We recently connected with Maggie B. French and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Maggie B. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

As an artist, particularly in the social media age, you’re told to find your niche. To zero in, to focus on one thing– one brand. And there’s merit to that advice. I think having a cohesive body of work makes you more palatable to potential clients, buyers, and just your general audience. But I think most artists at their core are “jacks of all trades.” At least, I am. Being able to be spontaneous and inspired and to flip-flop between mediums and subjects is a really important part of my art practice.

After high school, I went into to college planning on majoring in broadcast journalism. However, in a twist of events, I majored in Studio Art and earned my BFA from UNC-Chapel Hill. But throughout my undergraduate career, I would still make videos and shorts for different organizations and nonprofits, so I never quite let go of my videography roots. Meanwhile, most of my college classes revolved around large-scale painting– studying contemporary painters, finding my own style, painting for hours and hours a day. And then, in my free time, I’d draw. Just pen & ink– quirky and silly illustrations. But I’d just draw and draw and draw.

It’s funny how years later, I still use all three– videography, painting, and illustration– consistently in my business. I used to think it was a bad thing. For awhile, I stopped sharing illustration in attempts to elevate my brand and devote more time to painting. But as soon as I’d conjured enough work to have a sustainable business on painting alone, my work felt stale. I needed the illustration to influence my painting. And vice versa! And all of those years spent tinkering in video editing software and filming things has made social media and Instagram reels a much simpler job. I still struggle with the balance of being a jack of all trades and also keeping a cohesive brand. But so far, after many projects, clients, and two years as a full-time artist, it seems to be going okay.

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 back background and context?

Maggie B. French is a painter, illustrator, and designer currently living in Charlotte, NC. Originally, I taught elementary and middle school art– and it was a blast! But in my off hours from school, I started taking on illustration projects, mostly for brides and real estate agents. My business began with a lot of house portraits and wedding illustrations. But I wanted to expand into interior design and large-scale landscape painting. My husband and I lived in Savannah, GA for two years. While we were there, we went on innumerable kayaking adventures in the surrounding marshland. This provided ample inspiration for paintings. When we moved back to Charlotte, I continued painting the lowcountry and even ventured into some highcountry landscapes as well. My goal is to capture the essence of place through gestural mark-making and bold colors. My paintings are available at local shops, South End Exchange, Cotswold Marketplace, and Heritage Charlotte. While I spend most of my time painting, I still devote a good bit of my art practice to illustration. Mostly pen, ink, and gouache renderings on paper for brides and gift-givers, but I also make a lot of artistically-rendered maps for clients– most recently for Visit Savannah and Savannah Magazine.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think being consistent with your work and growing at a consistent pace. For most of my art career, I’ve been considered a “young artist” and I’ve tried to see that as an asset, not a hindrance. I’d price my paintings based on their value, but also consider my experience level compared to others in my field. Sure, I could price something sky high, but I’d rather see the work sell and go to a new home. This strategy also helped me generate repeat buyers and clients. And those repeat clients led to new opportunities with businesses and other larger audiences that helped me grow more locally. Social media is a great tool, but I’ve found that building in my own geographical sphere has been much more lucrative–and also fulfilling– rather than working the online angle. Also, I think not being afraid to put yourself out there has been a big part of building a reputation and expectations for my business. Sometimes you’re met with “no”s, but sometimes you get surprising “yes”s– I’m proud of the work I’ve been making and the kinds of clients I’ve been able to work with in the past few years. And that shift to finding the kind of clients I wanted and making the work I wanted to make didn’t happen overnight. Sometimes I felt stagnant, but circling back, I think it’s the consistency of showing up, making work, and just going for it really makes a big difference in the longterm.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Honestly, past clients. It’s not as glamorous as hitting some magical Instagram algorithm stride, but sending out a monthly newsletter and keeping in touch with my current clients has always led to more clients. It’s a pretty simple strategy, but if you do a good job, then clients tell their friends and they tell their friends and so on. Definitely, my online presence generates new clients too, but not as consistently as just building on whatever my current client base already is. Sending out a monthly e-newsletter is something I didn’t start doing until this past year, but it’s made a big difference. This goes back to what I was saying about consistency and slow growth, but it’s been sustainable and a really solid way to keep old clients coming back. Maybe that makes me a millennial tortoise… but I think I’m cool with that.

Contact Info:

• Website: maggiebfrench.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiebfrench/

Image Credits
Mari Dexter (Captured by Mari)