We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Margeaux Ducoing a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Margeaux, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents, since I was little, have always supported me in all my creative endeavors. This has played such a huge impact on both my life and artistic career. My parents have always wanted me to succeed and strive for my dreams, no matter how big or small they might be. I still remember how my parents, at an early age when I was pursuing my first love for competitive Irish Dancing, would drive hours to bring me to dance classes or competitions. They would always sacrificed their time and more to support my dance goals.

As I grew older, their mentality and moral support never wavered. When my love for Irish Dance slowly shifted to a deeper love for Studio Art, my parents were extremely solid in their support for me. I had always doodled and sketched when I was in middle school, but I became more serious with my art interests as I moved into highschool. Seeing my passion for Art bloom, my parents then enrolled me in a variety of art summer camps or summer art intensives so that I could continue practicing my art skills beyond the art room at school. They even would reach out to their own friends and family who were artists or were in creative fields, and they would try to have them discuss their art careers with me.

By the time I reached college, and I had decided to pursue not only a degree in Studio Art but also Music, they continued to support my decisions. Obviously, like any parents of an art-driven child, they worried about life post-college when it came to finding jobs. Jobs in creative fields can be hard to land and require a lot of hard work. But rather than discourage me from pursuing these art programs, they became my sounding board and were open about the realities of the real world. They encouraged me to learn other important life skills that would aid me in my creative career after school, such as learning basic business and finance fundamentals for when I began selling my artwork.

Between their encouragement, honesty, and overall enthusiasm in my love for the Arts, I would never be where I am today without their support (Thank you mom & dad!).

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 name is Margeaux Ducoing, and I am a Fine Artist and Illustrator currently located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I have had a passionate love for Art from the moment I could hold a pencil. I pursued art throughout my highschool and college years, with the goal of achieving a professional art career post-college. Up until now, I have had my artwork displayed in galleries and art shows, shown at art fairs, and I currently sell my work in local businesses as well as online.

I work in a variety of mediums, experimenting with both traditional and digital tools. The subjects of my art pieces are always inspired by the natural world and typically contain animals as the subject matter. At times, my Fine Art work is both an exploration of human experiences as symbolized through animal forms, as well as the examination of the relationships between form, color, and linework. I enjoy working in a variety of painting and drawing mediums–such as acrylic paints, inkwash and ink, digital art, and even printmaking–and I select a medium based on the mood or message I wish to convey in an art piece.

When I am not creating Fine Art pieces, I like to create colorful illustrations that are more whimsical and silly in nature. I have created illustrations for local businesses and organizations, ranging from festival poster design to hot sauce labels. When it comes to creating commissioned design work, I always enjoy working with a client one-on-one to bring their creative idea to life. It is a great enjoyment to design for a commission client, especially if their art piece is of a subject matter that I may not typically create. At times, client work can push me outside of my own creative comfort zone and challenges me to create something entirely new. It’s a great experience overall.

I’ve never been one to stick to just one art style or medium, and I am most proud of this characteristic. I am artist that loves to experiment in different styles and tools; there are weeks where I might want to invest myself in complex series of inkwash pieces, while other times I enjoy designing a silly dog sticker that makes me laugh. I love being experimental and trying new things when it comes to creating – it keeps things fresh and fun!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

It wasn’t until very recently that I learned the important lesson of rest and how crucial it is to sustaining one’s art career. I have always been extremely passionate about my love for Art; I have always taken advantage of whatever free time I have and throw myself into a new art piece whenever possible. This passion fueled me through my school years and has continued in my adult life up until now.

Unfortunately my non-stop “always-be-creating” mentality finally reached its breaking point. The last couple of years has seen my hard work slowly beginning to pay off, with more people recognizing my works in different art spaces and reaching out for commission work. This has been exciting to see unfold, and I am definitely a person that will say “yes!” to every exciting artistic opportunity that comes my way. As a result, my workload began to pile high with a long list of art tasks complete all at once: new art pieces to make for shows, new commissioned works, art events, new selling opportunities, and more.

In October 2023 my dominant drawing suffered from my overworking and overly-packed creating schedule, resulting in severe inflamed tendons in my hands, fingers, and wrist. The pain was so bad that I could not even pick up a paintbrush. With this injury came a scary realization that I was not able to make art anymore. Commissions had to be put on hold, new works were scrapped, and art events that I was supposed to attend were canceled. Seeing how much work I had taken on without giving myself breaks in-between each art project really opened my eyes to how much I had pushed my body past the breaking point. And for an artist, our hands are one of our most crucial tools. This physical burnout was a big wake-up call for me to learn that rest is just as important as creating. Practicing your drawing/painting skills or challenging yourself on a new painting is indeed essential to building your craft, but no one had ever mentioned how rest plays a crucial part when taking on a professional art career.

Thankfully, after months of physical therapy, I have been able to return back to creating. But now I know that, matter how much I love Art and how passionate I am for this field of work, if I want my Art career to continue then I would have to listen to my body better and allow it the rest that it requires.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are two rewarding aspects for me as an artist: creation and connection.

Being able to create something out of nothing is such a fulfilling feeling. To see a finished acrylic painting, one which may have started out as a simple idea in your head that you then bring to life with your own hands, is a feeling like no other. Even if I get frustrated while working on a piece of art, overcoming the hardships of the artistic process just heightens the feeling of completion at the end.

And then to share this work of Art with others? A whole different experience entirely. Art brings so much connection between people, and knowing that someone has connected with that piece that you worked so hard on is its own reward. I have had people at art shows or events talk with me about their analysis of my art piece and how it relates to them. I have also had younger artists in my local community reach out to me about my works and share how it has inspired them to continue making art and strive to have their own professional art career. Even talking with fellow artists about our works and our processes allows us to connect and bond. I am always humbled when my artwork reaches others in such impactful ways; and in return, these moments encourage me to keep moving forward with my work!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://margeauxducoing.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinygatorr/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margeaux-ducoing/
• Other: Online Store: https://margeauxducoing.square.site/

Image Credits

All photos were taken and edited by me