designing for someone else she must maintain a technical standard, but her pieces reflect the taste and interests those who are living with them daily. She spends a lot of time finding out what these preferences are, paying attention to the overall décor of their home, how they dress and what they do. Clients are active participants. She considers their conversations to be the most important thing as she gathers information. It easier for her to focus if the clients are very specific. One of her strengths is knowing the right questions to ask. After each work session, they are updated with drawings, pictures and her progress. If something is not to their liking, it can be changed immediately so nobody’s time is wasted. What is important is that the client is satisfied. Generally, once a good relationship has been established, there is little conflict as the clients trust her instincts and expertise. She is careful not to push in a direction they don’t want to go. She had one unfortunate experience 15 years ago when a contractor contacted her on behalf of a client who wanted something unique in his shower. The customer agreed to the plan even though it was not his usual style. He decided a year later he didn’t like the mosaic. There was nothing she could change at that point, and felt it was a beautiful piece. It just wasn’t his taste; it was the contractor’s idea and the customer never bought into it.
Compromise is often part of the process. Currently, she is melding together the two different visions of a couple. This will be her third installation in the home; the other two being a Monet themed kitchen backsplash and a floral themed large mirror and wall vases for their guest bathroom. She wants the new installation to be unique and interesting but there needs to continuity with the other rooms. The woman loves gardening and wants a floral arrangement. Her husband leans towards abstract art. Ultimately it will be some type of abstract flower arrangement so both parties feel like they have gotten what they wanted.
Laura Lyn welcomes challenges. No matter how difficult, she always tries to meet the client’s requirements. As she says, you never want to tell a client that you can’t do something. If she has never done it before, she figures out how to do it! It is a way for her to grow and add new skills.
The project seen in the accompanying pictures was challenging. It is a Rousseau inspired mural, a favorite artist of the client, installed on a terrace. The piece is truly personal. Again, gathering information was the first step. Laura Lyn asked questions such as “What elements do you like about the painting? “The client wanted very specific birds and plants, inclusion of a perfume bottle which is a symbol of the Minelle foundation where the client works, a face like ones on the front of her office building, and a replica of a sculpture on her terrace . Laura Lyn had intended to include a picture of the client, however, the client was uncomfortable with this part of the plan so it was replaced with something else. The client loves Isaiah Zagar’s mosaics and wanted the piece to in some way reflect her neighborhood art. To meet this request, Laura Lyn finished the edges with mirrored glass.
The most difficult part of this project was the installation on the terrace. The three wedi panels were made in studio and transported, finishing the grout on site. They needed to overlap, to connect onsite so the mural looked continuous. The mural was attached to a slotted fence. The spacing was critical because the panels had to interlock through the slats and align properly. The cut lines of the tiles needed to align with the slats and the three panels so there were lots of moving parts to consider! Thinset was used as for adhesive to attach tile. She mixed very little water into the grout so it was dense and almost clay like. It was perhaps the most complicated substrate she had worked on and special consideration was taken as it was an outdoor piece.
Often things that are the rewarding offer the most challenges. Laura Lyn loves the partnership with clients. The more input she gets from her clients, the more fun it is. The challenge is having all the pieces fit together in an aesthetic pleasing way that makes sense. There needs to be a balance between what client wants and likes and what will work. The client may not know what is technically or monetarily practical. The artist must know how to help the client understand viable options if their initial vision is not feasible. An appreciation of art is important, but Laura Lyn has found that sometimes it is harder to work with someone who has broader sense of art and is stuck on a specific idea. As long as she can create her own artwork with total control, she is content producing work that is more to a client’s taste than her own. Laura Lyn is hoping to retire from full time teaching in the near future. She is looking forward to refocusing attention on own art work and continuing to find a new market, working with interior designers on residential commissions.
Regardless of how and why we became mosaic artists we continue to produce because it fulfills our needs for self-expression and creativity. Challenges help us grow. Although our main goal may not be to sell our work or support ourselves financially, we all enjoy making others happy through our art. Praise and appreciation of our work is always encouraging. Being recognized for our accomplishments boosts our self – esteem. Knowing that our creation can bring enjoyment to someone’s life as it is looked at everyday in another home, makes us happy. Providing beauty and enriching lives through our art is a gift to hold in high regard.