Rooted in the Making: Creative Women of San Diego pt.VII

Part seven: Laura Todd

Grounding the Work

Laura Todd (she/her/hers) identifies as a multi-passionate queer white woman from Texas living in Southern California. She dabbles in various mediums, projects, and practices, including painting. Laura describes her creative practice as ever-evolving, showing up across different stages of her life. “It has been a coping mechanism, a source of income, a form of self-expression, and a labor of love… what feels most true now is that it’s not just something I do, but something that helps me stay connected to myself.”

She mentions that her best work requires a softening toward imperfection and a willingness to let things unfold rather than forcing the outcomes. Emotionally, it asks for trust. Trust in the process, in her instincts, and in the idea. She notices resistance most often in her body - showing up as avoidance or heaviness. Working with it often means slowing down, getting curious, and tending to what’s underneath instead of trying to power through. Laura feels that wellness is often synonymous with congruence for her. “It can still exist within chaos, grief, intensity, or uncertainty. It’s less about the absence of struggle and more about being in an honest relationship with what’s happening – even if it’s messy, and/or painful. When I feel aligned, that’s when I feel most well.”

The Path Inward

Laura shares that she feels she was born a creative, though through socialization and the culture she grew up in, she felt as though she had to abandon that part of herself. She goes on to explain that growing up the idea of wellness was that of “A well-made mask to protect from anyone feeling compelled to ask ‘what’s going on at home?’ Because where there was success, there couldn’t have possibly been struggle.” She mentions that it wasn’t until she was in her mid- twenties and given an assignment to ‘revisit a childhood joy,’ which allowed her to tap back into her creative vein. 

In discussing barriers she’s experienced in accessing care for her wellbeing, she shares, “I do feel it important to first acknowledge that the ‘wellness path’ was paved in a disproportionally advantageous way for people like me. So while I have even tripped & fallen, I am within the groups of those who are shaped to believe that care is something more available to them as compared to others seeking support within the same systems.” Laura goes on to highlight that while living in survival mode or carrying significant external responsibilities, care can quietly become something we plan to get to ‘later.’ She speaks to the importance of representation and how it’s foundational to whether the ‘care’ actually works to heal rather than just pathologizes to ‘treat.’ 

She identifies that she had to outgrow the part of her that believed ‘worth’ was conditional. “I carried a belief that I had to be unique, but not too controversial; provocative, but still acceptable; memorable, but never too much.” In letting go of these beliefs, she’s been able to choose authenticity over approval, and trust that being fully herself is more sustainable and meaningful than trying to be everything for everyone.

Restoration

Laura feels the most supported when she is met with attunement, curiosity, and steadiness which ultimately allow her to take creative risks. Restoration for her comes from work that feels aligned with her nervous system - where she can feel herself breathe and soften. The most restorative part of her work are the moments of genuine connection in which she can lean into her values of presence, depth, and authenticity.  

When she’s not producing, Laura is still deeply engaged with the world around her. She is a partner, a friend, and a community member. She finds meaning in being part of something larger than herself, in contributing to spaces where people feel seen, resourced, and empowered. She ends the interview by sharing “I’m practicing being rather than doing – trusting that my commitment to humanity, love, justice, and wellness is part of who I am, not just what I aim to produce or create.”