Ivy Leaves Journal of Literature & Art — Vol. 86

L AU R EN G R EI N ER Sometimes, Lauren combines her work in painting and drawing with her other major, Graphic Design. Lauren sees the two majors as complementary. “I’m not limited to one set of skills,” she says. In one of her typography projects, she was able to marry the two fields. When she created a typeface with a slightly Celtic curve to the letters, she dubbed it “Seamus,” a common Celtic name, and illustrated the typeface with a drawing of an Irishman and an Irish Setter. Before long, she was creating stories for herself about the man and his dog.

Undertaking two art majors has often been difficult, Lauren says, but she adds with conviction that, given a choice, she would not change her decision: she is glad she did it. “You have to know what you want to do and pursue it,” she says. Often, she says, other people discourage students from pursuing art because they believe it will not earn a living. Lauren says that there are, in fact, many opportunities to practice art; Lauren herself hopes to become an illustrator. Regardless, Lauren sees art as her calling. “I was bound and determined to become an artist,” she says, “starving or otherwise.”

Since coming to Anderson, Lauren has quite literally left her mark on the studio where she works. Amidst the myriad of paint splatters decorating the floor, she points to a row of orange splotches and claims them as her own. When she graduates in August, Lauren will leave the speckled floor behind, but she will carry with her the experience of four years—of professors who pushed her and who helped her think in new ways.