We recently connected with Maggie Jackman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie , thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Making it work as a full time artist can be very taxing at times. There are definitely days that I envy my friends and family who work ‘regular jobs’ and then get to turn off and relax at the end of the day, or on weekends. When you’re running your own creative business- or any type of business, you pretty much have to use every minute of the day to get things done. Even the weekends are usually filled with markets and art fairs. When I am in the middle of busy season in the spring and fall I regularly work 15 hour days 7 days a week just to keep up. It definitely makes me wonder how much different my personal life would be, and what I could do with so much more free time if I worked a regular 9-5 for someone else. What it comes down to for me is that I heartily don’t want to work for anyone else. I love making art, I love putting my energy into building something of my own, and I love having the flexibility of being my own boss even if it comes with long hours and a lot of sacrifice. The gratification of putting my work into the world and connecting with people through my art is well worth it. As my business grows, I hope to put systems in place and eventually even hire a few employees to take the some of the weight off of my shoulders.

Maggie , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a full time Mixed Media Artist. I have been a creative since I was a kid, from selling painted rocks and crochet necklaces in elementary school to starting a photography business right out of high school. I went to college for interior design and switched art majors so many times that I finally just ended up going into business management so I could learn how to operate a business in whichever creative path I ended up on. I ended up finding a passion for fiber art, specifically embroidery and eventually started mixing fiber with acrylic and watercolor paint. I’m really proud of the techniques and processes I have developed that allow me to blend such drastically different mediums together, I don’t think it’s a mix of materials that you see everywhere and it gives my work a really unique and recognizable look.
I also offer prints of my work, as well as fun items like embroidered clothing and illustrated stickers. I do my best to incorporate my personality, passions and interests into the content of my art and I think that allows my customers to authentically connect with my work themselves.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I have actually learned a lot from watching the TV show, The Profit. An entrepreneurial marketing professor in college introduced it to me. There are a lot of good tips on how to make the best decisions for your business and your profitability. As a small business owner, especially in the art world it can be hard to not get too attached to the idea of what you want to sell and what you see your business model looking like. For example, your dream might be to sell your work in fine art galleries but your work might be better suited to licensing or retail wholesaling. The products that are most profitable for you might not always be the ones you’re most passionate about. If you really want to allow your business to grow It can be helpful to let the numbers guide you. That being said, as creatives we definitely need to keep the balance of what makes us money and what inspires us.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me the most rewarding part is seeing how much people connect with my work. I think artwork has a huge effect on our lives and our emotions and it makes me feel like what I’m doing is making a difference or even just making someone happy. I’ve been able to give people a memory of their cherished pets and their family homes in my custom portrait work. I’ve even had someone plan a family vacation because one of my pieces inspired them to do so. I am working on a piece right now that my client is going to use to propose to his girlfriend. It’s really amazing to hear those stories and know my work has genuinely touched peoples lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artifactstl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artifact_stl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtifactSTL