We recently connected with Margaret Colligan and have shared our conversation below.

Margaret, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been able to earn a living this past year solely through music lessons and shows. At first, I had a full-time job while gradually getting more gigs performing on weekends. The goal for me was to be able to support myself through anything music-related. I made flyers advertising private music lessons and eventually I was able to build up to enough students where I was able to quit my day job.

I have gained a lot of connections by going to local open mics consistently for the past three years and that has benefited me both in terms of getting shows and getting more students.

Getting the word out and being able to show up consistently even without immediate results is what has helped me get to where I am today. There tends to be a snowball effect that happens if you are willing to be patient and put in the work.

Margaret, 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?

I am a musician and songwriter from Southern Ohio.

I started taking songwriting seriously right after I got out of college. I would periodically write snippets of songs before then, but I found out that songwriting was my #1 creative outlet.

From my years of singing and playing piano and guitar, as well as purposefully honing an artistic eye for things, it has helped me develop a solid, distinctive sound. I like to blend concepts in music and ideas from other art forms to create a fully-realized song.

I am most proud of my EP, Into the Unknown, because it represents the pinnacle of my songwriting up to this point. The four songs represent the arc of a story and is rooted in a fantasy world that is its own, but also universal.

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

Supporting local as much as possible, not just for arists and creatives, but businesses as well can help create a thriving creative ecosystem.

Actively seeking out artists who may not have the financial backing from a major label is another great way to help. Websites like Bandcamp can be helpful to find indie artists.

Finally, not seeing other small artists as competition but as a community that backs each other up.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I used to be terrified of going up on stage to sing and play. There would be several occasions where I would stop in the middle of a song or even cry because of how nervous I was at an open mic.

But I kept going every week anyway until I finally got over my nerves. I knew I wanted to share my songs with people and I was determined to get over my fear. It took me nearly a year and a half, but I did get over it. I started playing shows here and there, and now I play shows consistently.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @theartistrosewell
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@Theartistrosewell/videos?ra=m
• Other: @rosewellian on TikTok
  https://rosewellian.bandcamp.com/track/sink