Meet Laine Wiesemann | Artist & Magazine Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laine Wiesemann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laine, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
Ok, can I cheat and name 4 books?! I’ll list in the order of how I read them. The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management- While I read this one about 15 years ago I remember being inspired by making your values and the things in life that are most important to you your priorities in planning your days. At a time when I felt like I knew what I wanted but was lost on how to execute them, this book helped me sort out my time better. I think it’s helped me in making my entrepreneurial ventures part of my top priorities. Next up is The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up-Marie Kondo may be a household name but if you haven’t read her book I don’t think you can have an accurate opinion about her and her concepts. I think she is an angel and she absolutely transformed my life. My house used to be a hot mess, I could only occasionally see my bedroom floor. Now my place is tidy 90% of the time and I freaking love it. My home being tidy helps ease my mind so I can have a clear head to focus on my work. She’s also just super sweet, I love the way she talked about socks. 3rd book is E- Squared, 9 do-it-yourself energy experiments that prove your thoughts create your reality- While these concepts were not entirely new to me, it was super fun to try out these experiments and see them work. Lastly, Atomic Habits- I really appreciated the insight into how habits work and ways to establish more healthy habits in all areas of my life. I’ve been able to slowly incorporate better and better habits and can see how small shifts have changed my trajectory immensely. Overall I love learning about concepts to make the best of life and it’s nice to see the results IRL.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is steeped in whimsical surrealism and I paint a teapot into each one of my paintings. As a youngster most of my art pieces were commissioned. It was fun for a long time but I became uninspired and put my paintings on hold for five years. A little red teapot got me back into painting. When I was inspired to pick up the brushes again I had the most fun with a silly idea to paint big red teapot pouring into a little landscape with a creek. The creativity began to flow again and I became very excited to take on the challenge of how playful I could be incorporating a teapot into each painting. Inspired by cute, shiny pots and a growing obsession with tea the theme became even more fun as I began to hide the teapots in various ways. What I get the biggest kick out of is sharing my work and watching people hunt for them. Two recent really exciting moments in my artistic career were having my painted heart in Union Square and being featured in the de Young museum, but I don’t know if it beats the excitement I’ve seen on kids faces that connect with my work.

How did I get to where I am today professionally? Magic, coincidences, and trying, I suppose. Having intentions and taking the steps to get there as well as constantly learning the business side of things. Taking reasonable risks and doing things even when I don’t want to. Heck no it’s not easy, but the high, my dreams, the appreciation of my work from others and being able to be in charge of my hours keeps me going.

The new project I’ve incorporated is a quarterly zine that features art & photography of San Francisco. My friend and fellow artist, Alfredo Sainz and I created a sweet little magazine, perfect bound, soft touch cover and all the pretty pictures that aim to support our local, fellow artists by promoting their art.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Woo! That would be an extravaganza! One of my favorite places in San Francisco is Golden Gate Park. We’d have to spend a lot of time there, walking all the pretty paths, going to the Botanical Garden, Conservatory of Flowers & Japanese Tea Garden. A trip to the Saturday Farmers Market at the Ferry Building and strolling, eating & shopping there. Get tea at the Imperial Tea Court. A drive and a walk by the Lyon Street steps at Lyon and Broadway (you can walk into the Presidio right there and take in the view). Stop at the Palace of Fine Arts on a sunny day or in the evening when it lights up. Check out some event happening that week, there is always something fun going on. Stroll Valencia & Union streets. Oh! North Beach too, probably for their first Friday Art Walk. Man, I don’t think there is enough space to list all the restaurants! Sushi at Koo, wine at The Red Tail, brunch at Fiorella, , Aziza, Ragazza (the Bianca pizza), Zuni, Beit Rima, Robberbaron, Boulevard, Mama Ji’s, Oh and I want to go to the Speakeasy, I haven’t been yet. Oh and the Emporium for arcade games!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First I want to thank Kundan Baidwan for recommending me for an interview. Gosh it’s hard to narrow down who to highlight when I know it’s taken a whole village to get to where I am today. I’m super thankful for supportive parents and my hardworking, loving partner. I’m also lucky to have a friend and business partner who reminds me to keep my productivity peaceful, fun & inspired. But I’d really like to give a shout out to my high school art teacher, Mr. Jeff Beebe. His enthusiasm for the arts and his clever way of teaching fueled my creativity growing up. He helped us explore all sorts of mediums and techniques. We learned drawing, perspective, scratchboard, linoleum carving & printing, charcoal, pastels, painting, clay, all the things. He taught us art history with little hints to help us remember, like jingling change in his pocket while showing us Monet, or pointing out a Manet painting he would say, “What’s that color there? It’s not mustard, it’s MANET-aise. His joy and excitement while teaching art helped me be crack open my creativity and hone my skills. He was also one of the first people to commission multiple pieces from me, which was really encouraging. I recently visited him and was happy to see him still giddy about art, sharing his painting collections and things he has made recently. I also learned that during his many years teaching art at Linden high school he was the main drive behind funding the materials and resources for the class. I was so lucky to have him for all four years, his lessons and passion for art have stuck with me all these years.

Website: www.teatimewithlaine.com & www.415zine.com

Instagram: @teatimewithlaine & @415zine

Image Credits
Photos by Laine Wiesemann, Scans of Artwork by Scale Up Fine Art Printing