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Meet Lauren Hoehn, High School Teacher turned Business Development Associate at Raise Me.

What brought you to Raise Me? As a kid, there were few things I loved more than art and the outdoors, which made the summer camp Arts & Crafts cabin basically my favorite place on earth. So when I finally was old enough, I knew that I’d be both applying to art school and working with kids as a summer camp counselor—though I was too young to realize, then, that these were the themes that would guide me through my life. 

After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in art education and my teaching certificate, I went on to spend a few years in the classroom—teaching everywhere from schools that hosted ‘take your tractor to school’ day to a Spanish-dominant school in the bustling heart of Madrid. But as public school funding was cut more and more, I found myself in need of cash—so I made a leap, and a big one at that, to mortgage banking. Getting my yoga teaching certification was the only thing that kept me sane. 

But even yoga couldn’t save me from the burnout of work that lacked creativity, teaching, interacting with kids, and being with and growing a community—work that made a difference. Which is how I ended up at Raise Me, and why it’s been the perfect position to combine my skills and passions. 

What’s one college course that you loved? “You have to make a ton of bad art before making anything worth keeping.” This is what my professor of Mixed Media and Design told us on the first day of class. The studio space wasn’t a place for creating masterpieces, but rather a place to make as many mistakes as possible—and to explore. Throughout the semester we explored 2D, 3D and installation art in everything from paint  to found objects.

Most of my projects from this class ended up in the artist’s project graveyard, but that didn’t matter. The point was that the class pushed me to think in new ways and shaped the type of artist I eventually grew into. 

What’s on your reading list?

• Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness
• Harry Potter (it perpetually stays on my reading list)
• The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon

What’s your favorite color? Eggplant Purple.

Which Hogwarts house are you in? Gryffindor—Pottermore confirmed!

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