We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mary Scarlett LaBerge. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mary Scarlett below.

Mary Scarlett, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

There are moments every day when I open Instagram and I see a younger artist or designer absolutely excelling at all the things I want to do, and it’s easy for me to feel behind. I start second-guessing all the choices I made to get where I am, and wonder if I would have been further ahead in my career now if it had started sooner.

What if I had entered college with the intention of becoming an artist instead of changing my major 4 times until my junior year? What if I had tried to start freelancing right out of college instead of pursuing agency jobs? Why didn’t I work harder in high school to build more technical skill in painting when I had so much more free time?

I have been self-employed as an artist and designer for a little over 2 years now, after finally getting fed up with agency life, and it was hard for a while to shake that feeling of “why on earth didn’t I do this sooner? I could have been happy this whole time! And I would probably be a lot more skilled now!”.

But before falling too far into the black hole of regrets and comparison, I have to remind myself that had I always focused on “having a creative career”, I probably would have messed it up.

As inconvenient as it was, the “side quests” and indirect routes that led me to where I am probably benefitted me more than a direct path. I viewed those things as obstacles or distractions, but they were really little stepping stones.

If I had started graphic design right away in college, I would probably have focused less on developing my skills as a fine artist…the very thing that now gives me an edge as a designer.

I would never have taken PR classes – which made me a better writer and speaker.

If I hadn’t spent those few maddening years at agencies, I would not have developed the discipline, drive, and confidence I would need to hold my own as a business. I wouldn’t understand the industry in the same way or be able to figure out what I could offer clients that was unique.

I wouldn’t have used painting as an escape from work and pushed my skills further than school could have done. I wouldn’t know what kind of life I wanted.

All that to say, it’s comforting to be reminded that there isn’t really an ideal formula for having a creative career. All of the uncertainty, doubt, and random experiences really do equip you more than you realize. Even if your life right now doesn’t feel “relevant” to what you’re after, remember that it’s all raw material, and you get to choose how to use it.

Mary Scarlett, 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 come primarily from a fine art background. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved painting and drawing, but I always viewed them as something fun to do, not a potential career path.

For the first half of college, I changed my major several times and kept coming back to my love of making things. That’s when I discovered graphic design – and I completely fell in love. I had no idea how wide the field was, or how much opportunity was out there for a legitimate career (no “starving artist” narrative).

I kept developing my fine art skills (particularly painting) on the side, and worked to build a strong design portfolio.

After graduation, I dove into agency life – spending a couple of years at a larger marketing firm and one at a small branding agency. But MAN I was not a good fit for those environments. Luckily, misery is a great motivator, and these few years gave me time to build some necessary skills and figure out what I excelled at.

My dream was to somehow unite my loves of fine art and graphic design, and gain the freedom and independance of a self-employed creative.

I finally jumped into freelancing full-time in May of 2020… just as the pandemic was really heating up. This was terrifying, but the time that I spent on passion projects eventually paid off. Slowly the work came, and it was finally work that I really wanted to do.

Because of my dual background in fine art and graphic design, I am able to offer my clients a wider range of services and a more tailored, custom approach.

Along with painting commissions and mural work, I focus on branding and illustration. This can range anywhere from logo design to posters to books to tshirts – the list goes on.

Making is my joy – and I love using that passion to help other people share their brands and tell their stories in a more unique and authentic way.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I know it’s really difficult considering the society we live in, but I think it would be really helpful to creatives if people overcame the mass-produced, consumer mindset a little.

For example, I LOVE Hobby Lobby, but there’s no denying that it has damaged people’s perception of “art” and how much it should cost. And I get it. Why would someone want to pay an artist hundreds of dollars for an original painting when they can get a canvas print for $45 at Hobby Lobby? If the purpose of art is just something pretty that matches your couch, then that mindset makes sense.

But there’s a difference between not being able to afford something, and not actually valuing that thing in the first place. I’m not griping at people for buying wall art at Hobby Lobby, but I think the instant gratification of it has made us lose an appreciation for hand-made things. And I really do believe that hand-made things are important.

I don’t really think there’s a simple solution here either. I know that money is a reality that affects how people approach art and design. But I think if we could all learn to NOTICE and appreciate real art more, we could perhaps become less married to and dependent on mass production.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that non-artists tend to view creative careers as a sort of mystical thing – a talent you get lucky with and then get to profit off of. But truly – it’s not like that at all. Talent is cheap, and luck is misleading. Somewhere out in the world right now, there is probably a 7 year old with da Vinci level skills that could make me look like a finger-painting chimp. But this chimp has practiced a LONG time.

What ultimately counts in a creative career is not talent (though that helps) nor luck (that insufferable kill-joy), but skill. And skill is learned – meaning that skill is attainable.

Because the creative career is less cut-and-dry than some others (medical careers for instance), I think people tend to emphasize talent and luck rather than skill and strategy. But the ones riding on the first two tend to drop out pretty quickly.

Lecture over. But I mean this all as encouragement! Having a creative career should begin with interest and maybe a little talent, but the rest of it is simple repetition, consistency, and refusal to quit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mscarlettcreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mscarlettcreative/
• Other: https://maryscarlett.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mary.scarlett/

Image Credits
Ben LaBerge