ce l e b r i t y m o m my
| by Lara Leontowich
Leanne Laine
After spending years in the corporate fast lane
Leanne Laine, mother of two, was suddenly laid
off due to company downsizing. She felt it was
time to accomplish her dream of becoming her
own boss by turning her part-time love for art
into a full-time career. As a self-taught artist in
her first year of business Leanne sold over 400 of
her paintings.
Recently Urbanbaby & Toddler Magazine had a chance to chat
with Leanne about being a world-renoun artist, entrepreneur
and mother.
UBT: Our readers are moms just like you, what does being a
mom mean to you?
LL: For me, being a mom means discovering how capable I am at
functioning throughout the day after only three hours of sleep the
night before. Motherhood means experiencing love so great that
started before they were born. I realize the importance of enjoying
every moment, here and now, because being a mother is truly
a gift.
UBT: What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
LL: It is partly in my blood. My Dad and my grandparents
operated their own businesses for many years, so as a child
I was accustomed to regular business routines. By the time I
finished high school I still wanted to experience the “real world”
so I earned a business education, got a job and started climbing
the corporate ladder. Though I had a great job that had me
flying to different cities on business trips, training employees
and managing, I still wasn’t totally fulfilled. Something inside was
missing.
Meanwhile my husband and I talked about our dreams about
becoming our own bosses one day. But what would that magical
business idea be? Then I got laid off. When it came to searching
job listings my heart just wasn’t in it so I decided to use the time
off to create art for our new house.
I was creating so much art I decided to have fun marketing my
creations on the internet. I kept on painting, building my portfolio,
marketing, and then became my own publisher. Next thing I knew,
I sold around $2,500 worth of art by the end of the first week! As
the months passed demand for my work peaked. Within a year
my husband quit his job to join me and he had just received a
promotion!
8 | www.urbanbaby.ca | winter 2012
UBT: Your work is globally-recognized. How do you maintain
work/life balance?
LL: Within five months of having my first born, I fell into a
depression. It hit me like a truck when adjusting to being a mother
and business woman. Thankfully I had a lot of support around me
which gave me an opportunity to gather my thoughts together
and readjust my mindset. While having balance is essential, I also
believe in being realistic. There are times when it is chaotic in
our house. At the end of the day, my family and I have our health,
our love and all of the memories we are building. We have beds to
sleep in; clothes on our back and food on the table. So as chaotic
as it can be, I embrace it all because it’s REAL and I know I’m not
alone. It’s also helpful to have a network of other moms around
who understand.
UBT: What advice would you give moms who are hesitant to
take risks and pursue their dreams?
LL: If we want to be a positive role model for our children, then
we not only owe it to ourselves, but to our kids, to live our dreams
and prove that they can come true. Steer clear of any negative
energy and surround yourself by those who truly support you.
You’re going to have naysayers when you start, some wellintentioned, perhaps some not. That’s just a part of being a new
entrepreneur. How courageous you are to take the leap no matter
what people say depends on how much you want it.
UBT: With your husband your business manager, how do find
and maintain couple time and family time?
LL: We have a system in place that allows us to accomplish work,
family and couple time every day. We try to be as consistent as
possible but we also have to be realistic because a hiccup in your
day can throw it all off — like meetings, added workload and
sick kids — we just do our best to make it work.
On the flip side, we’ll sometimes feel like taking the whole
day off and make it a family day. We might hit the beach all
morning and then hike in the afternoon, or we might take in a
fun family event somewhere. Couple time is generally in the
evenings when the kids are down and we have dates every
now and then, thanks to the support of family and friends.
Most importantly, our communication is solid — which is an
absolute must for our whole world to work at all.
UBT: You are one of those lucky moms who can work at
home yet entrepreneurship has its challenges. Any advice
for other work-at-home moms?
LL: Approach business like your parenting — be consistent
and follow through. Find a routine that works for you and stick
with it. At the same time, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t
get as much accomplished with your business as you had
hoped. Every little step counts. Just don’t give up. Do take
care of yourself though. It’s a high priority if you want to juggle
business and kids successfully.
UBT: You have world-renoun exceptional talent. How and
when did you develop your artistic talents?
LL: That’s so kind of you, thank you so much! I’m totally selftaught so I’ve never been to school to learn how to create art.
It’s always been with me since I was a child.
UBT: You had a career setback that transformed your
life in phenomenal ways. What advice do you offer other
moms who have or about to experience a similar setback?
LL: As hard as setbacks are, they’re meant to strengthen us
and ground our character. There’s a reason why we have
setbacks. Identify your personal strengths and talents, but
most importantly, give yourself permission to be proud of
them.
UBT: Has being a mom influenced your artistic creations?
LL: You bet! For instance, we all love our kids and enjoy the
precious moments we spend with them. But there are days
you feel like you can’t wait for them to go to bed! Well I had
one of those days when suddenly inspiration struck and it was
when “Is It Wine O’clock Yet?” was created.
I’m happy to say that it’s been a top-selling piece since its
release last November! It’s kind of funny how people (not just
moms), who cherish their “wine time”, have actually emailed
thanking me for the work. Their gratitude often leads us to
ranting about our stories and laughing about them together. •
winter 2012 | www.urbanbaby.ca | 9