Lauren Sebastian's Story
Born in London, Lauren spent the majority of her childhood growing up in a large 'tribe' of gorgeous souls by the seaside in Kent, UK. She later found her spiritual home with soulmate Graham in the wild, sandy, magical gloriousness of Cornwall.
After spending several years 'enjoying the fruits' of Andalucia in spain <<< Lauren creating artwork inspired by the awesome beauty there; and Graham learning the art of flamenco and classical guitar making in the Granada style from Master Luthier, Stephen Hill >>> they eventually returned to beautiful 'Kernow' with some big plans to bring to life!
The adventure continued in the uk; they opened an Emes Guitars workshop and The Art of Lauren studio in bustling St Ives, Cornwall (both established in Winter 2015). Exciting times ensued, not least including the arrival of their beautiful daughter in 2017! life has since settled and expanded further because they bought a lovely old cottage and relocated to Voguebeloth, Illogan. Lauren and Graham took the plunge and also built a brand new, shared, custom workshop on Hillcrest farm behind their home for Emes Guitars and The Art of Lauren called HUMMINGBIRD HOUSE. It is a dream come true for the dynamic duo and their little girl, to be once again working side by side, creating wonderful guitars, ukuleles and art. Follow the magic here and on social media...
Having gained a BA Fine Art Degree in 2000, Lauren went on to work in the UK Public, Education and Creative & Cultural Sectors. In the early days, she went from Arts Assistant for Library Galleries to Learning & Creativity Officer (associated with Creative Partnerships Kent) to Co-Director and Head of Programmes & Development at Future Creative (Community Interest Company). The winding path of delving deeply into the nature of learning, creativity and well-being definitely informed Lauren's interest in what it means to be authentically happy and true-to-ones-self. After re-evaluating her core priorities, ethics, hopes and dreams, she came to realise it was time to honour her personal inner calling and somehow integrate everything she had learned.
In summer 2009, Lauren and Graham took a leap of faith and fully pursued their creative dreams. Each and every one of us deserves to explore our innate creativity and take courageous, heart-centred steps into the realm of possibility. Ultimately, this is how we make a positive contribution to our communities and the wider world.
Lauren's paintings and illustrations reside in various places e.g. Australia, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Sweden, America, Canada and the UK. Lauren delights in being a full-time Artist Illustrator, Writer and 'Bliss Whisperer' ~ now based in the artistic & cultural hub of West Cornwall, UK.
Lauren believes the expression of our creativity is one of the most profound keys to abiding happiness and well-being. A brilliant opportunity spurred her on in this endeavour when she was invited by Keidi Keating to contribute a chapter to THE LIGHT (a book of wisdom first published by The Light Network).
Simply click on the Light Book to discover more about this special book of wisdom presented by Keidi Keating. Lauren is thrilled to be one of 22 contributors to The Light, and has written THE DIVINE ARTIST chapter in this brilliant compilation!