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

Hi Laura, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I have been different for as long as I can remember. My brain is wired differently and I see the world through different lenses. Creating art and putting it out there makes you very vulnerable. Art is subjective and each piece I create is an extension of me and a glimpse into my psyche. My emotions are all over the place and I am an introverted extrovert which is quite a contradiction but here I am expressing myself through art and putting it out there for the world to see and criticize. It took me years to believe I really am an artist. I can’t imagine life without creating. I could have played it safe and finished college with a Bachelors in Fine Art. I could have but I didn’t. Instead I left college after three years to open an art business in Carroll-a small rural community of less than 10,00 in Western Iowa. It was the early 80s, inflation was high and many of the people around me told me it was a terrible time to start a business. I listened and ignored their well-intentioned advice. There is no perfect time to start anything like having a baby, getting married, starting a business- life keeps going on while you are making plans and you have to be prepared to roll with it.
So there I was 20 years old with a Small Business Loan that my father had to cosign (it was the early 80’s and I couldn’t even get a credit card in my name) and I knew nothing about running a business. Not. One. Thing. I did have some incredible support people around me. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs so it must be in my DNA but that doesn’t mean I would be successful at it. My parents had been self-employed for my entire life and they helped me set a budget, organize bills and receipts, apply for licenses and permits. Some of the daily and weekly routines I established back when I started I still use today. I look back, think and wonder where I would be now if I hadn’t taken that risk.

I had my first major depressive episode when I was 22 which landed me in the hospital. Creating art for public consumption and running a business is a roller coaster by itself- throw in mental illness and the ride gets wilder. I thought about quitting. Coming out of the Psych Ward and back into real life leaves you feeling raw and exposed. Like there are these huge arrows pointing at you flashing the word ‘crazy’ for everyone to see. Family, Friends and Meds got me back on an even keel and I kept moving forward but kept my mental illness a secret.

