We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Sawyer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

This topic has come up more frequently in my career than most people would think and is one that I typically avoid outside of my closest circle.  If you were to have asked me this at various points in my career, I would have had different responses. At this point, I can’t say I’m happier as an artist or creative, as I’ve grown to find that my happiness is impacted less by what I do, and more by how and why I do things. 

I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had as an artist, even with all the challenges and struggles that have been included. Leaving a steady 40+ hour a week job (with benefits), that I was incredibly invested in, was a daunting leap of faith to take. Art had been my number one passion since I knew how to care about doing anything, so it seemed like a natural fit. Creating had always been where I felt most normal and at peace. I’m sure many people have heard: “Follow your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life”. For me, that was not the best advice. There was a point when my passion felt like overwhelming work. Art had brought me joy and peace for most of my life but had eventually become the opposite. I was exhausted, my mental health had declined, relationships were in tatters, and I was not more financially stable than I was in my previous job. Nor was I even working for myself, which was the whole point. I was working for everyone but myself and the burnout was intense and crushing. 

As of 2024, it has been 12 years since I left the ‘regular’ job world and I don’t know that the thought of going back has ever left my mind. After taking that leap of faith, I’d frequently look back across the chasm and wonder how difficult the jump back would be. There wasn’t a singular incident that made me question my choice, but rather, compounded circumstances and issues. Many of those issues, I could not have known about without taking that step into becoming a full-time artist/muralist. Over the years, I’ve learned more by experience than any college course could teach me on the subject. To keep it brief, I will only touch on the two biggest factors that made me question my career choice. 

Firstly, the biggest issue that made me second guess whether my career choice was the best idea was the safety factor. This isn’t something I’ve talked about with many people, but a reality of my personal experience in this line of work. Although I worked with a partner for a long time, there were many instances where I was working alone on projects. This meant I could be on the street, alone, at any hour of the day or night. When projects needed to be wrapped up, I was sometimes there until daylight broke. With that, I’ve had my share of safety concerns. I’ve experienced everything from physical altercations, and verbal threats, to a bit of stalking. 

Secondly, the inconsistent pace of the work was quite stressful for a long time. Coming from a very regular schedule as a teacher, this was a huge adjustment. There were months when the work would not stop coming in. “I can rest next month” was a common mantra. Then, the dry spells would roll in along with the uncertainty they carried with them. While it usually evened out, I never felt settled. 

When all aspects of work life impacted my personal life, I knew changes needed to be made. The universe pushed me a bit and I finally decided to make a huge shift in my career. I decided that if I was going to continue as an artist/creative, I would have to finally do it on my terms; something that felt more authentic to who I am.  If not, I would fall into the same traps as any other ‘regular’ job and inevitably hate something I cared about so deeply, something that is an inherent part of my being. I had to change the way I showed up as an artist. I had to change how I was approaching work and why I was doing it. On my terms has looked like only agreeing to large projects that are meaningful to me, working with people and organizations that align more with my values, varying the types of jobs I take on (not all art related), and establishing reasonable expectations (for myself and clients). 

When I say I’m grateful for both the opportunities and challenges, that is because I could have never found my path without those experiences. Now, rather than always looking back across a ravine, daydreaming of what another jump across might feel like, I’m building pathways and bridges to places that are just as rewarding and fulfilling as what was on the other side. 

Michelle , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a visual artist from Tampa, FL. In 2006, I earned a degree in Fine Arts from the University of South Florida. When entering college, I had the intention of becoming a teacher, not a full-time artist. The semester I entered school, the university had eliminated my original major from their offerings, so I entered the Fine Arts program.

After graduating, I became a teacher, but supplemented my income by painting commissions and murals during the summer. In 2014, I began painting murals and doing commission work full-time. I have worked as a painter, muralist, curator and educator. My large-scale works, which range from commercial to historical to community-centered projects, can be seen throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Examples of such projects include the Tampa Heights mural at Cafe Hey created to raise awareness of interstate expansion in a historic neighborhood, the Dream Pushers mural located on the Dream Center in Ybor City, the Faces of West Tampa Mural at Salcines Park, the For the Love of THIS City mural at The Portico, the Riverwalk Memories mural at Anchor Riverwalk, the Tampa Height Mural at Shuffle, and the TPA Mural at Westshore City Center, among many others.

While the aforementioned projects were co-designed and co-painted as a duo, as of 2022, I re-emerged as a solo-artist. The 1937 Antifascist Women’s March in Ybor City as well as displays for the Skatepark of Tampa’s 30th anniversary showcase my vision as an independent artist who blends community and history through public art. My experience as a gallery co-founder has allowed me to assist local businesses in integrating art into their establishments. Most recently, I was the Art Events Coordinator at The Bricks in Ybor City and the Event Coordinator for the Spring Ybor Arts Tour in April 2024.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I’m not sure if this is something a non-creative would struggle to understand as much as they’d be surprised to learn. I often have people come up to me while I’m working and say that it must be so fun to just paint all day. There is this idea that it’s just fun work. Sure, there have been fun moments. I’ve had fun moments in just about every job I’ve worked, including those outside of the arts. Like any other job, there are things like deadlines (sometimes very tight), expectations to meet (sometimes unreasonable), struggles and setbacks. There’s also this thought that artists just do what they want. Maybe some do, but I can say I’ve never had complete creative freedom on a project. There have been a lot of hurdles I’ve had to jump through and I know I’m not alone. Sometimes a design is being approved by committee with varying voices that want to be heard equally, other times your concept may have to fit very rigid criteria. There’s also the physical aspect of it all (this is specific to large scale work/mural work). Sure it’s a creative job, but it also requires a ton of physical labor.

So, is it fun work? Yes, it can be.

Is it challenging work? Definitely.

Can it be rewarding? Absolutely.

Obviously, I can only speak to my experience. There are a number of drawbacks and stressors that come along with pursuing a career as a painter/muralist. Oftentimes, I’m hesitant to talk about them because I don’t want it to sound like someone grumbling about a dream job. By not talking about it though, I do feel like it furthers misconceptions about what a career as an artist might look like. Maybe it will give non-creatives more insight into the life of an artist and maybe it will help other creatives that might be struggling.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The fact that I am still creating illustrates my resilience. There was a time when I thought I could and would give it up. I had given so much of my creative energy and voice to a team, that I felt like I had lost myself. Once I decided to break from that team, I didn’t know who I was as an artist. How would I continue to make work without it looking like something from my past? Did I even care enough to figure it out? It took a bit of time and some brief pauses in creating, but my creative voice and energy came back stronger than ever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://michellesawyer.co
• Instagram: @_saw.yer_
• Facebook: @msawyerart

Image Credits

Michelle Sawyer