We were lucky to catch up with Marianne Wysocki recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marianne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I grew up in West Michigan and come from a large Polish family. I am the 5th child out of 6 and the first girl. There wasn’t a lot of money, but as kids we never lacked for anything. My parents always had us out in nature, exploring rivers, the woods, lakes and streams. As a family we hunted for morels, watched the coho salmon jump the damn up in Newaygo, went swimming off the pier at Grand Haven, sledding and ice skating every winter at Richmond Park. My Dad (a blue collar tool and dye worker) had a garden every summer, growing cukes and tomatoes. He also fished often and we ate a lot of fresh fish, mainly salmon, walleye and perch. He also played the accordion and harmonica. My Mom did beautiful embroidery when she had time, mainly when she had to wait somewhere to pick up us kids from some place like school or an event. She made “from scratch” meals, even when she went to work as a nurse. She also went back to school after having 6 kids and received her nursing degree. I feel that what they did right was to instill in us the wonder of nature, getting outside to play, and enjoying “now.”

At age 65, I am still enjoying nature and I am outside everyday. My love for nature spills over into my art, where I am always incorporating something from the outdoors into my art, be it birds, animals, plants, trees or fish. I am also rediscovering my love for sewing/embroidering and I feel it also honors my Mom who managed to do something creative almost everyday, even though she had 6 kids ( in private Catholic school), and worked full-time.

Marianne , 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’ve always been a creative person. As a child I preferred drawing over dolls. After graduating from college I worked in a gallery/frame shop for many years and I continued working in the art field and continue to this day.

One of things I am proud of is that while pregnant and working fulltime at a gallery, I went to work on my Masters and completed that within 4 years. I entered a state regional and won the jurors choice award and I went up and accepted that award while holding my baby daughter.

Another thing I am proud of is my “Collage A Day” series, where I make a collage a day. I am up to over 2400 pieces. I have a huge client base and sell my work online via Facebook, Instagram, and also local galleries and word of mouth.

I love creating a series of work. I have been involved in many 30 and 100 Day Series Projects over the years, which included collage and mixed media and slow stitch meditation.

I have been eco-dyeing cotton fabrics that I fund at thrift stores and estate sales. I use plants from my yard and plants and flowers that I find on my walks. Another process I work in is called Cyanotype. Cyanotype photography is a camera-less technique that involves laying an object ( like plants) on paper or fabric that has been coated with a special solution before exposing it to UV light for a certain amount of time in the sun. It’s then washed with water to create beautiful blue images. I incorporate these images into my collages or stitchery art. I also collect anything vintage …..paper and fabric.

My discipline involves, first and foremost, showing up and doing the work. It’s working in the “now.” It’s getting my butt down in my studio and creating something everyday.

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

I started my Collage A Day Series in 2005. I had just completed The Artist Way 12 Week Journey with Julia Cameron. I was enlightened by this path I was involved in. I read her book many years before but it never stuck with me, until it finally did! You have to be ready. I made a commitment to myself to show up everyday and get some work done.

I came up with a size for my everyday collage and stuck with this format and I still do to this day. The size image size I chose was 5×7. It was a doable size to create something everyday. (I was also working fulltime at an American Craft Gallery.) I share my work on social media, like Facebook and Instagram. I number each piece,
eg. Collage Day 978
Morning Storm
Mixed Media
5×7
I ordered an ink stamp that has my name, email, date and collage number. I write the title of the piece and sign the front of the work.

A sold piece will always get an 8×10 archival mat/backing with clear plastic sleeve. My price always includes postage and handling. (tip: if you mail your work out quite often like I do, please check out Pirate Ship. Great prices and easy to use website that also tracks how much you spend on shipping and also great for tracking your orders/doing your taxes.

I often added a story/poem or inspirational quote taken from my image. People love stories! I never publicly show my prices. I like the clean look of not showing the price and also in this way, it’s just about the art and the story. If anyone is interested in purchasing, I ask them to message me. This platform has been serving me well over the years. I add a personal thank you note with a small print of my work and I always add mark making to the packaging. People love that!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I’m a bit of an art book junky! I love inspirational arty books.

I’d say the first book that kicked my butt into making that first step into an everyday art practice was Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” I’d like to quote Anne Lamott here: “THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron is not exclusively about writing—it is about discovering and developing the artist within whether a painter, poet, screenwriter or musician—but it is a lot about writing. If you have always wanted to pursue a creative dream, have always wanted to play and create with words or paints, this book will gently get you started and help you learn all kinds of paying-attention techniques; and that, after all, is what being an artist is all about. It’s about learning to pay attention.”
–Anne Lamott

Being an artist IS about paying attention. It’s about showing up and doing the work no matter what, even if it is bad. Bad art still means you are showing up. It means showing up if for only 15 minutes in the morning before you have to go to your day job, or after work.

I have purchased many books through Batsford Publishing. It’s an old London-based company and I collect the textile art books. I also love Mary Oliver and her books and any book on women artists.
Keep learning! I watch many YouTube videos on technique and inspiration. I also have taken many online art courses with various artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariannewysockiart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marianne.wysocki/

Image Credits

Photo of me by Gulfport Jody
Art images all by me