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Denise Laurin

Focus:

All Creativity, Avoiding Professional Burn-out, Creativity as a way of life, Self Employment in the

 

Business Name:

Make a Great Living Creatively

 

Location:

Arverne, New York. United States

 

E-mail:

deniselaurin@comcast.net

Web Site:

http://makealivingcreatively.com

Philosophy:

Every one has great creative potential. I help individuals recover the innate creativity we all have as children, but goes underground somewhere along the way. Our creativity is integrally connected to our true and authentic selves. I help you discover ways you can keep it alive in your daily life despite life’s distractions and responsibilities, and make the expression of the true and authentic self the foundation of a deep and meaningful life.

 

Methods of Working:

I work one-on-one with clients (coaching fees can be found on my website), either in person, by phone and e-mail, depending on individual needs. Workshops and teleconferencing with small groups of creatives are also part of my offering.

 

Specializations:

One of my main passions is helping individuals establish themselves as self-employed creatives. I have been self-employed successfully for over twenty-three years, and worked with David Goodman and Robert Wright, nationally recognized creative businesses consultants. Over the course of my career, I attended many workshops on business and have given presentations on the subject to college students and professional groups. My experience is in the visual arts, but my knowledge applies to creative businesses of all kinds.

 

Individual Services:

Business start-up consulting, personal creativity enhancement; ways to wow: presenting your work; support on specific projects or achieving goals; 

creativity and spirituality; environmental responsibility in the field of design; customizing your career path; Life transitions: from corporate to creative

 

Workshops:

Make a Great Living Creatively: This seminar is designed for individuals working in graphic design, industrial design, drafting or fine art endeavors who struggle with maintaining a satisfying balance between keeping their creative soul alive and keeping their bank account in good order. 

Living Creatively: It doesn't really matter what we do in life unless we identify the light within us and allow that light to shine. In this one-day workshop, discover ways to keep your creativity alive on a daily basis, despite life's demands, distractions and responsibilities.

 

Talks:

How to Keep Your Creative Soul Alive in the Soulless World of Business: a discussion of techniques to avoid or overcome the effects of burn out for creative professionals and students; living a balanced life. 

Infusing Creativity and Passion into Our Business Ventures: a discussion of how to keep passion alive in business. 

Make a Great Living Creatively: Condensed version of above full day workshop 

Living Creatively: Condensed version of above full day workshop 

The Business Side of Graphic Design: Tips for earning a great living creatively. 

Fashion in Art History: A fun art historical trip through fashion 

The Business of Art through the Lens of Art History: a look into the professional lives of great artists such as daVinci, Michelangelo, Rubens and Rembrandt. Was making a living creatively easy for them just because they were great?

 

Classes:

Oil painting

Observational Drawing 

Adobe Illustrator 

Adobe Photoshop

Retreats:

Living Creatively—A Retreat for Busy Moms 

Are you last on your priority list? This program is designed as a mini-retreat to get you back in touch with your self through creative exercises, journaling, and group discussion. Rediscover your creativity and learn how to keep it alive on a daily basis despite life's demands, distractions and responsibilities. Location: James Pate Philip State Park, Bartlett, IL, Friday, January 23 2009.

 

Training and Experience:

1985-present Principle Designer and Owner, Denise Laurin Visual Art, Inc: provide graphic design and project management from concept to final production on a wide range of internal and external communication initiatives for companies such as Baxter International, Kraft, U.S. Foodservice, and McDonald’s. Projects include multi-page publications, trade show display design, packaging, identity, and collateral. Responsibilities encompass art direction, visual strategy, design development, client contact, project management, staff management, supplier management, budget management, tight deadlines, electronic preparation and marketing. 

2002-Present, Professor of Design, Digital Design, Drawing and Art History, Westwood College of Technology, Elgin Community College, and Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. 

Speaker: 2008 Self Employment in the Arts Conference, Lisle, Illinois 

Introduction to Creativity Coaching, Creativity Coaching Association, 2008 

Education 
Master of Arts, Art History, Northern Illinois University, 1980 

Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art and Art History, Northern Illinois University, 1977 

Emphasis on visual communication, photography and art history 

Attended the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL Fall Semester, 1973 

Continuing Education InDesign, Digital Boot Camp, January 2006
Advanced Photoshop, Skillpath, August 2005
Power Point, Skillpath, October 2005
Creativity Workshop, Loire Valley, France, September 2000 
Dynamic Graphics Educational Foundation, Peoria, IL: Workshops in
Print Production; 
The Business Side of Graphic Design, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Web Design, 1990-2001

 

Publications:

Special Recognition
Woman of the Year, 
Women in Design/ Chicago, 1993

Referenced in Green at Work: Finding a Business Career that Works for the Environment, by Susan Cohn, as a result of ongoing publication design for Baxter’s Office of Environmental Affairs. 

Referenced in The Guerilla Marketing Handbook for the design of a postcard to promote mammography, that resulted in a 300% increase for a Chicago area hospital.

 

Pricing:

Please see my website at http://www.makealivingcreatively.com for full details

 

Availability:

I am currently taking new individual coaching clients; I have ten openings for a teleconferencing group; I am planning a full-day workshop/retreat in Bartlett, Illinois for February 2009 on professional burn-out. Please contact me directly for more details. deniselaurin@comcast.net

 

Additional Comments:

My style evolved from the many experiences I have had in business. I work from a place of compassion and loving kindness to create a safe environment for you to bring forth your creativity, or to heal experiences that keep you from joyful creating.

Still have questions? See our Creativity Coach FAQ's
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