Bold Journey Interview
Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Shrewsbury. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Laura , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Oh, I’m still very much a work in progress! Haha! I think that everything we do in life is an outward manifestation of a facet of our interior world. Of our hearts and souls. From our personal style, to home decor, to the books we choose to read and the food we put into our bodies.
My parents, while being lovely and well-meaning people, were much older. My father was 8 years old when WWI began. He was 20 years old at the beginning on the Great Depression. My mother was a little girl during WWII in Glasgow, Scotland. She ran from the nightly Nazi air raids with her family. They had both experienced extremely traumatic scarcity in their lifetimes, so it’s not surprising that they had a laser-like focus on material gain.
I was actively encouraged to ignore and minimize my artistic skills. I was lectured over and over again not to become “a starving artist.” While everyone else around me marveled at my abilities, I just kept on pushing it down and to the side. According to my parents, it wasn’t good enough. And as my artistic abilities were a reflection of my interior landscape, I quickly understood the rejection of that as I wasn’t good enough. And that really did some damage.
So my process of developing confidence and self-esteem has been actively choosing to deconstruct everything I was taught. To rewrite the script. To challenge everything my family held dear, and to fully stand in my power as an artist and designer-maker. And in doing so, I’ve been set on fire with this overwhelming rush to just create as much as possible. I love it. In coming to this place of understanding that my folks were doing the best they could with the hand that life had dealt them, I’ve been able to release a lot of anger and view their influence with compassion and love.
In the meantime, I just turned 55 and I feel like I’ve just started. I’ve finally arrived. It’s a nice feeling.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have a love affair with all things darkly glamorous and slightly dangerous, and I direct that passion into everything I make.
Weapon of Choice by Laura Shrewsbury brings you to the sharp edge of fashion. My focus is on creating beautiful, hand-made accessories and jewelry with symbolic or spiritual meaning, rather than the empty pursuit of the latest trends. Slow fashion. Craftsmanship. And lots of love.
It’s my hope that your purchase of wearable art helps you express your individuality and personal aesthetic. If what we wear and choose to adorn ourselves with helps us feel more truly ourselves, then it’s my honor to help you look great, and feel confident and happy being the truest version of yourself!
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?
Empty your cup! Don’t approach life with an attitude of “I already know everything.” Leave all that outside the door when you go to work everyday. I don’t care how long you’ve been doing something, there is always an opportunity to learn something new. I’ve been sewing professionally for 30+ years now, and I’m constantly reminded of how much I don’t know! Once you can learn to embrace how much the mundane can become a new daily adventure, you’re in the right mindset for the really exciting stuff to start happening.
Follow Bruce Lee’s advice! He once said, ““If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.” I am a chronic over-thinker. This helps me to just go for it.
If you are a young artist, designer, or aspiring to work in any aspect of art or decor, feed your brain! Rather than focusing on your own tiny corner of the world, become curious about the macro. Learn every possible thing you can….really dig in and experiment with your chosen mediums. Look at the history of art and decor throughout the centuries, across a variety of cultures. Understand why and how things happened, shifted, and changed. Because in doing so, you will be effectively building an internal database that will serve as a foundation for the rest of your life.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’d love to collaborate with established and upcoming fashion designers and create jewelry and accessory collections for their lines. I’m a big believer in the positive transformational power of fashion, music, and spirituality, and it would be glorious to be part of a creative team who share my values and worldview!
The best way to reach me is through my website, www.WeaponofChoicebyLauraShrewsbury.com, or via email at wocLauraShrewsbury@gmail.com
Contact Info:
Instagram: weaponofchoice_laurashrewsbury
Image Credits
Titus Childers Photography and Brian Spenser Photography for Weapon of Choice by Laura Shrewsbury