Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Cornman.
Laura, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been a very multi-disciplinary artist and since childhood I’ve been interested in craft, figuring out for myself how things are made and how to make things non-traditionally with whatever is available. I started college in Painting and Figure Studies, then moved to Graphic Design, and finally ended in a sort of multi-disciplinary sculpture emphasis, focused primarily on fine-woodworking.
I graduated with a BFA in 2010 from the Biola University Art Department. Post-college, I worked for myself as a freelance artist and fine-woodworker taking on a wide variety of commission work from bookcases, coffee tables and beds to large format sculptural pieces. With student loan payback schedules looming, I eventually took a full-time job as a warehouse laborer for a major industrial supplier and continued to use my free time to work out my creativity in painting, weaving, sewing, woodworking, etc.
After noticing the ongoing industrial-modern trend of concrete use in furniture and home design, I began to wonder if concrete could be used to create more refined and delicate, classically modern home goods. So, I began researching concrete and mold-making techniques and used all of my free time experimenting and taking copious notes on my findings. Eventually, after a full year of somewhat obsessive curiosity and experimentation, all of that time and research payed off when I de-molded my first truly successful pieces; a concrete rimmed dinner plate and a set of thin-walled concrete nesting bowls.
Excited by the possibilities of using concrete to create refined, thin-walled and useful objects for the home, I began making concrete pots in white and shades of gray to replace all of the terra cotta pots in my home. People began asking where they could buy my pieces and I realized that I was on to something and I launched SETTLEWELL in the Spring of 2016.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Oh it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, there are always struggles. I have the sense that no matter who you are, no matter what stage of life, you will always run into or feel constrained by the roadblocks of time, space or money – especially when starting or running a small business. I think we can always find a way to blame those things for why we haven’t started or grown or done something we say we want to do.
That’s why I named my company SETTLEWELL. I was leaning into the idea that doing the most with whatever you DO have rather than focusing on what you DON’T have is how you create the life you want; it’s how you stop living in a space of constraint, blame and discontentment and start living in a space of freedom, creativity and empowerment.
When I started SETTLEWELL, I had a full time and extremely physically demanding job. I was pouring concrete in the back of my kitchen – not an ideal space for pouring concrete – early each morning before work and late into the night each day after work. I was using my work breaks and lunch breaks to answer emails, work on pricing structures, write product descriptions and create line sheets. I struggled a lot with wishing I had more time and also not feeling quite ready to give up the security of a full-time job and a steady paycheck. On one hand, I really loved my job and felt extremely energized by the feeling that I was operating at full-steam productively, doing the absolute most I possibly could.
But, on the other hand, I was beginning to hit the limit of what I could accomplish in my time outside of work and started to see the shift coming where my business might not be able to grow at a healthy pace unless I took the leap. I set some very concrete goals for myself personally and financially but when I reached them, it still took me about six months to gather the courage to take the leap and quit my job. I didn’t have funding or investors or even a real business plan, and on top of producing all of my products myself from scratch, I also did my own design work, packaging, website, logo, etc.
From the very beginning, I’ve felt constrained and very aware of my limits – which is a pretty vulnerable place to be – but I think that learning to operate creatively as an artist inside of a set of constraints and restrictions can actually serve and activate the creative process by initiating what can be a really joyful exploration of creative problem solving which ultimately opens and holds space for creativity to thrive.
The best advice that I could give to young women just starting their journey is: Start. Start with whatever you have. Don’t wait for some idealized time or space in the future. Exercise your creativity with whatever is available to you – give yourself the space and permission to experiment and follow your curiosity.
We’d love to hear more about SETTLEWELL.
SETTLEWELL is a Long Beach-based Concrete Home Goods Company. SETTLEWELL is best known for Modern Indoor Planters and Concrete Candles in my signature Grayscale Gradient along with Two-Tone, Flip and Multi-Tone variations. My line is meant to make minimal and artful modernism accessible through curated design, and intentionally monochromatic color palette and the thought-provoking use of concrete to create refined, nuanced home goods and tableware.
I’m a one-woman operation and all of my pieces are hand made by me personally in my studio in Long Beach, California. Each of the pieces are Cast-Concrete and are poured in my own handmade molds. I make all of my molds from hand-carved positives. As an artist, designer and maker, I really value the fact that every part of the process from conception to production is completely self-generated and handmade. In today’s world there are so many easily accessible short-cuts; design out-sourcing, 3-D printed molds, mass production and manufacturing. It’s easier than ever before to source cheap product, slap branding on it and mark it up with huge margins. I find a lot of pride in the authenticity and care that goes into designing, carving, molding, pouring, sanding, sealing and packing each and every piece by hand.
When starting SETTLEWELL, my primary objective was to push the boundaries of concrete and stand apart from other companies working with concrete by pouring more dynamically and thinly than anyone else. Of all the things I make I’m most proud of my Concrete Jars with threaded tops and lids. Functional threading is very thin and requires significant strength to hold up under continued use. For my jars to be functional, useful and made of concrete feels like a huge accomplishment. I launched my Concrete Candle Collection in my Concrete Jars in November of 2017, and they’ve been a best seller ever since!
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I do think that there are still a significant number of cultural stereotypes that perpetuate the idea that women are required to choose between career and family. But, I think that work/life balance is a human struggle and a conversation that is or should be relevant to leaders and business owners of both genders. While there certainly is a significant gender gap in female leadership at the top levels of many industries, I think that it is a shifting landscape and there are so many incredible female leaders to look up to or draw inspiration from, especially in small business, design and craft.
Personally, I feel fortunate to be living and working in a time and space in Southern California, where I am surrounded by an incredibly strong community of female business owners, leaders, artists and makers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.settlewell.com/
- Email: laura@settlewell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/settlewell
Image Credit:
Artist Photo by Celina Kenyon
Product Photos by Laura Cornman
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