We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eileen McKeon Butt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eileen below.

Eileen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Without a doubt, it’s the portrait I painted of my daughter swimming underwater! She’s an artist herself, and has always been a muse to me….this time, as an inspiration for a painting of herself. We both love the water, and I was happy to have captured a photo of her snorkeling. I actually took several, and hope to turn them into a series at some point.

Once I got back to the studio, I was enormously intimidated to try and create a painting from the photograph. I’d never tackled painting water before, and of course, I didn’t want to do a bad job painting my own child :-) It took a Long time before I felt like I knew what I was doing (chalking out the details on the canvas before painting them helped a lot), but after a while it started coming together, and I’d be greeted in my studio by a girl coming out of the canvas. That stage felt just awesome!

I’ve learned enough from this project that I won’t be so hesitant to move forward with other technical challenges in the future. I feel that we’re always our own worst critics, and I think this particular piece has really helped me overcome my fear of taking creative risks. Plus, my daughter loved it, and that’s the best reward of all!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I absolutely love creative challenges, and also the learning process that’s often a part of successfully accomplishing them. Right now, I’m actively involved with visual art, but I’m also a writer and an editor. I find that this mix of different kinds of creative activities suits me perfectly, since I find it energizing to work on several different types of projects simultaneously.

A normal week for me these days involves working on a new series of experimental drawings that I plan to enter into a show this November, several hours of editing a client’s book, spending time developing one of my personal writing projects, and probably also trying out some new art supplies or techniques. There’s never a dull moment in the studio!

My career is very focused on art right now, and I’ve taken many classes over the years to develop my skills, but my academic background and early professional life was a bit different. I studied Art, Psychology, and English literature in college, but worked in Marketing professionally for many years, before feeling brave enough to make the switch into Art.

I finally took the plunge when my kids were still in school; first by doing small shows, then later by exhibiting at larger venues, joining artists’ associations, and also by starting two online shops for merchandise based on my artwork. There was quite a lot of happy education going on as part of this process, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Along the way, I’ve picked up some awards for my art, which was hugely gratifying, and also had several of my paintings included in books written by my artistic colleagues. I’ve helped friends and clients fine-tune their manuscripts prior to publication, and have written three volumes of my own. Happily, I have no idea what else I’ll get involved with next, but if it’s an interesting creative opportunity, I’m in!

I’m very committed to developing my creative vision as far as possible, and am also excited about sharing my skills and imagination with anyone trying to move their own projects forward, but need some help with anything from brainstorming and planning to fine-tuning. I’m as excited about other people’s work as my own, and immensely enjoy helping others to clarify their own creative visions and move forward productively. If you need creativity consulting, I’d love to talk to you! (You can email me at: eileen@eileenmckeonbutt.com.)

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The best resources that I’ve encountered are art organizations, whether it’s a collective of working artists or a non-profit dedicated to supporting artists. For example, in Austin we have a great non-profit called Big Medium that not only runs several huge art shows every year, but also supports fellowships for aspiring artists and runs workshops on the business of art. Local artist groups like the Creative Arts Society (CAS) also provide social and professional support to artists of every age; there are also subject-specific artist organizations, some international, that are worth joining based on your own particular interests. For example, I’m a member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) since I have a particular interest in Space Art. Find any group that’s connected with what you’re interested in, and you’ll not only make friends, but also gain invaluable information on being a successful professional artist.

There are also some really useful printed resources I’ve collected over the years, including: Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist, by Cay Lang; The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What you Love, by Jackie Battenfield; Pricing and Ethical Guidelines Handbook, by the Graphic Artists Guild; Legal Guide for the Visual Artist, by Tad Crawford; and Business and Legal Forms for Fine Artists (also by Tad Crawford).

Last, but definitely not least, there are quite a few artists and entrepreneurs I follow who are treasures of inspiration and information. Most of them have newsletters you can sign up for that will appear in your Inbox, and are worth reading. Here are just a few of the ones I love (all on Instagram):

Maria Brito (writes The Groove) @mariabrito_ny
Amy McNee @inspiredtowrite
Karen Abend @karenabend
Angela Fehr @angelfehr
Amy Maricle @amymaricle
Austin Kleon @austinkleon

There are tons of others who have advice on the creative life and business…once you start following them, you’ll get suggestions on so many others!

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

I love that I’m 100 percent in charge of my own direction; something that used to terrify me, but which now energizes me every day. There is no boss when you’re an independent creator, and even the devilish “inner critic” needs to be dismissed when there’s creative work going on. You are in charge; your vision is all that matters, and how you cultivate it is entirely up to you. This can be extremely therapeutic if you’re combining your creative passion with a day job, where you may not have as much control over decisions.

The other aspect of this life direction that I love is that my work changes over time. A lot of artists think they should always do work that resembles previous projects, so that people recognize them right away. My thinking is that the concept of brands is a great thing when it pertains to normal consumer products, but when you’re an artist, it makes sense to remember that neither your interests or skills are fixed in time: you’ll go through things; you’ll learn things, and your art will change. Developing your skills, your voice, and your vision is a normal and healthy thing for an artist; no need to fight it.

Contact Info:

• Website: eileenmckeonbutt.com
• Instagram: @eileensmb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-mckeon-butt-9b273842/
• Twitter: @sciencesart
• Other: The best way to contact me directly is to email me at: eileen@eileenmckeonbutt.com. You can also follow me on IG and then DM me. I’d love to talk about art with you–yours or mine :-)!