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

Hi Lauren, what do you attribute your success to?
The success of my brand/business was based on following 3 principles. These are:

1. Time is of the essence.
2. Pay attention to detail.
3. Always follow the “Golden Rule”.

These 3 things assured success for me in my career and the development of my business. Never allow dissatisfaction with a customer. If they aren’t happy, fix it immediately, no matter what it takes or what it costs you. You cannot buy a good reputation for your business. You have to build it, and one unhappy customer can ruin it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I built my art studio in 2005 and started painting in 2006. I bought a lot of inexpensive acrylic paint and started painting on canvases and boards. My work consisted of a few landscapes and many abstract works. I also began the practice of putting any left over paint from my palette on random boards in my studio. These soon would develop into new abstract paintings over time. I call these works, “paint catchers”. For the next 8 years I did not show my work to anyone. Then in 2014 I put some signs on the street by my studio that said “Art Sale”. The first person who showed up was a well known photographer, who looked at my work and said to me “you are very talented”. I told her that I had not shown my work to anyone before so I had no idea if I was producing anything that was art that anyone would like. A week later she got me my first show and now 19 years after starting my art career, I’ve had shows of my work in Denver, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Miami and Marfa Texas. In 2015 as I transitioned to female, I began painting women’s faces. Having done hundreds of these paintings we published a book of some of these in 2024. I now donate 100% of the money from the sale of my art to Girls Inc. of Santa Fe. My brand, Lauren Snyder Art has a mission to elevate the life of girls and women to help build a better world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I formerly lived in Greenwood Village Colorado but moved to Santa Fe New Mexico in 2015. When friends visit I like to take them hiking in the Santa Fe National Forest which is just minutes away from my home. Then take a driving trip to the Rio Grand Gorge outside Taos New Mexico and then lunch in Taos.
On another day we’d drive 30 minutes from Santa Fe to Madrid New Mexico, a tiny former mining town, now an arts and hippie enclave. We’d have lunch there at The Mineshaft Saloon.
Next a day trip to Albuquerque to have lunch with an artist friend who lives there. We’d eat lunch there at Flying Star.
Then spend several days in Santa Fe exploring the many art museums and art galleries. And of course we spend some time walking around the plaza and have lunch at the San Francisco Street Bar and Grill.
On Saturday we would visit the Santa Fe Farmers Market and Site Santa Fe in the Railyard District.
And if it were summer, we would go to the nightly outdoor music concerts on the plaza

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
At at age 12 I starting working by delivering prescriptions for a pharmacy on my bike after school. At the same time I opened a savings account at a local Savings and Loan with $10. And I never stopped saving. That $10 is still growing 64 years later.
I’ve always relied on mentors to guide me in my life and career. The first one was a man named Alan Brown who pushed me into a leadership role at Acid Rescue, a drug crisis hotline that I ran back in the 1970’s.
The next to men who elevated my real estate career were the late Michael Litz and Myron Klevens. These 2 taught me everything that built my career in real estate and building renovation.
And my latest mentor is Jennifer Esperanza who discovered me as an artist and launched my art career.

Website: https://Laurensnyderart.com

Instagram: Laurensnyderart and Just.laurenslife

Facebook: Lauren Snyder

Image Credits
Shot of Lauren in studio by Lynn Paulson.
Logo created by AnnMarie Cutler.
Portrait face painting photo by Jamie Hart.

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