Meet Delia LaJeunesse | Art Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Delia LaJeunesse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Delia, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I have a few health… particularities, let’s call them, that have demanded that I live in response to my body. For a long time this felt endlessly frustrating to me. But in the last several years I’ve decided to embrace this, to let it be a source of wisdom. This has allowed my business and to be a feminine structure and design, and I believe that has made all the difference for me.

So in my business (and all of life) I am really big on listening to my body and taking direction from my intuition. This means I do not keep regular business hours, I am highly flexible on due dates, and have set up my work life so that I can bounce between tasks whenever I feel like it. I let myself work in cycles. I have weeks of high productivity, and weeks of reflection and receptivity.

It also means if I feel that something does not speak to me or my vision, I throw it out without too much hesitation or guilt. This took working on by the way. I think women in business in particular can feel obligated to say yes with enthusiasm to everything. Retraining myself to turn things down has clarified and focused my work. I do not take every opportunity that crosses my path, I narrow down and let my energy go where it most wants to go.

This all sounds a little woo woo. In practice it’s really not. It’s just being direct with others, and responsive to my own weather system, if you will. I have become sensitive to when I feel dread around a task and I push it back to a later date. This isn’t laziness, it’s a knowledgeable resistance to a task. I might not understand why I don’t want to do something, but I have always found that if I delay it, I clarify. I either find a new energy for it later, or I realize it is not going to be useful to me or my business.

This has helped me avoid burnout. It has helped me stay in line with what I am trying to do in my business. It has helped me escape activities or requests that waste my time and are helping no one.

I think we need to feel well in whatever we are doing. For me this means being totally willing to stop a day of work at 12pm because I just do not feel like it, and not putting pressure on myself to do double the next day. It also means I sometimes allow myself to get up from bed at 6am and go straight to work because I feel inspired, even though people say to take your mornings slowly. Being in the habit of listening to my physical body and ignoring what corporate America is doing when, has been instrumental in getting me where I am today.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my company because I realized that the gatekeepers of the art world have failed, and I can see the negative impact of this on our society.

Subvert Art Consulting seeks to help folks who are brand new to art collecting navigate the art market and find pieces for their homes that they really connect with. By offer snob-free education and truly meeting my clients where they are at, I am able to facilitate a culture of new art collectors who are engaged and empowered to do it differently.

The reality is, most people still do not feel comfortable around art. Societally we hold a perception of art as elitist, exclusionary and out of reach. Yet the arts make us human, and if people across the board cannot connect with art, then art is not doing what it has the potential to do.

Artists are the meaning makers. They shape culture, allow us to process the world, become better versions of ourselves, and point us toward our potential as a society. In short, art connects us to our humanity. Learning how to appreciate art is necessary and can lead to a more enriching, vibrant and fulfilling life.

So I thought what better place to address this pervasive discomfort with art than in the home, in the place people feel most at ease by empowering clients to develop private art collections. Living with art leads to better living. And finding that art is a lot more accessible than people perceive it to be.

My company rejects the exclusive, and inaccessible establishments of the art world. We are subverting art collecting by pushing against the barriers to entry, creating transparency, and equipping folks with the tools and practices to experience the profound benefits of living with art. This surge of new art collectors is how we redress the failings of the art world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I can’t help but to direct people to art.

So I always recommend the MCA. I think that museum does such a wonderful job of curating exhibits. And their rooftop bar is just a lovely place to take in the city. From there a walk along the Platte, and a visit to BRDG gallery. Carbon for an afternoon coffee.

I insist people visit RedLine. This is my favorite art spot in the city. I urge people to not just see whatever they have up on the walls, but to wander into the artist studios, to get curious, ask questions. Everyone here is super friendly and wants to engage with you. Then, take a two minute walk to Jubilee coffee if you want a sweet spot to reflect on the experience.

If my visitors are in luck there’s an event happening at the Evans School—a stunning building that hosts a variety of art events that never disappoint, and a lovely place to watch the sun set over the city.

I love a walk around Wash Park and the surrounding neighborhoods. The houses here are enticing and the neighborhood feels serene to walk through. Walk in the direction of South Gaylord for that delicious bakery Devil’s Food. Or a marg at Perdida. Or both?

K Contemporary and Walker Fine Art are two galleries I adore. Their art is always interesting and the gallerists at both spots are lovely people to talk to. Otherwise, avoid downtown.

Instead skip over to Joy Hill for a relaxed, sunny rooftop with phenomenal pizza, great drinks and a genuinely kind staff.

And then close out the trip with a stroll down Colfax and a visit to my new favorite restaurant Benzina.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love this question. I am an incredibly fortunate person and have so many people around me who fill me up every single day. I feel endlessly supported by the people in my life—from family to friends, colleagues to rock climbing partners, strangers to my partner. They ask me good questions, redirect me, help me stay true to my visions. Each of my friends and family have been so critical in pushing me forward and hyping me up. These are the people who have given me books at the exact moment I needed them, the people who call B.S. on my doubts and hesitations, who check me, who comfort me.

So, a lot of people to credit, but let me focus on one for a moment. People might hate what I’m about to say…. For reasons wildly unknown to me, I think I needed a partner in order to make my visions a reality. A disclaimer, I loved being single, I think being coupled does not need to be the goal. At all. But my partner has been so necessary in pushing me into my potential.

In the most subtle ways he has kept me steady, focused, and optimistic. Running a business can be lonely, and overstimulating, and destabilizing. Having a committed, solid partner by my side has allowed me to take risks and try hard in a way I wouldn’t before we met. So, a lot of people have gotten me here. But Jared has been the grounded force in my life that has really helped my business expand into a fuller version and vision.

Website: sbvrt.org

Instagram: sb.vrt