Alumni Profile: Laura Gibson '01

Recording Artist
LauraGibsonMusic.com
Major at Linfield: General Science

What are you doing now?
I just came home from a year of touring my most recent record, called La Grande. I feel really lucky that those songs have taken me around the U.S., Europe, Japan, Israel and South Africa. At the moment I'm home getting ready to record a new record, and spending next month as an artist-in-residence at Caldera Arts Center. When I'm not making or promoting records, I sometimes record music for commercials or film, and occasionally get to teach songwriting workshops to adults and teenagers, and sit in and speak on arts panels.

Tell us about yourself.
I live in the Sellwood neighborhood in Portland. I love Sellwood because it's so close to the Willamette River and Oaks Bottom Nature Reserve, and I try and run or hike there every day. I have a little 1962 Shasta Trailer in the backyard, next to the garden, where I work on music and writing. Portland has such a rich and encouraging arts community so I try to be as supportive and involved as possible. I meet other visual artists/writers/musicians for coffee regularly, and find that really inspiring. I'm away often on tour, so I really cherish my time at home. I've just recently been dabbling in fiction writing, and dream of scoring films someday.

How did Linfield help prepare you for your career?
I entered Linfield planning to use a general science major as a step towards medical school. The hours I spent in the chemistry lab might seem unrelated to my current career, but it was in those science classes where I developed discipline and a sense of wonder for the natural world. Linfield challenged me to question my humanness from all angles, and fostered communication and organization skills that have been crucial to both the creative side and the business side of being an artist.