We had the opportunity to chat with Jacqueline Lakhani of Lily & Rose Studio about her creative journey and life as an artist. You can catch her latest collection in our opening show going on now through August 5th!
What is your earliest memory of being creative?
My earliest memory of being creative is from when I was three years old. I have memories of this because while playing at my older brother’s baseball game I fell on top of nails (yes, nails, ouch!) and as a result spent 10 days at Texas Children’s Hospital. I can vividly recall my mom pulling me around the hospital inside a little red wagon. She took me to the art center daily where I loved to paint, especially with my fingers.
How has creating helped you get through a difficult time?
I gave birth to my daughter in February 2020, and so she was one month old when the world shut down due to the pandemic. I had planned to return to my corporate job in retail buying, but the company I worked for furloughed everyone in May of that year and then eventually filed for bankruptcy in July of 2020.
As a new mom I felt lost in so many ways, and especially as a new mom who was also cut off from anything that felt normal. A feeling likely shared by countless others. Art was my outlet for coping both physically and mentally, and it brought me back to myself.
Walk us through your pre-painting ritual:
Before I start painting, I make a fresh cup of coffee, light a candle, and choose music to set the tone. My taste in music spans genres so the selection for the day is all based on my mood and what I need to create.
Last TV show you binged?
My Lady Jane. Period drama, some fantasy, and romance - it hit the trifecta for me!
Favorite place in the world?
Unequivocally Italy. Specifically, the South but I will take any region. My mother was born there, and much of her family still lives there. We brought our daughter with us for the first time this summer and she also fell in love.
Do you have a favorite family tradition?
One of my most treasured family traditions is our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Party. I had the privilege of growing up just blocks away from my cousins and my grandparents. Every year we make hundreds of holiday cookies and we all pile into one of our houses to decorate them. We laugh, we get messy, we dance, and now our children participate. One of the coziest memories I have is dancing in my grandparents’ living room to their old record player while the cookies lay drying scattered around their home.