Being self-employed, depressed, married and starting a family is the perfect set up to fail at something. I failed at marriage. So there I was a single mom self-employed artist raising four children and working three part-time jobs to make ends meet. I was very upfront with my children about my mental health and I felt it was time to ‘come out’ so I wrote and published a book about living with depression called ‘Outside the Lines” and I put it out into the world. For anyone and everyone to read… (cue the panic attack) It’s a little book – about 30 pages but it is filled with personal thoughts about my life living with mental illness; coming to terms with it and even embracing it through art. It was the process of putting the words to paper and creating the collages to go with them that helped me finally believe that I am an artist. The final product was just a means to get to the place where I am now – living with depression every day. I had no idea there were so many people like me. Living with a mental illness. That book started so many positive conversations…(relax and breathe). It was also liberating. Now I advocate not only for the Arts but also for Mental Illness.
Life is just one big risk. If you don’t try you’ll never know.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Mixed Media Artist and Jewelry Designer. I studied Fiber Arts/Craft Design in college. I love colors and textures and this has carried into what I do today. An artist working in mixed media uses two or more mediums to create with. For example, I can use collage, acrylic paint, colored pencil, and oil pastels all on one piece and I generally use bright colors with abandon. If I am creating an assemblage I would use all the mediums I mentioned before and then incorporate found objects,3 dimensional pieces and interesting fibers to get my idea from my head to my hands. My Mixed Media pieces are playful. I tend to cycle around a few themes – Frida Kahlo, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Frida Kahlo is my spirit animal. She was an amazing woman and I want to be her when I grow up. Each piece I create in my Frida series is an homage to her fierce warrior spirit. She lived her life out loud and defied society’s beauty standards. As a woman and an artist she broke barriers and really colored outside the lines. I’m not just a band wagoner here I have read all the books I can get my hands on about her. I even have a book published by her step daughter full of recipes and anecdotes about dining at Frida’s table. What it must have been like to sit at one of her dinners!
Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Sir John Tenniel and The Wizard of Oz illustrated by W.W. Denslow are in the public domain so I can incorporate these into my mixed media pieces without worrying about copyright infringement. They both feature a female navigating a strange make-believe world filled with interesting characters.
One of the most difficult lessons to learn as an artist is to stop thinking about your art in terms of what the public wants. When you create a piece with the thought process of this should sell because I did this and that and it’s all the rage right now you disconnect from it. Your heart and soul isn’t in it and it shows. I have mentored quite a few young artists over the years and I tell them – yes do those pieces that pay the bills but don’t forget to create pieces just because they needed to be created. Not every piece you make has to be monetized. You know the pieces I create for me because they spoke to me are the ones that usually sell first!
Terra Bella Jewelry was born out of my love for jewelry, collecting rocks and my Italian roots. In Italian Terra means earth and Bella means beautiful and I think Italy is the most beautiful place on earth.
My jewelry designs are much closer to my fiber arts roots with some influence from my mixed media work. Again I am mixing colors and textures but mostly using all natural elements like semi-precious stones, driftwood, golds, silver, and copper to create with. I love the subtleties of color and texture you can find in just one bead and designing around that. What really feeds my soul is having a client come in to the studio looking for a piece of jewelry. By listening to what they want I can go through my beads and stones pulling together a combination of color and textures specifically for that person. The look on their faces when they pick up the finished piece is priceless. Life is too short to wear ‘off the rack’ jewelry.
The past few years, I, like the rest of the world had to slow down and take a step back. It was a good thing for me because it gave me the time to focus on my jewelry and where I wanted it to go and how I wanted to present it to the world. I researched branding and why it was important and then set about to create my brand. Every part of Terra Bella Jewelry, from the color of the boxes to the logo and display cards was carefully evaluated and analyzed. I knew I had a good solid product and branding it was the next logical step. Since I launched Terra Bella Jewelry I have redesigned the logo by expanding on my original design. Terra Bella Jewelry has it its own social media outlets and my jewelry business has taken off. One of the things I pride myself on is not repeating a design. Each necklace, bracelet and pair of earrings is one of a kind and created by myself.
Terra Bella Jewelry has several different collections besides The Terra Bella main collection. There is the Vagabond Collection- very casual and minimal. The person I have in mind when I create them is someone who likes to be out in nature- these pieces feature one to three stones on a simple leather cord with a sliding knot.
The UpCycled Collection (not my favorite name but I haven’t yet found THE name) brings my mixed media collage into my jewelry. I use bits and pieces from quality old jewelry that I find in second hand stores and put them together in a new way. Many of the UpCycled Collection have a vintage wristwatch casing as the focal point with a picture in it. Yes, Frida and Alice and Dorothy appear in these, but also mermaids and goddesses and other iconography. The people I create these for are into thrifting, up-cycling and funky accessories.
The Eye Candy Collection came out of my rediscovery of beads I purchased over 30 years ago from a glass artist on the east coast who created the most wonderful furnace glass beads. This collection speaks to my love of bright colors. I recently reconnected with her and was delighted to find out she was still making these beads! The person I think of when I am making these pieces is a person with a passion for life. One who is not afraid to draw attention to herself and enjoys the spotlight.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in a small rural town of 10,000 people. What’s interesting is Carroll is the largest city in a 30 mile radius and it is surrounded by many small towns. While they are visiting it’s local shopping and dining only. No franchises and box stores! Adams Street would be the first stop. Shopping local in the locally owned small businesses. It goes without saying I am picturing the perfect Iowa day with sunny skies, warm temps, low humidity and a light breeze. We The Dreamers- a great boutique that blends sustainable lines of clothing and accessories with curated thrifted items too.
A Fun Top and Jeans – she has great clothes for people who wear real sizes. My friends know exactly what I mean.
Bordonaro’s Meat Market- this a specialty meat shop with a passion for food. Full service butcher counter with fully aged meats, cold cuts, cheeses, BBQ sauces and seasonings. The smells alone are worth the stop. If we are hungry we can even grab lunch from their daily special menu.
Artworks Studio – this is a working art studio that sells art supplies but also has two full time artists in residence. It is a quirky place filled with original art and jewelry plus curated thrifted and found items. They owner and her sister are both characters and are always up for chatting with people over a cup of tea and whatever goodies they have on hand.
Another dining experience that is a must is Ski’s. I love this place. They couple who run it are friendly and the food is not your typical diner fare. The chef is an amazing cook who not only loves to make food but loves to see his patrons enjoying their food.
A baseball game at Merchants Park where the Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League plays. Nothing like popcorn, beer and hot dogs while watching a baseball game.
Walking or biking along the Sauk Rail Trail – miles of trial where you really get to see the Iowa landscape and native wildlife.
Whisky and wine tasting at our two local distilleries and vineyard is a must – Templeton Rye and Iowa Legendary Rye are both made locally and Carroll has a very rich and colorful bootlegging history. Then Santa Maria Winery for a wine tasting.
Another must do is hitting all four of our second hand, thrift stores.
Then we start exploring further out – Lake View where Black Hawk Lake – Iowa’s most southern natural glacier lake. Again we’d have to hit the trail from Lake View to Carnarvon – it is the most beautiful section of trail in my opinion where you can see deer, foxes, bald eagles and other waterfowl and when the prairie flowers are in bloom it is breathtaking.
Arcadia to visit the antique stores and quilt shop.
A Spa day at Vitalistic Health Spa – reiki, halo therapy, float pod, infrared sunlight sauna, ear seeding and yoga are just a few of the services they offer in tiny little Glidden Iowa 7 miles from Carroll with a population of 1,100 people.
Manning to the Hausbarn, Heritage Park and The market Place. Coon Rapids to the Whiterock Conservancy
So much to see and do way out here in Western Iowa.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It takes a lot of people to create a successful business and I am lucky to have so many people behind me. It’s quite a list-

My parents who not only believed in my dream but also encouraged me to be myself. Their shared knowledge and experience of being self employed entrepreneurs was instrumental in getting the studio started.

My seven siblings who at one one time or another stepped in to help me pick up the pieces and hold those pieces together.

My four children – having a self employed single mom isn’t easy or ideal for raising a family but we did it. Each one of them helped, encouraged, listened and at one time or another worked in the studio.

And finally my customers. I must be doing something right or they wouldn’t keep coming back.

Website: www.artworksstudio.art

Instagram: artworks.studio terrabella.jewelry

Twitter: @artworkss

Facebook: Artworks Studio Terra Bella Jewelry

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.