Meet Marsha Lane Foster | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marsha Lane Foster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marsha Lane, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was teenage Mom and homemaker when my children were small. When they went to school I ventured into the work force. Although I am an intelligent person, the opportunities for me were limited with no education past high school and childcare needs. I was fortunate to be hired at a bank where I moved up quickly and that served as my education in a “test by fire” sort of situation. Even though I liked my bank positions, I have always dreamed of doing something that I was passionate about. I know now it’s the only way I can propsper. I dreamed and prayed and dreamed some more until I purchased a camera as a gift for myself in 2002. Since I was a child I have always loved images and especially ones with lots of words or narrative attached. Starting my own business was a way for me to do something that set my soul on fire. I didn’t know yet at the time my vision was larger than I realized. I also wanted to live life on my own terms and be my own motivator.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In 2010 I started my business “Freedom Dreamer Photography”. For 2-3 years I photographed anything anyone would pay me to, and a bunch of things I wasn’t paid to (volunteer and pro-bono type work).

I discovered Boudoir Photography (now called “Freedom Boudoir by Freedom Dreamer Photography or simply Freedom Boudoir”) in 2012 at a photography conference and decided to transition my studio to focus on Boudoir only, which is intimate, sexy imaging. At that time in my area, nobody was really doing this, so the reactions were mixed. I persevered and my business grew. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart! I promised myself if I could make it 5 years, I’d make it. And I did.
My Boudoir business started out with just women. Now it includes and I have photographed women, men, couples & same sex couples. I aim to create a safe space for people to have their photographs made no matter the genre I’m doing at the time.

I have set myself apart from the beginning by advertising intimate photography as a “personal development experience” as opposed to a gift for your partner or lover. The others in the area have now followed that path but back in the day my “experience” was novel in NW Arkansas. I also had a passion to improve the lives of women who were in or had been in domestically violent and controlling relationships. What I quickly learned was these women don’t have the disposable income to have an experience like this and allow me to be profitable in business. So, I moved the heavy lifting of healing deep wounds to my fine art practice. The result was a lighter and more fun experience in the boudoir studio. My boudoir clients do still work through strongholds during the process but overall I aim to provide a day of fun, luxury & escapism from daily responsibilities. I want to help women see their inner beauty by showing them their outer beauty, because that is the language we’ve been taught to understand in our society. I want to create images for women that become a touchstone to return to time and time again when their confidence is waning… a little reminder that you really do “have this” and you’re going to be alright.

2024 is my 14th year in business, with 12 of those years specializing in Boudoir. However, it wasn’t until 2015 that I really began viewing my work as ART, This is because this was the year I made my first truly “fine art”images with a project called “The Hostage Project”. This project focused on what holds women back or prevents them from prospering, from domestic violence to any situation women encounter because of being women.

Now, I call my fine art brand “Lane Foster Fine Art” to set it apart from my Boudoir brand. But, my fine art imaging could have never existed without the boudoir path. It taught me to pull the emotion out of people as I photograph them.

What I want people to know about my story and brands can be summed up in my overall artist satement:

I believe art heals hearts. It’s healed mine and countless others I’ve encountered on my journey.
I believe art saves lives. It’s saved mine and possibly even yours. I strive for my actions to reflect these cornerstones of my practice.
I transmute feelings into photographs. Through planning, visualization, and enacting their mental strongholds, my subjects explore their internal darkness and light. My projects are ultimately about putting broken people back together.
My art practice is socially engaged, focusing on emotional healing through conceptual photography. This healing radiates out concentrically from the models & subjects of my works, to myself, to the observer, patrons and to the collective ultimately serving to heal the 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 actually do this all the time!

Crystal Bridges in Downtown Bentonville is a must. So, we’d spend two days in Bentonville also visiting 21C Museum/Hotel and eating at “The Hive” restaurant in the hotel. We’d visit The Momentary too and spend time walking the trails around Compton Gardens between 21C & Crystal Bridges.

We’d have a Downtown Rogers day too and visit all the shops including The Art Collective Gallery where my work hangs. Coffee at Iron Horse Coffee or Onyx and lunch or dinner at Yeyo’s or Blu Sushi would be in order. A walk from downtown and around Lake Atalanta is always beautiful. We’d have a paired drink and a cigar at Black Crown Social.

A Fayetteville day would be on Saturday where we’d visit the best Farmer’s Market anywhere on the Fayetteville Square in the morning. Lunch at Hugo’s and dinner on Dickson St. at Bordino’s or Doe’s Steakhouse.

Website: freedomdreamerphoto.com

Instagram: freedomboudoir

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshafoster/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marshalfoster

Image Credits
These are all examples of my fine art photogrpahy work. I hold the copyright on all.