Lauren Brown: “Pursuing multiple passions” – From England to LA, from dance to starting a business

Oh I’m SO excited about this one!

Lauren Brown and I met in sunny California years ago through – yes you guessed it – dance classes.

I’ve followed her on Social Media ever since (@laurenchbrown) and have constantly been inspired by this English fire crackers passion for art, fashion and most importantly: empowering women to love themselves unconditionally.

Recently I discovered that she started her own cute clothing line, and I was like: SLAY.

You’ll learn about Lauren, how LA changed her, how she got started with her own brand and her best tip on how to say “F*ck it” and start your own entrepeneur journey! Enjoy!

Tell us about yourself! The more info the better, we love an overshare!

Hey!! My names Lauren and I’m 21 years old (what an exciting intro).  I was about to tell you that Im a dancer, but I am in fact – a multi faceted human who happens to dance (a-lot).  

The main thing to know about me is that I am incredibly passionate. I’m one of those people who romanticises e v e r y t h i n g – basically, I pretend I’m living in a movie 24/7.  Life really intrigues me and I want to ensure I live my life experiencing as much as possible; different cultures, food, fashion, art, relationships – the list could go on!

Growing up in England, I was obsessed with America, Los Angeles to be exact. Watching US TV shows was my escapism during difficult times in my teenage years.

I dont like using the term ‘mental health issues’ but growing up- I definitely did face some challenges.  I think this is why LA truly holds a special place in my heart because when I was going through a hard time, I imagined my life there and almost lived through the characters in the shows I watched.  When my brother decided to move to LA (how convenient) I couldn’t wait to get myself out there!

After graduating from performing arts school, for my 18th birthday, my parents brought me tickets to fly out to ‘the city of angels’ on my own. Just like A MOVIE! Of course I was singing Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus as I ‘hopped off the plane at LAX’. It was honestly a life changing trip. Before this I was shy, introverted and always doubting myself.

LA made me feel OK about being unapologetically me and it really shaped who I am as a person today. Something else it taught me is to just do what I want without second guessing – to let my ideas and dreams need to become reality. I don’t think I would of created my brand ‘alt dlt’ if i hadn’t of experienced this. 

How did you start your journey with your own brand?

So, ‘Alt Dlt’ came from the idea of having the ability to control your own destiny – like on a computer when you hold down the keys ‘CTRL’ and ‘ALT’ and ‘DLT’ to delete something. Its saying you’re already in control… you have the ability to create the life you want to live.

Almost like a video game where you can programme your own life.

The first thought for this came about when I stumbled upon a quote which stated ‘you are enough’. 

 I love this because as a society we tend to put ourselves down. We want to be prettier, more successful, popular, skinnier, etc. (Ps. Popularity, weight and looks should not have to correlate with happiness or success)

Its so important to be happy with who we are as a person right in this very moment because at the end of the day, we’re human and essentially we are doing our best within our own circumstances.

The second half of the quote ‘even if you aspire to be something more’ is great because I’m always working on myself, mentally, physically and emotionally. I want to be more… but I AM ALREADY ENOUGH.

So then at this point I’m super happy with who I am and anything extra is just a bonus! It’s all about the balance. Work hard but remember how amazing you already are. 

What’s your best advice for anyone who has a dream about being an entrepeneur? Any tips and tricks?

Never fear failure. Essentially failure doesn’t exist, it just adds to experience, opens new doors and gives you an opportunity to learn. Even if things don’t go how you expected, you still learned something! Being an entrepreneur is exciting!

You should never be too hard on yourself as you’re already killing it purely by trying. You will also never know if something will work out unless you try so you just might as well go for it. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t go to plan. This is when you adapt your plan and try again! Feel the fear and do it anyway! (Great book btw) 

What are your thoughts on pursuing multiple things? A lot of people say that it’s best to only focus on one thing and master that.

Pursuing multiple things… how can that be a bad thing? You might be amazing at something you didn’t set as your first priority!  Obviously becoming a master of one thing is an incredible achievement but for me I think it puts a lot of pressure on one particular skill and I don’t want to set myself up for any disappointment (not as thats a bad thing either).  

I’m super obsessive and if i put all my eggs in one basket it has the possibility to get toxic. During college or whenever Im training intensively in dance,  I love having other things to focus on as if I have a ‘bad’ class – it isn’t the end of the world. I can go home and focus on something else. Even something as simple as cooking.  I could’ve messed up a whole combo and felt like the worst dancer ever (dramatic) but if i take my time and cook my self a bomb meal,  I feel a sense of achievement and pleasure.  It just allows me to stop putting my worth into one specific thing. 

Do you feel like sharing your dreams/aspirations and plans for the future?

I always say my goal is to dance for Justin Bieber. Im gonna keep training hard till i get that gig. But on the off chance that doesn’t happen, I reaaallly just want to be happy and fulfilled. This means staying creative, surrounding myself with good people, visiting new countries, living elsewhere etc.

I’m currently studying psychology, biology and sociology and hoping to go to university next year as I have ‘get a degree’ on my bucket list. So later on in life I would love to do something in the realms of psychology/ counselling or even criminology.  

In terms of ‘Alt Dlt’ , I have some exciting things in the works. New items, concepts, events etc. Taking it slow and seeing what comes natural! I’m all about things being organic and from the heart- never forced! I also want to travel and see all the capital cities in the world. Paris is my favourite so far (I need to learn french). 

Any books or podcasts you can recommend?

Favourite book: ‘Women don’t owe you pretty’ by Florence Given (link here)! LIFE CHANGING. I urge every human (not just women) to read this. Even if you don’t consider yourself a ‘feminist’ … READ IT! 

Podcast: The ins and outs – Kane Silver. He interviews some amazing people in the industry and is an all round incredible guy! Such a great listen for any dance, singer or actor (or anyone interested)! Keeps me motivated and inspired! (link here)!

Who inspires you?

I have soooo many inspirations when it comes to fashion, lifestyle, dance etc. Although these are super cool and influential people, I think the people with the biggest influence on my life are my mum and nana. My nana was severely ill for 50 years before she passed. She fought every single day whilst running the family, being happy, positive and a general boss woman! My mum is a super hero. Strong, hardworking and selfless. I could speak for hours about how incredible they are. I aspire to be just like them. 

Your favorite quote?

My favourite quote is obviously – You are enough, even if you aspire to be something more. 

Where can we find you? And most importantly where can we purchase your cute product?

You can buy my crew neck jumpers on depop @laurenchantelle_ or by DM’ing the instagram page @altdlt.uk or my personal  @laurenchbrown 

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