Q and A with Laura Bundesen, a neuro artist extraordinaire

I help clients promote news and events to help raise awareness and attract notice. I wrote a press release for neuro-artist Laura Bundersen to promote an art pop-up shop she hosted in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the end of 2021. Here is an interview with Laura about the experience.

Tell me about your organization.

I am an independent artist. I’ve been working in the field of creating neuro art for about seven years now. Everything is in the shape of a brain or is brain-related. I am primarily a fiber artist. So, I work with fabric, thread, and also include paint. In the last couple of years, I’ve branched out in creating a line of enamel pins, and I have notecards that are based on my original artwork designs. I also make earrings and a lot of good fun “brainy” things.

What inspired you to get into this creative work?

I’ve always been an artist, and when I moved to Western Massachusetts 12 years ago, I really decided that I would try to concentrate on creating an art business. Then about seven years ago, I did my first two brain pieces, and they were just very well received. They had an immediate impact, and I was really fascinated by doing this kind of work. I read a lot, and I was working part-time at Mount Holyoke College, working with neuroscientists, helping them submit grant proposals to help get their research funded. They encouraged me as well, and I ended up going to the Society for Neuroscience Convention for three years in a row. I have been fascinated and encouraged and inspired by people who have neurologic disorders and people who work with those people. So neurologists, neuroscientists, neurosurgeons—they’ve all kept me encouraged and inspired. 

How did you learn about Janice’s PR work?

I think my partner mentioned her to me, but I had also been on her email list or getting her newsletter for years. So, I think I may have reached out to her years ago just to see what it was that she did, but I wasn’t quite ready yet, and I didn’t have anything locally that was going on. Most of my work is online. I have a website, and I sell online primarily or sometimes internationally. Then I was part of a funded event in Springfield, and it just occurred to me that Janice could perfectly help me to promote that. 

What prompted you to reach out to Janice?

I was feeling really overwhelmed with “How do I get people to know about this shop that I’m going to have for a week in Springfield?” I remembered that Janice could do press releases, so I initially thought I’ll just contact her and ask her to write a press release for me. Then it became more than that, and she actually helped me design a marketing email and letter that I sent out to neurologists and neuroscientists in the area. 

What was the quality of Janice’s work?

Oh, I just found it really easy to communicate with her. Her writing is wonderful, and she was very easy and painless. 

Did the press release Janice wrote for you attract attention from the media?

Oh yeah. I got quite a few hits. The WWLP came down and did a little in-person news story, which is on my website, and there was a business insider piece in the Hampshire Gazette. It was really quite fabulous. I got a lot of traction out of the one press release. 

Who in your various audiences benefited from the PR work and in what ways?

My biggest audience is the neurologists, neuroscientists, and people who have neurologic disorders. I had people who came down to the shop who heard about me through the press. 

What else would you like Janice’s blog reader to know?

I would just say that Janice is really, really easy to work with. It’s difficult to promote yourself. It can be kind of daunting to go to an outside person who doesn’t know you that well, and Janice completely put me at ease and made me feel really comfortable, and she made the whole process really seamless and easy. Her responses, when I had any questions or tweaks, were seamless. She responded rapidly to every email I sent her too.