We recently connected with Ingrid McCoy and have shared our conversation below.

Ingrid, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time and change the moment I started my creative career, would I?

I’m not going to lie, yes sometimes I do wonder where I would be in my journey if I had started my art career sooner. But I don’t linger or worry about it. I love my life and so appreciate my artistic journey; the relationships I have made, the lessons I have learned, the joy (and challenges) of working with kids.

I started my creative path as an art educator, which—if I’m being honest—wasn’t just a job. It was a calling. For over 20 years, I taught art to students from pre-K to 12th grade. I mentored young teachers, led arts integration initiatives, and helped make creativity part of the heartbeat of the school. It was incredibly rewarding—and incredibly demanding. The kind of job where you pour yourself into everyone else, sometimes forgetting you have anything left in the tank for yourself.

So while I was always “doing art,” I didn’t truly own the identity of “artist” until more recently—after retirement. That’s when I finally gave myself full permission to explore, to play, to fail, to grow. To make art not for lesson plans or bulletin boards, but from my soul.

Would it have been amazing to start earlier? To launch a painting career in my 30s or begin licensing my surface designs when digital tools were exploding? Sure! I think about how much more time I would’ve had to build momentum. But then I think… would I have had the same perspective? The same depth? The stories? The resilience? And even the financial freedom i have now. Probably not.

Teaching taught me how to listen, how to observe, how to nurture creativity in others—and now I get to turn that around and nurture it in myself.

Starting later has given me a richness I wouldn’t trade. It’s also given me urgency. I don’t have time to play small anymore. I’m not waiting for perfect. I’m creating now—while the spark is hot and my soul is ready.

So no, I don’t wish I’d started sooner or later. I started at the exact right moment for me.

Ingrid, 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?

Hi there! I’m Inga McCoy, and after more than two decades of teaching art, I finally gave myself permission to become the artist I’d been helping others discover all along.

For years, I poured my energy into art education—teaching kids from pre-K through high school, mentoring young art teachers, leading arts integration initiatives, and creating space for creativity in public schools. I loved it. But like many creatives, I often put my own art on the back burner.

After retiring, I made a conscious shift. I didn’t just want to dabble—I wanted to build a creative life and business rooted in beauty, meaning, and joy. So I launched Ingrid McCoy Art & Design, a studio that offers:

Original Paintings – expressive, spirited works in oil and acrylic that explore themes of personal growth, spiritual connection, and the divine in everyday life
Surface Pattern Designs – playful, organic motifs based on my hand-drawn work, designed to be licensed for textiles, wallpaper, stationery, and more
Fine Art Prints & Commissions – custom and limited-edition canvas prints for those looking to bring soulful, uplifting art into their homes

My work often touches on themes like transformation, vulnerability, nature, sacredness, and resilience. I explore divine the beauty in ordinary moments as well as trying to capture the beauty or divine in everyday like a coffee mug in morning light, a weathered window, or a frog perched quietly by a pond. I also create blog posts and content that explore what I call The Art of Life—finding meaning, healing, and purpose through creativity.

What sets me apart? I think it’s the heart behind the work. I don’t paint just to decorate a wall—I paint to connect. To stir something. To reflect what’s real and still offer hope. I’m not chasing perfection or trends. I’m chasing truth, color, and a sense of presence.

I’m most proud of finally saying yes to this path—not just for me, but for others who’ve waited too long to claim their own creative voice. Through my art and my story, I want people to feel seen, inspired, and reminded that it’s never too late to begin.

If you’re looking for artwork that carries spirit, story, and soul—or if you’re a designer looking to license joyful surface designs—I’d love to connect. My door is always open at Ingrid McCoy Art & Design.

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

If we want a thriving creative ecosystem, we need to start by truly valuing artists—not just when they become famous or when their work matches someone’s sofa, but at every stage of their journey. Creativity isn’t a luxury. It’s how we process the world, tell our stories, and imagine new ones. Artists help us feel, reflect, and sometimes heal.

To support that, society can:

Invest in arts education—from the earliest grades through adulthood. Kids need to know their creativity matters, and grown-ups need permission to reclaim it.

Fund public art and community projects—not as afterthoughts, but as integral to vibrant neighborhoods and healing spaces.

Support local artists and makers—buy their work, share it, commission them, attend their shows. Every purchase or “like” is a little vote for culture.

Tell better stories about what it means to be an artist—we’re not just dreamers, we’re workers, visionaries, truth-tellers, small business owners, and essential voices.

Make space—physically, emotionally, and financially—for creativity to flourish. That could mean studio space, mental health support, artist residencies, or fair pay for creative labor.

At the heart of it, supporting artists means recognizing that creativity is a human right—and when artists thrive, everyone benefits.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Oh yes—so many resources I wish I had known about earlier in my creative journey! When I first shifted from teaching to building my own art business, I felt a little lost in the vast ocean of possibilities. I knew how to make art—but running a business, marketing myself, and staying motivated in isolation? That was a whole new world.

Thankfully, I eventually found some incredible online communities that changed everything.

One of the first was “Leverage Your Art” with Stacie Bloomfield. Her course helped me understand how to take my hand-drawn work and transform it into surface pattern designs that could be licensed—a game-changer. But more than the content, it was the community of kind, generous creatives that made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

Then I discovered Miriam Schulman’s “The Inspiration Place.” Her practical advice, mindset coaching, and real-talk about building a sustainable art business lit a fire under me. I also had the chance to do some mentoring through her program, which helped me clarify my vision in a much deeper way.

And most recently, I found Andrea Cermanski’s “Art Evolve.” Her course doesn’t just teach technique—it nurtures you as a whole artist. Her approach helped me grow creatively and connect with other artists who are navigating the same questions and challenges I am.

These women have built more than courses—they’ve built communities. And that’s what’s made the biggest difference. The relationships I’ve formed with other artists—people who get the ups and downs, who cheer each other on, and share openly—have been just as important as any strategy or skill I’ve learned.

If I could go back and tell my earlier self one thing, it would be: Find your people. Join that class. Reach out. The art world is big, but it doesn’t have to be lonely.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ingridmccoyart.design
• Instagram: @ingridmccoyartanddesign

Image Credits

Ingrid McCoy