We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe MacGown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed to create art, especially detailed drawings. My road to making my art a career has been long and gradual with unexpected turns and bumps along the way. I began developing my own unique techniques and style as a child while growing up in Maine, where we lived until moving to Mississippi just before I entered middle school. Our family was poor, and thus, it was difficult to afford supplies. Lack of funds, but the need to draw, forced me to find alternative art supplies. I made ink from berries, pens from reeds, and drew and painted on birch bark that I peeled from trees. If I was lucky enough to get some good drawing paper, I used every inch obsessively filling the paper with tiny lines. By the time we moved to Mississippi, I was ready to sell or barter my art to others selling my first oil painting at age 12. Due to family issues, I worked odd jobs starting at age 13 to supplement our meager family income. I learned early on to balance work, art, and school. After high school I attended the Memphis College of Art for one year, but family troubles led me to leave school to work full time. Along the way, I continued to do freelance graphic design and other artwork. I began a job in my early 20’s as a scientific illustrator for an entomological museum. During the course of my employment there I became a self-taught taxonomist and specialized in ant studies. While working I continued my art career, entering competitions, gallery exhibitions, and also creating an art space on my property. With no safety net and a strong work ethic, I went from having very little to retiring at 55 years old from my job in science and becoming a full-time artist. During the last few years, my son Joseph and I have been working steadily on building an art retreat. We now have a studio, a small frame shop, a building with an office, workspace, and accommodations for visiting artists, a cabin for visiting artists to stay in, and we are finishing up a gallery which will double as a place to host workshops and events. Every dollar made from art sales has gone into our art compound idea and it’s amazing to see it come together.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an artist and run a business called MacGown Art with my son Joseph, who is also an artist. Our goals are multi fold and include selling and sharing our unique art, organizing and promoting local and regional art events in Mississippi, collaborating with other artists, hosting events at our MacGown Art Retreat and Studio (MARS), and continuing our artist in residence program.
My background in entomology and observations of nature and people general are the backbone of the art I create. Although I create many types of art ranging from scientific illustration to extremely surreal, my favorite type of art is definitely more on the surreal side and includes chaotic assemblages of strange, mutated creatures, crowded surreal landscapes, and mandala-like designs that reflect my thoughts and observations of life on this planet. Using imaginative imagery and random patterns, I produce detailed drawings and mixed media paintings by simply allowing ideas to “flow out of my head” using a method I describe as “Subconscious Meandering.” My surreal visions range from dark and foreboding to light and whimsical. My art is not for everyone, although most people at least appreciate the time and effort I put into my work. My son creates compatible abstract drawings, paintings, and ceramic pieces that meld together well with my art. A huge highlight for us has been the development of our art compound located in the countryside near Starkville, MS and especially the artist in residence program we started. With funding from a philanthropic arts organization called the Del Rendon Foundation, we are able to provide stipends to 2–4 visiting artist per year and to house them in our guest cabin.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Being an artist is the easy part, being successful monetarily as an artist is the difficult part. Several elements have been crucial to me in having a viable art business including long term patience, steady work directed toward specific goals, a strong belief in myself, adaptability, and diversification. We all want everything immediately, but unfortunately, that seldom happens. For me, it was important to see the bigger picture and even when sales were down to continue pushing toward my dreams. Along the way, we have seen dramatic shifts in what customers purchase, especially at outdoor events. Being aware of shifting trends and being able to adapt has kept us going. Have multiple income streams are helpful. For example, selling art in a gallery can be wonderful, but nothing is static and what is popular one day may not be the next day. I sell art in a wide variety of venues from galleries to festivals, artwalks, pop-up shows, online, and from my own studio. Additionally, I have conducted workshops, done commissions, illustrated books, given art lessons, and even rented our guest cabin. When one part of the puzzle is not working as well, use the pieces that are and know that trends are often cyclic.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
In my case, the cofounder of our current MacGown Art business is my son, Joseph H. MacGown. Growing up in a creative household was the perfect incubator for his artistic needs. In addition to visual arts, we both write, play a variety of musical instruments, and do carpentry and gardening. We work well together as a team and have similar goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joemacgown.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macgown_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MacGownArt
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-macgown-00659917/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/joemacgown
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@joemacgown
- Other: https://www.deviantart.com/joemacgown