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

Margaret, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My Artsy Coach started with an idea I had to share my art and processes with people through social media, during the pandemic. Like many I was stuck at home for five months. I am a full-time art teacher at a private school. I was teaching virtually and taking care of my son. The anxiety of the pandemic started to take a toll. I was pacing the floor one day and the thought came to me, “What if I prop up my phone and share a few art lessons with everyone else at home?”. Maybe this would help lift some spirits.

What started as a few art lessons quickly turned into online workshops. I invited my friends to join me for free. The workshop I was offering was called, The Art of Gratitude. I would teach a variety of art techniques and art journaling prompts that would allow people to channel their stress and anxiety into a creative flow. While learning ways to incorporate mindfulness and gratitude into their daily lives.

I had been combining art and gratitude in my art journals for over seven years. It occurred to me that this is what was helping me cope with life. The pandemic brought it to the surface and now I have the privilege of helping others learn this practice. It truly brings me so much joy.

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?

My name is Margaret Alvarez. I am an artist, art teacher and creativity coach. I have been an artist ever since I could pick up a pencil. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I went to The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. I have a master’s in teaching and I have been a full-time art teacher in private schools for fifteen years.

In 2019, I started My Artsy Coach. I teach art journaling workshops to help people combine creativity with gratitude and mindfulness. There is no one else who teaches this specific practice of Gratitude Art Journaling. For the past ten years I have been using this practice for my own mental wellness.

Our mental health and wellbeing is important. Gratitude Art Journaling is a unique practice that we can add to our “tool box” for self care and I know it works, because I use it myself.

When I teach this practice I can see the eyes of my clients light up, because there is a connection made. Gratitude and creativity have similar positive effects on our emotions . This is obvious when you start to create and open up your mind to the possibilities.

My mission is to reach as many people as possible. I use simple art supplies to make it accessible for anyone interested. I start with simple techniques and materials that can be easily acquired. By the end of my workshop I have people smiling and amazed at their very own capabilities. I believe that offering this knowledge and my experience is a gift and I look forward to reaching as many people as possible.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I found that building partnerships has really helped me learn and grow my clientele. I started teaching classes on a platform founded by singer/songwriter Jewel. It’s called jewelneverbroken.com. “Never Broken is an emotional fitness destination that gives you the tools you need to create change in your life”.

My live classes are featured every few months and they are recorded. So far, I have about 5 recorded classes that live on this site. It’s a wonderful platform, filled with lessons from Jewel, yoga, meditation, book clubs and art classes all to help people manage their mental health.

I have also partnered with grateful.org-A Network for Grateful Living, a global organization who’s mission is to offer online and community-based educational programs and practices which inspire and guide a commitment to grateful living.

I am very proud of both of these partnerships. I think the best thing you can do is connect with organizations that have a mission similar to yours. It can be a powerful tool to connect with likeminded people.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My Artsy Coach has grown so much, just in this past year. All of my marketing has been by word of mouth and social media. As an entrepreneur you will find an overwhelming amount of information out there to help you grow your business. It can get a little stressful.

I am in the process of creating my goals for the next year. This has taken a lot of time and research, I tend to put pressure on myself to make the right moves. This is supposed to be a joyful journey and I have to remind myself that all the right doors will open at the right time.

I am lucky that I have a wonderful support system in place. I’m getting better at being an entrepreneur. Sometimes you have to give yourself a little grace and so I am taking it day by day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.myartsycoach.com
• Instagram: stagram.com/myartsycoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myartsycoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-alvarez-a58a19224/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6r3Z4i7ofhVCVUVuYQJzGw
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/my-artsy-coach-houston