We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria Mae | Atelier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maria, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Thanks you for having me, as a creative business owner I’ve learned that everything in life is an ebb and flow. There are the literal happy dance days when celebrate your hard work paying off. You feel alive, renewed, and reassured that your craziest creative dreams are manifesting into reality. All those hours spent rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty in the studio and those financial freedom mantras are coming to fruition.

Then there are the days (months) when you literally question your sanity. All the late nights, 80 hour work weeks (unpaid), saying no to social events, even losing friends who don’t get it, and when the financial lulls creep in – you can start to crack and feel out of control if you’re not prepared.

I’ve been asked rather too frequently questions like “Wouldn’t it be easier to have a “normal” job?” “What do you really do for work?” “Why aren’t you working?” And the list goes on from people who I’ve come to learn will probably never fully understand what a small business owner actually does (especially an artist) and that’s ok too. I no longer feel the need to explain the reasons I’ve fully committed to my calling and lifelong passion project.

I look at it like this, if you’re not working hard to make your own business dreams come true, you’ll be working hard towards someone else’s dreams.

Would it be easier to work a regular job? Maybe. But, would I be happy. Nope. You’ve got to celebrate the small wins every single day and remind yourself why you started in the first place.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! I’m Maria, a multi-disciplinary, passionate, professional full-time fine artist with an interior design and business management background.

I work with artisan grade oil paints, soft oil pastels, and mixed media to create expressive, soothing and soul awakening abstractions of seascapes, landscapes, and figurative florals which are derived from substantial time spent observing and exploring the natural elements found within nature.

My creative process is a thoughtful surreal extraction; drawing out the natural elements that both soothe and awaken us. Strengthening the bond and connection of the viewer to the natural world and the beauty unfolding beyond what they can naturally see.

The intention behind my work is to create a quiet, soothing, and soul awakening escape from the chaos and noise of the world that invites the viewer to be free to dream, wander, and marvel at the magic of the world a little bit longer.

I’ve dedicated over 15 years to fine art and design. It was while completing a rigorous Bachelors of Interior/Architecture Degree that I haphazardly found my way into experimenting with different painting mediums, techniques, styles, and concepts.

My earlier works were predominantly canvas abstractions heavily influenced by Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dali, Rothko, and ever so thankfully her mentor, Kev. – the one who gave her the gentle nudge into the prominent Minneapolis art scene.

What sets me apart from other artists is that I’m a multifaceted creative company owner, artist, and designer. My professional background and experience enables me to create commissions for clients, specific to their aesthetics and personal space.

My work is a blend of my natural eye for aesthetics, interior design + architecture background, and multi-disciplinary painting style that blends seamlessly into custom bespoke art that is meaningful, expressive, and memorializes their own unique personal style, story, and vision.

I work diligently with each creative vision, concept and color palette and pay close attention to care, quality, and detail to ensure their bespoke artwork lasts a lifetime.

My creative work is available as original abstract oil paintings, fine art prints, gallery wrapped canvas prints, and custom bespoke commissions. Another substantial part of my business is providing interior services such as real estate staging, color consults, and in home interior design direction.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This is a tough one to share sometimes, but as I’m approaching a 5 year milestone it seems fitting to share my story a bit here.

July 18, 2018 was the beginning of a personal journey that would be beautiful, messy, unnerving, healing, soul awaking / soul shattering, and would forever change my life for the better. I said goodbye to something in my life that for years had been truly toxic, dark, and limiting me from living my true authentic life – alcohol.

I will never forget the fear of finally taking that last sip. The final farewell to the poison that had seeped and bleed onto my entire existence. I was physically sick, emotional unwell, and spiritually depleted. I felt empty inside and not only had I hit rock bottom, I found the basement below – the darkest space of my very existence.

The first few months were a rollercoaster of emotions. I was exited to finally be free from all that had been holding me back. but I was also now faced with cleaning up the aisles of every mess I’d made because of my drinking days.

You wake up out of this fog like dream (nightmare). It feels like you’re new to the world again. All the sudden you have to feel all the feelings, this is a real thing. The rest, shame, anger, humiliation, and all the negative talk starts happening.

On the flip side of that you realize you’re actually not such a terrible person after all. You’re a flawed human like every other single person on the planet. We all have our dents, scratches, and scars- we simply wear them differently.

I picked up the paints again and found my way back to what had always been my calm under the chaos. Creating has always been a way for me to quiet the storm of my own existence. It silences the voices that try to diminish, demean and keep me in their cage. I am free to see all that shimmers beneath the storm. Painting is my greatest escape and lifelong passion project.

I clawed my way out of the darkness and back into the light. Every single day is a blank canvas and we all have the profound ability to change, transform, and become the masterpiece we are truly meant to be.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

When I picked up the paint brushes back in 2007 (maybe even before) I laughed at the idea of my artwork ever becoming a career. When people asked if I sold my work I was mortified – like who would pay actual money for this?!

Flash forward to 2020, like many this was a pivotal time in my personal life and creative career. After losing a corporate job I was faced with pretty bleak options. It was in this moment of time that I decided it was time to really give this whole art thing a real shot – as the kids would say “shoot your shot.”

I gave my creative company everything in my very being. I started selling more commissions then ever before, for the first time my original paintings were remastered into fine art prints, I rebranded, rebranded again, and finally felt for the first time this was really what I was meant to do full time forever. This isn’t a side hustle, this is my heart and soul. I am here to create and help others heal and connect to themselves and the world around them through my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: mariamaeatelier.com
• Instagram: mariamae_atelier
• Facebook: Maria Mae Atelier

Image Credits
Heather Frost Photography