Podcast Summary:

Art + Audience | Ep. 34: Why Laura Holley Only Draws Melbourne—and Why It Totally Works
Host: Stacie Bloomfield
Guest: Laura Holley ("Lawz Draws")
Date: September 23, 2025

Overview

In this episode, host Stacie Bloomfield sits down with Australian illustrator Laura Holley, best known as “Lawz Draws.” Laura has built a thriving art career and multiple income streams focused exclusively on colorful, hospitality-inspired illustrations of Melbourne. They discuss the power and potential pitfalls of niching down creatively, the evolution of Laura’s business, audience-building, and a candid look at overcoming mistakes as a small business owner. Laura's journey offers invaluable takeaways on authenticity, resilience, and finding joy in showing up for your own community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power (and Peril) of Niching Down

[02:16–04:36]

• Laura describes her entire creative business as being centered on "drawing the best bits of Melbourne," with a hospitality focus: “I started out drawing pubs and now it’s just all of the city.” [02:18]
• Both Stacie and Laura talk about the risks and rewards of going all-in on a narrow subject. Stacie observes the common fear that focusing too much can be limiting, but in Laura’s case, it’s been the key to standing out.

“If you find what you love, you just do it and the audience will come.”
—Laura Holley [02:58]

• Laura admits she initially tried to do a bit of everything (like selling dog portraits and invitations) but realized her heart wasn’t in it.
• Both agree there’s no single “perfect path” to building a creative business: “It’s going to look different for each one of us, right?” —Stacie [04:49]

2. Community, Not Competition

[05:06–06:18]

• Laura discusses the supportive nature of the Melbourne creative community, even among artists who draw the same subjects.
• Stacie and Laura reflect on the difference between copying and drawing inspiration, noting the beauty in seeing the same subjects interpreted in different styles. Laura admits she sometimes admires other artists’ versions of her favorite landmarks.

3. Building Multiple Income Streams

[07:51–08:59]

• Laura details her revenue streams:
  • Wholesale (about 47% of income; all clients are in Melbourne)
  • Product sales at local markets (six major events per year)
  • Brand collaborations and client commissions (e.g., murals for breweries and councils)
  • Workshops and licensing (art used for products like bin wraps)
• Keeping her business hyperlocal makes logistics easier and strengthens her customer connection.

“They’re all in Melbourne. That’s how niche it is.”
—Laura Holley [08:40]

4. The “Pub Club” Calendar Phenomenon

[10:05–14:04]

• Laura’s illustrated calendar originally started during Melbourne’s strict COVID lockdowns, with pub illustrations themed around the city’s most iconic venues.
• The calendar unexpectedly fostered a “Pub Club” tradition: groups of friends visit each month’s featured pub together, now going strong into its fifth year.

“People started coming up to me at markets and saying, ‘Oh, we went to six out of the 12 pubs last year.’”
—Laura Holley [10:35]

• She sells about 1,000 calendars annually and has cultivated a loyal repeat audience: “Some people will have been to the pub 48 times with a group of friends.” [10:46]

“You should be a local paper story about how artist brings people together to support local pubs and create, like, ritual and connection in a broken world. I don’t know—there's the headline.”
—Stacie Bloomfield [11:29]

5. Finding (and Loving) a Signature Product

[13:28–14:23]

• The calendar is Laura’s signature product, but her main sellers are now puzzles, stickers, and magnets—all using her cheerful city illustrations.
• She has unintentionally entered the “souvenir game,” highlighting the power of city pride and tourism.

6. Mistakes, Challenges, and Adaptability

[15:16–19:20]

• Pricing for wholesale and client work was one of Laura’s hardest early lessons—delaying responses to clients meant lost opportunities.
• Her most stressful mistake: a batch of 500 puzzles arrived with a misaligned graphic. After considering expensive fixes, she simply asked retailers what they thought, and they reassured her:

“I went back to all my wholesale customers and said, hey, this is the problem. What do you reckon? Can you sell them? And they’re like, absolutely, we can sell them—not a problem, no one will notice.”
—Laura Holley [15:58]

• Both agree that artists can be far more critical than customers about small imperfections. Laura’s takeaway: Problems aren’t failures, just opportunities to adapt.
• Endurance and problem-solving are highlighted as key business skills.

“You just got to get on with it, don't you?”
—Laura Holley [18:46]

7. Large-Scale Work & Business Evolution

[20:08–22:56]

• Laura now focuses on digital murals for corporate clients, especially breweries—a lucrative and scalable path using iPad illustration and wallpaper installation.
• She no longer does private mural commissions, preferring the stability of larger business clients.

8. The Importance of In-Person Markets

[23:38–25:40]

• Laura is still active at Melbourne’s biggest markets and fairs, though she streamlines her process (using assistants for setup, delivery, and teardown).
• She encourages hesitant artists to start small with local shows to build confidence, test products, and receive valuable direct feedback:

“The feedback you get is amazing. I also have picked up wholesale business from craft fairs and mural opportunities. Like lots of different opportunities. It's not just people who want art on their wall that are there. It's everyone’s there. Businesses are there. So it’s great.”
—Laura Holley [25:18]

• Practical marketing tip: always bring business cards, have signage, and encourage social media follows at in-person events.

9. Lasting Advice for Artists

[26:35–27:10]

• Laura’s advice to her past self and aspiring artists centers on authenticity:

“Just create what you want to create. Stay true to yourself, and you’re not going to enjoy it if you’re drawing something you don’t want to draw.”
—Laura Holley [26:35]

• She urges artists to embrace evolution: you can try things and pivot, as long as you keep enjoying what you’re doing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On niching down:
  “I’m just gonna keep drawing pubs. I’m gonna keep drawing them because I know that people will like them and that’s what worked for me.” —Laura Holley [04:07]

• On community, not competition:
  “There’s other people that do it in their different styles and that’s cool… It’s not really competition, it’s just community and it’s just cool.” —Laura Holley [05:06]

• On the origins of Pub Club:
  “Now it’s become a real thing and it’s called Pub Club. And people go every month, they follow the pubs and people have been doing it for… this will be the end of the fourth year, we’re coming into, so I’m releasing the fifth year coming up.” —Laura Holley [10:32]

• On overcoming business mistakes:
  “When it’s your own business, I don’t really see them as mistakes. It’s more just like, you just gotta keep going and find a solution.” —Laura Holley [15:38]

• Advice to new artists:
  “Just create what you want to create... you’re not going to enjoy it if you’re drawing something you don’t want to draw.” —Laura Holley [26:35]

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:16 | Laura introduces herself and her Melbourne-focused business | | 04:07 | Niching down—deciding between tight focus or broader subjects | | 07:51 | Laura’s current income streams and business model | | 10:05 | Origin and growth of the Pub Club calendar and audience | | 13:28 | Discussion about signature products and the souvenir market | | 15:16 | Laura’s biggest business mistake and handling a print error | | 20:08 | Digital murals for corporate clients; how Laura approaches them | | 23:38 | The value of in-person markets and fairs | | 26:35 | Laura’s best advice for artists: authenticity |

Final Thoughts

This conversation is a masterclass in creative authenticity, audience-building, and flexibility. Laura Holley’s unwavering focus on what she loves—her city and its stories—demonstrates how “niching down” can spark lasting community connections and commercial success. Her willingness to embrace mistakes as learning experiences, combined with her multiple income streams and honest approach to business, offers inspiration and practical wisdom for artists at all levels.

Find Laura at: lawsdraws.com and @lawsdraws (L-A-W-Z-D-R-A-W-Z) on Instagram.
Follow host Stacie Bloomfield at: @leverageyourart