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

Hi Margaret , thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Tell us the story of a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big, life changing risk or a small risk. Either way, paint the picture for us, tell us the backstory and all the relevant details so we can fully understand the context and circumstances around when and why you took the risk and tell us how it turned out.

My life has been a series of risky endeavors. From an early age I wanted a life in the arts, despite being informed that artists die early and poor. But I didn’t want a traditional job. I had a horror of the day job. When I was 10 my dream job was “railroad bum,” as well as writer and artist. As a young adult I was unable to stay settled; I spent my 20s traveling through Mexico and Central America I worked sporadically back in the states to support my travels. All that time I wrote and wrote and wrote.

In my early 30s I took a big risk. I sold nearly everything I owned and moved to Mexico with my (now ex) partner and the dog. Living in Mexico became the inflection point in my life. I started a little freelance writing business and began painting and drawing seriously. Those years of learning my two crafts (art and writing) while I lived in a different culture and came to grips with a dysfunctional relationship changed me from a nebulous floaty girl to a grounded middle-aged woman who realized she had to live life on her own terms.

Next risk? Nearly 40, I left Mexico (and the partner and the dog) and moved back to my parents’ home in the United States with nothing but a suitcase full of summer clothes, watercolor paper, brushes and paint. With scant real-world work experience, I somehow managed to finagle a job at a regional magazine (Sunset magazine) where I learned the art of publication production amid the dense and intense perfectionism of my colleagues. They were the best teachers you could have. And I got to draw, paint, write, edit, and keep bees!

Each layer of risk you take provides depth to a life. Risks becomes like layers in a transparent watercolor painting. Each layer of paint brings its own influence, its own character and meaning, but is also influenced by all the other layers. Cadmium yellow under ultramarine blue brightens the blue; Ultramarine blue over cadmium yellow dims the yellow. Together they glow.

Living on my own terms has not always been easy. A life as an artist and writer means that retirement is not an option. But I’m still taking risks. I run my own business of art, writing, and creative marketing services for local businesses. And I’m planning my next big adventure.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My mother told me I was born with a crayon in my hand. I can’t remember not writing and drawing and creating stories. My career has not been linear. Although as a kid I wrote and drew, in college I studied theater, graduated, then went back to school and studied horticulture. I started writing again, and studying art seriously.
I believe it was all those building blocks that ultimately landed me at Sunset magazine, where everything started to coalesce. My adult brain finally kicked in (I was a little slow). There’s nothing like working with some of the best writers, editors, and designers in the business to kick start your pre-frontal cortex. Without even my realizing it, that job honed all my skills that I use today: writing, artwork, editing, organization, design, and project creation and management.
I do a lot of things, so it’s hard to pin down any one job. I’m a painter—oil and watercolor—and a non-fiction writer. Communication is key. One of my strengths is the ability to write organized and compelling copy. I’m good with words.
In my “day business” I create and organize marketing campaigns that include social media and print media. During the pandemic I left my day job doing marketing and project organization for a local arts council and started providing those services as a contractor.
I try to bring a high level of professionalism to everything I do. I pay attention—maybe too much!—to details. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. And I always remember to run spell check!
I’m most proud of my progress as an artist and writer. My goal in painting is so create soft paintings that tell stories that, while ambiguous, make the viewer feel connected and enchanted. Conversely, my writing, while it can go off the rails and explode in clouds of verbal gas, is always aimed at precision. 

My favorite client project has been managing the local artist studio tour. I love designing and creating all the marketing materials, from posters and a brochure to a social media marketing campaign. I love supporting the artists, and in many cases guiding them through the publicity process.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My focus in art revolves around nature. I believe that what’s missing in our world is a connection to nature and to each other. I try to reforge those connections. If I can influence people to pay attention to the nature that is around them, or to understand another being—animal, plant, bug, or human—my hope is that they will learn to love again, and by extension, fall in love with their own lives.

When I create client work, my goal is to tell their story, to find what’s unique about them, the little things that bring them and their brand to life in order to connect them to their ideal audience.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

My whole attitude towards life changed when I heard about Carol Dweck’s work, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. I try to cultivate a “growth mindset,” which I also think of as a beginner’s mind. There’s an energy and power in the growth mindset that’s so valuable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.margaretsloan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaret.sloan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretSloanArtist and https://www.facebook.com/MSloanedits/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsloan/

Image Credits
All photos: Margaret Sloan