We recently connected with Megan Moore and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I took art classes all through grade school before attending college at the Savannah College of Art and Design. While studying illustration I took many materials and techniques classes and worked on developing a distinct personal style. I took a large format oil painting class as an elective my senior year, and that ended up becoming my medium of choice. Through 20+ years of practice I have come to understand that my style is what comes out of me when I give myself the freedom of expression without preconceived ideas of the finished project. I’m not emulating someone else, that’s how I know that I am not doing it wrong. It is my own work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to tell us how you got to where you are today.

I grew up in Huntsville, AL, aspiring to find a career and life path that would be fulfilling. For college, I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, and majored in Illustration. After completing my BFA I moved to Minneapolis to join my now-husband. I started out as an artist by exhibiting locally and selling work at outdoor art fairs. I also joined a group of artists at The Northrup King Building, where I still maintain studio space. I spent years working in publishing, marketing, and graphic design, before turning my full professional attention to working as an artist in 2020. I have shown my art widely in the Twin Cities metro and am well-known as a local artist.

2020, a pivotal year:

Between the pandemic and the worldwide uprising for an end to racism, which started right in the neighborhood of Minneapolis where I live, it was a year of deep reflection and examination of priorities. 2020 taught me to slow down, take on the responsibility of understanding the world around me, and especially to look for answers inside my own being.

I celebrated my 40th birthday in March, just before the pandemic arrived in full force. I was suddenly home with my children every day, sharing the responsibility of guiding them through online learning with my husband, while attempting to maintain a wide range of work commitments. I soon found that was not what I or my children needed. I took my focus off of my work and onto taking care of my own wellness and that of my kids.

In May after the murder of George Floyd in South Minneapolis, the focus of the world’s attention turned to racism. Wanting to understand my own experience living through the events of social unrest in my neighborhood, as well as the messages in the media and from activists about individual responsibility in racism, pushed me to do some learning and deep thinking about how society has arrived where we are, and what my role in it all is.

That work, combined with self-care and staying engaged with my artistic work, pushed me forward into a spiritual awakening. I have learned to accept the presence of both pain and suffering as well as joy and beauty simultaneously. This is much easier to do if I approach the world, the people in it, and myself from a place of non-judgement and love. If I aim to learn rather than either judge or feel judged, there can be something valuable in each moment I experience.

2020 also gave me a new perspective on the purpose of my work as an artist. Wellness and comfort are at the center of it. I can look back and see there was a path that led to this, but along the way I didn’t necessarily recognize it. There are many clinical settings that have either prints of my paintings or original commissioned work in their spaces, and multiple hospitals have exhibited my work. I know of people who’ve had my artwork with them while facing terminal illness. I’ve worked with people to commemorate births, marriages, lives, and loves.

I had the honor of painting a mural in St. Paul at the end of the summer in 2020. The woman who commissioned it owns an acupuncture clinic and wanted to help her community heal from the trauma we expereienced in our cities. She requested these words be included: “Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes love.” This quote addresses the things that make my work as a visual artist important. My aim is to bring the beauty, peace, and comfort that I am inspired to paint into the lives of the people who regard it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love being independent in my work and setting my own expectations and commitments. While there is always advice to be taken, in my role as an artist I know that no one can tell me that I am doing it wrong. I get to manifest my own goals and desires. Beyond that individualism, I do also like to collaborate. My work as an artist is meaningful to me on a personal level, but it is important in the world when it lands in a place where it is appreciated, noticed, and valued. When I receive a commission, I know that the work is filling that place. I have also found my public art projects to be very rewarding, knowing that the same support of wellness that my artwork can have in private spaces can be shared equally and without restriction to everyone.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There is never a final answer on how to be an artist. It takes testing out a lot of ideas, enjoying it when something pans out, and learning from every step of the way. I spent the first 20 years of my career balancing my work as an artist with desk jobs. I never put the artwork aside completely, rather I worked on continually increasing the amount of time I dedicate to my work as an artist. The progress has been slow, but I feel it is a calling. I know this is my vocation because I can feel it when I paint, and I can feel it when others recognize what I have been putting into my paintings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meganmoore.com
• Instagram: @meganmooreart

Image Credits
Megan Moore