“I make art so that people will go home and make art.”

By Bella Johnson, Staff Writer for UNSUGARCOATED Media

Art by Laura Kimpton via http://laurakimpton.com

In the Season 7 premiere episode of UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia, award nominated host Aalia Lanius speaks with world renowned artist, mother, activist, philanthropist and lover of mind-body expansion Laura Kimpton about finding the silver linings in her daily challenges with dyslexia….  Aalia’s newest podcast season diving into the beauty of silver linings, she speaks with Laura Kimpton, a mother, artist, activist, philanthropist, explorer, and lover of mind-body expansion, all while battling the daily challenges of dyslexia.

Kimpton is a California based artist best known for her monumental word sculptures, many of which have debuted at Burning Man as well as all across the globe. Her artwork also incorporates birds, reflecting her life challenges. She has one many grants, had her art featured in many relevant media channels, been part of galleries across the globe, and impacted many with her work. 

Her creativity stems from her desire to question traditional views on social interaction, enviking invoking unique emotional responses from her audiences. Despite many of her recent struggles, particularly with long lasting symptoms of covid, she has turned to art to cope with her feelings and stay entertained. 

Aalia resonated with Laura Kimpton mentioning how she believes everyone can be an artist. She mentions how it’s not necessarily being able to draw, but rather how you choose to live your life day to day.

Art by Laura Kimpton, ©2016BillHornstein

“My dyslexia is a superpower,” says Kimpton. 

Kimpton got into her large word art structures because she has always been a fan of installation. She watched her father be an installation artist growing up, designing structures for hotels. She also saw him die thinking his dyslexia was a weakness, which became very influential towards her positive outlook on her own dyslexia. 

Growing up, Kimpton was used to breaking norms. She was never one to follow with traditional gender norms. The way in which she grew up doing her own thing influenced the way in which she began to pursue art as an adult. Similarly, she has never viewed her dyslexia as a disability regardless of what others said.

“I would not call dyslexia a disability, one more person telling me there was something wrong with me- to me, it didn’t mean anything,” said Kimpton.

The way in which dyslexia created challenges for Kimpton growing up only taught her ways to work around her challenges and come out even more successful than before, teaching her skills she may have never known. 

Aalia has seen her own son battle the challenges of dyslexia, come out strong and well-equipped to handle whatever he has to in his own daily life with ease. In no way has dyslexia been a “disability” like many assume before understanding the true nuances that come along with dyslexia.

©Jaz Fabry. Myths, Words and Fire. Art Basel Miami Beach. SLS Hotel. Laura Kimpton Activation. “LOVE” (welded steel, red patina, with bird cutouts), 2015.

 The popularity of Kimptons  big work comes from the interactiveness of the structures, allowing people to climb, take pictures, and connect

with the pieces in their own way. She connects the big words with one’s “internal voice”, allowing people to endure a restart when coming across her work.

“Say you’re walking through Vegas and you’re in your head, then you read the word love and it’s a restart for your internal voice, sending people on a positive message,” said Kimpton. 

Having struggled with PTSD, as a result of childhood abuse, Kimpton has learned how to be resilient and strong for herself, which in turn has greatly influenced her personality, hence her artwork. has also struggled with PTSD as a result of childhood abuse, which taught her how to be strong for herself and has greatly influenced her personality and hence her artwork.

Both Kimpton and Aalia also understand the freeing qualities of creativity, pushing their children to express their creativity in whichever ways they are so inclined, rather than staying in the lines, they encourage “drawing new lines”.

To hear more from Laura and Aalia’s discussion on artwork, creativity, and adversity through challenges, check out the FULL episode to check out this conversation that explores this topic UNSUGARCOATED! 

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To stay connected with Laura Kimpton, check out his Instagram: @laurakimpton

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Stay connected with Aalia on Instagram @aalia_unsugarcoated , as well as on Clubhouse and LinkedIn