Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Morris.
Hi Laura, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I believe that everyone is creative. All of our ideas and dreams start with a spark of creativity. Even as a young child, I was always taking everyday art and flipping it on its head, daring to try new creative things to see what would happen. That desire to play, learn, and explore just never went away. In fact, I think it’s gotten worse!
As I began to age, as we all do, I noticed that art and creativity started to slip away from the world around me. Things became increasingly more “adult” and just flat-out boring. And I just won’t stand for it.
Creativity doesn’t just belong to the children, it belongs to everyone and is in everyone. It is something that is so beautifully human. We love to explore and try new things, even as adults.
My favorite part of my job is when my clients start to get excited about thinking creatively. We all have it in us, and we use our creativity a lot more than we realize, especially individuals who own their own businesses. Creativity and business actually go hand in hand, for it takes a creative thought to even start a business. At my creative agency, I help people pull all of those creative ideas together into something tangible that really shows the world who they are and what they are doing. I might be the one putting the brand together and drawing the logo, but it truly is the business owners’ creative ideas and dreams that put the power behind what I do.
My mission in life is to use my creative gifts as a force for good. To encourage others to embrace their own unique creativity. I hope to inspire people to try new things and be boldly themselves.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am an adoptee. While I have a loving and wonderful adoptive parents, they never fully understood my creative nature and were usually confused by why I did what I did…they were a little confused by me in general actually and sometimes didn’t really know what to do with me. I would often get the head-tilt-with-one-eye-brow-raised look as I performed elaborate self-produced musicals in the living room while wearing a poorly self-made costume. I was loud and bold; I could turn an empty toilet paper roll into an art project. Everything was art and had the potential to be so much more than it seemed. I was a tornado of paint and glitter.
Living in my own creative kaleidoscope while being raised in a very religious straight-laced environment, was lonely. My creative outlets became more restrictive as the expectations from the religious organization that my family was prominent in mounted higher. I’ll be the first to admit, the pressure to make others happy and to feel like you belong can make you turn your back on even the things that you love. From my late teens into my early adulthood, I felt that immense pressure to leave creativity behind and to pursue more realistic endeavors. My world fell into monotone. The color slowly drained and the sound muffled as I began my very long battle with depression which included an attempt at my own life. There’s a whole story here, a long one, a dramatic one…but we’ll skip to the good part.
I found my way back to myself. A privilege that so many who have battled their own internal demons never get to do. It started small, it took time. One color at a time actually. I made peace with myself and found a balance that has allowed me to turn my creative tornado into a force for good that feeds my soul and supports the beautiful community around me.
There have been other struggles. For instance, I started a photography business that fell flat on its face. I was at one point a teen mom who struggled with homelessness. Last year I found my long-lost birth father who didn’t even know I existed.
Should we start a list?
Life is full of obstacles, but they don’t matter. It’s what you do with the obstacle that matters. You don’t get to control every aspect of your life, only how you react to it. The hits will come, but never stop swinging back.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Design Aesthetic is a creative agency with a focus on supporting small businesses. We provide all of the creative touches that every business needs in order to be strategic, communicate effectively, and look professional. Our comprehensive approach pulls together branding, design, videography, photography, marketing, and advertising so that they can all work off of each other toward one common business goal. We are creative yet strategic, outside of the box yes focused. We believe that everything can be done differently without discarding the creative psychology that makes good creativity so lucrative for business. Why small business? Small business owners have to wear so many hats. I don’t even know if we could sit down and really count them all. One moment you are Head of Finance, the next second, you are a cashier, and then in the next second, you are the Janitor. Guess what gets forgotten first? You guessed it, all of the creative stuff. Fliers, ads, logos, banners, menus, packaging. It all matters so much, it could actually make or break a business. Yet it gets thought of last, sometimes not at all. We want to help.
In today’s online market, small businesses are having to compete with massive companies in the same playing field. So many business owners have amazing products and services that could outshine the competition, but bad design and poor marketing kill their business before it even has a chance to really be seen. We handle all of it so that the business owner can focus on what they love and we can focus on making it look amazing.
How do you think about luck?
I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t really believe in it, I guess. I’m luckier than some, not as lucky as others. I’ve worked harder than some, but not as hard as others. I’ve faced more challenges than some, but not as many as others. What role has a banana played in my life and business? Probably just as much as luck.
Contact Info:
- Website: design-aesthetic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedesignaesthetic_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theDesignAesthetic
Image Credits
Eva Creel Photography
