LAUREN & MELISSA - MIIMI & JIINDA
ON USING CREATIVITY AND BUSINESS TO HEAL PAST TRAUMA.
How do you use creativity and business as a vehicle to heal yourself and heal others?
In this episode we’re speaking to two proud First Nations women, the mother and daughter artist duo Lauren and Mellissa, who have created the brand Miimi & Jiinda. Lauren was a child of the stolen generation and continues to work through this trauma, alongside her daughter, using traditional painting and basket weaving. This allows her to express her indigenous heritage and reconnect with country. Melissa realised an opportunity to share her Mum’s art with the world, and encouraged her to turn her passion into a business.
When an exciting opportunity came up to showcase their art on The Block, the duo went from artists to CEOs overnight.
You’ll learn:
How Lauren & Melissa went from artists to CEOs overnight, after their work appeared on hit TV show The Block
How they secured a dream partnership with Adairs
The challenges with scaling an art business, and how they’ve built processes to help them grow
Why they believe it’s important to give yourself time and space for creativity to flourish
Why they’re an example that anything is possible, even when there are huge personal and systemic obstacles in the way
We hope you enjoyed this conversation – for more podcast action follow us on Instagram @lady.brains, or sign up to our monthly newsletter at www.ladybrains.com
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“We’re not focusing on the trauma and the atrocities of the past. It’s about celebrating our culture, focusing on the positives and helping to heal ourselves and pass on the beautiful culture that we’re so passionate about. ”
“We were suffering at home, with Mum being a single mom, raising three children and not having a lot of money in the bank. There were a lot of struggles with that, and also with the trauma that my Mum had gone and is still going through. So, I acted out a lot in school, I was punished a lot and always in detention. In year 10, my teacher said to me, Melissa, why don’t you just drop out of school and go and get a job? Years later, I went back to my hometown and bumped into her. When I told her, she was gobsmacked. ”
“I just couldn’t foresee running my own business, just because of the struggles we had growing up. It’s hard to imagine when you haven’t seen it around you within your family environment, or even in your friendship groups. I couldn’t see how it was going to be possible, but I was always very driven. I knew that I’d get there one day, but I just couldn’t say how. ”
“I grew up with Mum, with paintings from floor to ceiling. Our house was covered with baskets and fibres everywhere. Every time I moved away from home, I’d come back and there’d be piles more paintings. But Mum never had the confidence to get out there and sell anything. That’s when a light bulb went off. I thought, come on Mum! Let’s get your artwork out into the world. ”
“As soon as The Block aired, we couldn’t believe it. Instagram started going up, and the sales started coming through. And honestly, [that print] is still selling. It’s so popular, people just connect with it. I think it holds all of that beautiful energy. Everything we wanted to instil in the business, it’s in that painting. ”
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