Memphis artist Lacey Craig didn't always plan to make art a central part of her career. Though she took art lessons growing up and loved the creative process, life eventually pulled her in a different direction. After college, she moved to Memphis to intern with Service Over Self, a nonprofit that would shape the next fifteen years of her life. There, she worked with women emerging from sex trafficking—an experience she describes as meaningful but emotionally demanding. When she felt herself approaching burnout, she took a leap toward something more restorative: painting.
What began as a hobby became a source of healing and eventually a career shift. "I picked it back up as a stress release and hobby about 12 years ago," Lacey shares. "I quickly began selling pieces sporadically, and now I have the privilege of making it part of my career."
Her now-signature "ribbon paintings" emerged from an ordinary moment during the holidays. A spool of grosgrain ribbon sparked the idea, and she began experimenting with layout and color. "I refined the process by using birch wood panels, creating neater three-color palettes, coating the pieces in resin, and framing them in bright gold for more pop," she explains. The series debuted on Instagram and sold out in a single day.
The ribbon paintings marked a major personal transition. "Life rarely follows a straight path," she says, "but there is joy in the twists and turns it takes."
Lacey lives in Binghampton, close to the Broad Avenue Arts District, a neighborhood she describes as welcoming and creatively rich. "Memphis is unique. It's small enough that an upstart artist can break through but large enough that there's a real audience for the arts," she says. Without a formal art degree, she's found a warm and inclusive artist community that prioritizes connection over competition.
When she's feeling stuck, Lacey looks to nature—flowers, color combinations, walks through Overton Park, or time spent at the Shell and Wolf River. "The people here are my strongest source of inspiration," she says. "Memphis is filled to the brim with personality. Now, all these years after my internship, I am back at Service Over Self part-time while pursuing an art career part-time. Memphis has felt like home to me since the beginning. I love the diversity of our city, and how so many people care so passionately about arts and culture here."
Collected by Elizabeth Malmo carries Lacey's ribbon paintings in a range of sizes, exposing her work to a new audience. With a growing presence beyond Memphis, too—through new representation at Thousand Cranes Gallery in her hometown in Texas and Well + Wonder Artist Collective—Lacey is excited for what's ahead. "I've made so many wonderful new friends through art here in our community," she says. "And I'm hopeful to continue on that path, making new connections and finding new places to showcase my work."