We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Micah Goguen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Micah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I got a Bachelor’s degree in art back in 2002. After graduating, I hit a wall of fear thinking that I could only make a living teaching at Universities or selling expensive paintings in a gallery. I deferred back to what I knew of waiting tables and working retail. Upon hitting a low spot in 2011, I relocated back to my home town and sought to connect with an art community. I attended a local art organization meeting where I overheard a woman talking about taking on a new job as a gallery director and she was looking for “sip n paint” instructors. I had never taught before but asked what was needed to move forward. That first class, I was sweating bullets. It took me three hours to paint the sample yet I only had two hours to teach. I made it through and one of the participants said “You explain in a way that makes sense”. That validation made me want to keep going. Although still working retail full time, I put in extra time whenever possible. I created another “follow me” style paint program in a neighboring city and began teaching a class every two weeks. For every paint class I taught, I could tell that 10-15% wanted to learn more about color theory, brush techniques and more. After about a six months, I had collected enough interest to have a “Learn the basics” class focusing on these topics. Those first few months were difficult working full time and also making extra time to build the new business. I remember how tired I was and how much I dreaded going into the retail job when all I wanted to do was focus on what i love. I began diminishing my retail hours as the other grew and eventually hit the tipping point where it was time to let go. I was so scared that I wouldn’t make it thinking I couldn’t afford to stay afloat. I lived in a room above the gallery where I taught for the first year and half while I built up the classes. I took showers at the local Salvation Army and used a microwave and take out for food. In exchange for rent, I kept up and managed the gallery. I believe this helped me make the transition more comfortably. Within a year, I built up 5 weekly classes in which the students continued developing skills with their painting. I then began reaching out to art organizations in surrounding cities to offer introductory classes. One challenge in growing the business is that the number one response from people is “I can’t draw a stick figure”. It is almost as if we are programmed with this language. I flashed back to graduating college with the same self limiting belief that “i can’t make it”. A friend told me that I was very good at encouraging and empowering people and asked if I had ever heard of Art Therapy which I had not. I read more about it and discovered that my Alma Mater was the only college in the state to offer a Master’s Program. I knew that I wanted more people to explore their creative side safely and comfortably, I needed to learn more about the inner critic that keeps us from trying. I completed my Master’s in 2018. During this journey, I made more progress with my living situation renting a room in someone’s home for a year and then getting my own apartment during college. I developed and annual Art Therapy retreat which I still lead today. The purpose was to integrate people in an immersive and safe environment in which they can find the support they need to tackle some of the obstacles that emerge. In my own art therapy practice, I specialize in group work helping people to find an “aha” moment and then connecting them with more individual resources. While most Art Therapists believe in process over product, I believe than an individual can have both. They can execute a great work and learn technique while also learning about how they show up in their daily lives. I continue to grow this aspect and cultivate connections among people in the community that are seeking to learn more about themselves and how they relate to the world around them.
Micah, 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 consider myself to be a mixed media artist. I teach a variety of beginner classes in most media to serve as an entry point to art.Once people build a foundation, I enjoy connecting them with artists that specialize in the field so they can further their artistic journey. I offer fundamental workshops that typically include supplies to eliminate any stressors or excuses that may come up for an individual. The purpose is to offer a success oriented module that focuses on 1-3 points within a specific medium in order to make the experience easier to retain. Similarly as an art therapist, I offer group online sessions and courses in addition to in person retreats to expose people to the principles of art therapy. Once we have covered some ground territory, I seek to connect them with people that specialize in particular areas that can assist them to the next level in their journey. My online art therapy groups are all inclusive and come with materials in order to work through the directives weekly.
I provide “in service” presentations and team building workshops for corporate offices and professionals. An “in service” is an experiential presentation on art therapy, it’s effects and how it can be used in the community.
I provide public speaking for art organizations to empower them with ideas and dynamics about how to motivate their existing artists while also drawing in new ones. We cover aspects of the community and how to integrate local issues that matter with the art making.
I do commission work mostly dealing with portraits and pet portraits. Pricing is based on size, media and substrate.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My primary purpose with my work is to hold space with people in order to shift their perspectives and narratives in order to become more open and willing. Working with SMART goals, I seek to build an experience that helps the individual achieve the following: S-Specific- what are we trying to accomplish in a setting and who is responsible for what
M-Measurable- formatting a course of action that allows the individual to see the progress made
A-Achievable- Assessing objectives that are manageable given the time and space
R-Relevant= How do the short term goals head toward larger long term goals?
T-Time-Bound- What is a reasonable check point to assess and report progress?
Whether it is an art based, technical workshop or and art therapy process based experience, I incorporate these considerations so that the participant can clarify where they are seeking to go and how to get there. I think getting honest with ourselves about what we want and where we want to go and being able to communicate that in a clear manner is half of the battle with any intention. I want to give people enough practical application to form a comfortable dialogue in order to convey their needs and wants without a sense of false shame or guilt.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss was a foundational book for me. She unifies many principles to show common themes and emergent patterns. I also believe her ability to speak about how we give our personal power away or allow others to drain us is critical to why many people remain stuck. another book by Myss called Sacred Contracts, explores archetypes and our interaction and understanding of different types. It gives insight on the directions we choose in life and also lessons we continue to learn over and over again when we don’t recognize a pattern. The Artist’ s Way by Julia Cameron came across my path 12 years ago through a synchronistic turn of events. for the past 1- years, I have been leading circles while integrating custom interactive activities to help people integrate, relate and experience vulnerable moments of clarity. Julia speaks about our inner critic, wet blankets, crazy makers and how anger and jealousy can be used as a map towards the next point of action. I have lead over 400 people through her initial book and continue to use principles from it in group work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.micahgoguen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micahgoguenart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micah.goguen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pSrkiAYyscCi3KqZ1bXNQ