Meet Mashanda Lazarus | Artist

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

Hi Mashanda, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Because I enjoy so many different kinds of art- illustration, sculpture, embroidery, fashion, crafts- I’ve felt like I had to compartmentalize these practices in order to market them. In design school we were encouraged to have a distinctive style for our illustrations, so that clients would know exactly what to expect. I graduated thinking it was a detriment to my career that I couldn’t choose just one specialty, but it has turned out to be an advantage for the types of jobs that I’ve had. I’ve learned to embrace all of my interests and to follow my inspiration, because I feel best when I’m not denying myself certain joys, but I feared having to justify my activities in order to sell my work. I realized that wouldn’t be a problem if I was my own boss.

Grody is just a little baby business that I’m honestly still overprotective of at this point, but I have big dreams about what it could become and I knew that eventually I would want my own brand that would encompass all of my creative endeavors, so why not now? Learning how to run a business as I go is uncomfortable for me, but the fear of feeling incompetent became less scary than the fear of never trying.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I began my career around 9 years old working with my mom who was going to school for graphic design. She would trade menu designs and holiday window paintings for food and gym memberships, often having me do the illustrations. At the time, when people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say “I’m already an artist, but I’d like to be an entomologist”. I was actually a biology major with a minor in art in community college at one point, I took a lot of classes for fun and the love of learning, I even flirted with the idea of becoming an anthropologist. When it came time to transfer to a university, though, I was rejected as a scientist due to my subpar high school grades, but welcomed as an artist where your portfolio carries more weight than grades.

After graduating from ArtCenter in 2009, I was fortunate enough to become one of the textile artists for Alexander Henry Fabrics. This is where my lack of a distinctive illustrative style became an advantage, as I was uniquely able to create a wide variety of prints and patterns using analog techniques, as they never quite fully embraced digital art. It was an absolutely magical place to work, but I still had that nagging feeling that I wanted to do more.

In 2016 I quit working at Alexander Henry full time (although I continued to design for them as a freelancer until they closed earlier this year) in order to focus more on my sculptures and other projects. Because of the skills and connections I gained at Alexander Henry, I taught in the Surface Design program at ArtCenter for a few years, and worked on a few projects for the tv production company Super Delicious. I’ve also painted signs and menu boards, interned at Disney Consumer Products, shown my sculptures in galleries and the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum, I illustrate a children’s book series called Raccoon Stories, done some editorial illustrations and even served on the board of a family granting foundation in the nonprofit sector.

I love the variety, freedom, and flexibility that working for myself provides. I still often have to remind myself that it’s okay if my career doesn’t look like anyone else’s and that we’re allowed to define success for ourselves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my best friends actually lives in Toronto but loves Los Angeles to the point where I see her more often than some of my local friends. After I pick her up from LAX we try to make it to Layla Bagels, which she claims are better than any she’s had in New York. She usually stays at the Hollywood Roosevelt, and comes with a list of bars and restaurants to try. The Butcher’s Daughter is one of our favorites. We never miss The Venice Fest and always hit up The Grove for some shopping and comfort food at Marmalade Cafe. We recently discovered the hidden gem that is the Old World Village in Huntington Beach when I showed a sculpture at the Huntington Beach Art Center.

I haven’t had a chance to take her to Little Tokyo and the Arts District yet, which is where I typically take people to show them a good time. If it’s not karaoke at Max and ramen at Daikokuya or udon at Marugame Monzo, it’s sausages at Wurstküche and video games and pinball at EightyTwo.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m fortunate to have always had a lot of support throughout my life from family, teachers and employers who wanted to see me succeed as an artist, but there is one instance that I refer back to whenever I’m limiting myself.

Rob Clayton taught a sculpture class in the illustration department at ArtCenter which is where I discovered my love and competence for textile sculpture. He was the one who encouraged me to apply for the coveted gallery wall space at grad show. Every graduate gets a wall space to display their art, but the gallery wall is much larger, stays up for an entire term, and is highly visible to students and visitors. I hadn’t even considered applying, I didn’t think I had a chance.

My proposal was a garage setup made entirely of textiles and plush sculptures. I needed to fill about 20 feet of space with very time consuming sculptures, the majority of which did not yet exist. I think everyone, including myself, had doubts that I would be able to pull it off, but I didn’t want to let anyone down. Completing it was the first time that I felt I had done the impossible. That feeling of pride, accomplishment and gratitude has stuck with me.

Website: ilovemashanda.com, GrodyLA.com

Instagram: @MashandaLazarusArt, @GrodyLA

Other: @mashanda.bsky.social

Image Credits
Robert Hanashiro, Jenn Chavez, Mashanda Lazarus