Life Has Been a Journey for Laurie King

Anderson Artists Guild member Laurie King has the heart of a servant. The desire to help others is no doubt what led her to earn a degree in psychology with an emphasis in counseling from Limestone College.

Her employment history started in the Athletic Department at Anderson Junior College, where she had also studied for two years before transferring. One of her favorite jobs was at Bookland Bookstore in the Anderson Mall as assistant manager. “I loved working there,” she said. But a new manager cut everyone’s hours, so King moved on to the Anderson Library, where she worked for 28 years in the Children’s Department before retiring in 2011. “I loved working with the kids,” she said. “My favorite part was my story times and summer reading programs. I enjoyed planning the programs and crafts. I saw so many kids grow up and am still in touch with some of them. Some are grown with kids of their own, and to most of them and even their parents I am still ‘Miss Laurie.’”

King has always been interested in photography. She remembers that her first success was a sunset shot that placed third at the Anderson County Fair. Since then, she’s been in a number of local shows and earned several merit awards.

Most of her work is of nature, and she is especially interested in abstract and macro photography. “I just like to see the small details in what I photograph,” she said. “I even look at artwork hanging in businesses and doctors’ offices to see what I can see beyond the actual artwork, faces in the clouds and trees, the smaller things. I have a dark side to me, so I love anything to do with shadows and with cloudy/foggy/rainy days and have even walked in the early morning when it was drizzly and foggy to capture weird pictures.”

A turning point in her life occurred in 2018 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She endured a mastectomy, 30 rounds of radiation, and reconstructive surgery. After her own successful battle against cancer, she began volunteering at the Radiation/Oncology Department at AnMed. “I just felt like I needed to be there for women going through the same stuff I went through to tell them it’s tough, but they will get through it,” she said. “I developed some tough skin dealing with cancer patients in various stages and often had to walk away to cry.” She has also volunteered with Belton Interfaith Ministries and most recently with the Cancer Association of Anderson. “It’s just a way to give back to an organization that was there for me when I was on my cancer journey,” she said.