As part of the Morning Lazziness series about empowering women who encourage and do incredible things with their ideas in society, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura El.
Laura El is a New York City-based artist and the founder of Stellar Villa, a fine art prints company. Renowned for her intricate line work and narrative-driven illustrations, her vibrant yet detailed pieces often depict cityscapes and capture everyday moments of urban life, fostering a sense of connection. Her work has been showcased globally, including in NYC galleries, and has been featured in auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Explore her latest wall art releases or follow her on Instagram @iamlaurael.
Here’s what we found out about Laura’s daily routine, followed by an exclusive Q+A.
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, and what sparked the idea for your business?
I’ve always dreamed of being an artist. While there are art and design-focused corporate jobs, in these positions, your creativity is limited and directed by the needs of the company or client. Desiring the full artistic freedom to create on my own terms, entrepreneurship was really the only logical choice. I actually spent several years pursuing careers in other industries, and I was never satisfied. That made it clear to me that following my passion with art was indeed my true path.
The idea for my business came to me after I moved to New York City. I had just moved into a new apartment and wanted to find some art to decorate. After spending some time shopping around, I realized it was difficult to find anything I liked. As the art market for home decor has become increasingly commercialized, I saw an opportunity to offer something different. Much of what’s available today feels repetitive, lacks soul, or is simply low quality. That’s why I founded Stellar Villa to provide a curated collection of beautiful, unique wall art from independent artists that truly evoke thought and emotion.
As a woman navigating the business world, what challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
I believe women face many of the same challenges as any aspiring entrepreneur. While there have been plenty of hurdles since I started my business, looking back, they all feel small now. The key is recognizing that struggle, and even failure, is part of the journey. Success is possible for anyone with the determination to keep moving forward. Challenges are simply speedbumps along the way. They may seem significant in the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, most of them you won’t even remember.
How do you balance the demands of running a business with maintaining a healthy personal life?
You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This really resonates with me, as I truly enjoy creating art, which makes running my business much more enjoyable. At the same time, it can be quite challenging for me to balance work and my personal life, as I love what I do and spend long hours working (often 7 days a week). Being an artist, my work life also blends with my personal life, as many social events I attend are art-related.
I do, however, recognize how important it is to take breaks and turn off from “work mode,” as burnout is real. One of the things I do to stay grounded is to have a morning routine where I go on a walk with my dog and a large cup of coffee to start my day, clear my mind, and draw inspiration from my surroundings. I also try to plan weekend getaways and make time for longer vacations a couple of times a year, where I can step away for a week at a time. In addition, I’ve also learned it’s important to hire help when needed. Passing off tasks so that I can focus on what I do best—creating, has helped me prevent managing my business from cutting into the time dedicated to my personal life.
Which networking strategies have most effectively built meaningful connections within your industry?
Many of my connections have come through social media. It really boils down to consistently sharing great content, in my case, artwork. Every now and then, one of my pieces goes viral, and the vast reach of social media has allowed more people to discover my work and reach out to connect. From there, great opportunities have followed. Beyond that, I focus on building genuine relationships and friendships, rather than viewing people as just clients or customers. Some of my earliest Instagram followers have become close friends, and they have been with me for the past six years, supporting my journey all along the way.
How do you approach mentorship, and how has it shaped your entrepreneurial path?
There’s an organization called SCORE, part of the Small Business Administration, that offers free mentorship. They connect you with a local mentor, usually a business owner or retired executive, who can offer valuable guidance. I highly recommend this program for anyone considering starting their own business. Learning by doing is important, but learning from others’ experiences and mistakes can give you a huge advantage and help you avoid common pitfalls.
While I don’t have a formal mentor now, I follow many artists I admire. If you want to improve, it’s crucial to surround yourself with people who have more experience that you can learn from. For example, I recently noticed one of my favorite artists was offering an online class. I signed up, and over several weeks, I learned so much from them, drawing on their decades of experience.
What strategies have worked best for selling your products and reaching your ideal customers?
Social media marketing has, by far, been the most effective strategy for reaching my ideal customer and selling my artwork. When it comes to social media, the best return comes from dedicating my time to improving the content I create. Social media is content-driven, and so, by focusing on making the best content possible has allowed me to grow a global following of over 100,000 fans on Instagram. After taking the necessary steps to create the best possible content, I think it’s important to continually experiment. Algorithms are always changing, so when your performance isn’t where it needs to be, it’s time to try something new. I’ve also experimented a lot with different platforms. For instance, I recently joined Threads, Meta’s newest social platform, and I’ve had a lot of early success. While it’s important not to spread yourself too thin, once you’ve mastered one platform, expanding to others can greatly increase your reach. I also focus on the social aspect of social media and try to build real relationships. Part of this includes trying to respond to every comment on all of my posts.
Which marketing techniques have been most successful for your business, and how do you track their performance?
One of the most successful marketing initiatives for my business has been email marketing. When posting on social media, a typical post only reaches a small fraction of your followers. You don’t own your audience, and you are at the mercy of the platform. One algorithm change can negatively impact your reach. That’s why I find it crucial to build my email list, as email has deliverability rates over 95%, which means you can get important messages to your audience as needed. I employ a variety of strategies to encourage signups, including simply asking people, offering early access to new art drops, and running giveaways to reward subscribers. I focus on growing the subscriber rate but also track the performance of my email campaigns by studying how the emails convert to sales.
Can you share a significant setback in your business journey and the steps you took to overcome it?
When I first started Stellar Villa, the first product I offered was actually custom pet portrait illustrations. I’ve always loved animals and enjoyed creating artworks based on photos of pets that people would send me. I was quite successful, so much so that I wasn’t able to keep up with demand. When doing commission work, a lot of the work involved was just back-and-forth communication with the client. Only 50% of the time was dedicated to actually creating art. Over time, I burned myself out. The issue was I was only one person, and there was a limited number of commission artworks I was able to create a month. It simply wasn’t scalable. This was another reason I decided to pivot to selling art prints. With prints, I could create a piece of artwork and sell it over and over again, so that it’s infinitely scalable.
What’s the most important advice you’d give to women just starting their entrepreneurial journey?
The most important piece of advice I would give to women starting their entrepreneurial journey is to follow your dreams and never let anyone tell you otherwise. Years ago, many people told me I would never make it as an artist. They told me art was not a career in which I could support myself. And when they told me I should get a “real” job, I listened to them. I gave up art for a few years to try and climb the corporate ladder. I was miserable and finally made the decision to return to art, and I’ve never looked back. While the naysayers didn’t keep me from achieving my dream of becoming a full-time artist, they derailed me for a little while. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you you can’t—believe in yourself!
Is there a mantra or quote that guides your actions and decision-making as an entrepreneur?
One quote I often return to is “Create the things you wish existed.” This serves as a reminder to focus on what truly inspires and brings meaning to me. It helps me stay grounded in creating art that is uniquely mine, rather than chasing trends. The work I’m most proud of and that has the greatest impact is always the work I create for myself.
