Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alicia Maynard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alicia, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents always told me my life could be my choice. I could be a mom, a pilot, an athlete, an artist, or anything else I wanted to follow, my life could be my own. By three years old I had declared my desire to be a professional artist. My mother was adamant I attend college because she didn’t get to, but she didn’t object when I chose an art school. I later found out my dad had believed he was wasting money on art school. But he never breathed a word of it to me until years later when he felt I had ultimately made the right choice.

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

I am a Nashville native! I attended Nossi College of Art and got my Associates degree in Commercial Art in 2000. The first art form I worked my way into was makeup artistry, but I wanted to paint. In 2009, at the instruction of a therapist, I began to paint! I started with colorful portraits of beautiful women, where realism is taken up a notch into fantasy. I wanted to quit my day job so badly, and I love painting so much, that I was eventually taking on any job I could get. From small illustrations to murals, and from portraits to landscapes, if you will let me, I’ll paint it for you.
So I love the collaborative process. I really want to bring your ideas to life. My purpose is to serve my community by translating their ideas into a visual product. I really love people, I become friends with most of my clients, and I really become emotionally invested in their ideas. Sometimes I’m so excited about a project that I can’t eat or sleep; sometimes I cry through memorial projects that are particularly tragic. But I am most happy when a client is happy and pleased with what I’ve created.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I feel like flexibility is at the core of getting to do what I do. Many people believe being an artist is about moving a product around on a surface; but it’s REALLY about trying something that goes south and not losing your cool or giving up. Sometimes your whole idea has to change, but not to panic. You can always paint over paint.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience is really the name of the game, and I am positively bull-headed about making art. So I have many times offered classes or art camps for kids, taken a gig doing caricatures or face painting, I illustrate homes for realtors, and I was recently commissioned to make some jewelry! I’m happy to take on any weird project if it means I get to continue creating.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @artbyaliciamaynard
• Facebook: Art By Alicia Maynard

Image Credits
Bri Larson Photography