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

Marilyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I am an artist and art instructor today. I love constantly creating. I have all my life. It’s a very satisfying place for me. I have shared my passion for creative work in many different ways. I was always the kid that loved drawing and coloring. Life took me in many directions and my creative work changed. During my time as a classroom teacher ,not teaching art, but elementary school. My lesson plans were creative. If I was bored with the book lesson, I would change it up to become more relevant to the students. I wanted learning to be fun and an adventure. I was a big believer in field trips and hands on learning. When I was at home I made up party themes for my friends. I would host theme luncheons so that cooking could be more fun. When I sewed my own cloths or for others. I always needed a challenge. I learned that everything is a challenge and that working on it is part of the fun.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the oldest child in my family. I have two younger brothers. My father was raised on a farm in Ohio. WWII broke out in Europe when he graduated High School. He would become a fighter pilot and was a military pilot and officer till I graduated High School. I was raised in military culture and constantly moving around the world. In 2012 an 2013 my husband and I attended my father’s WWII POW reunion. My father had passed away by then, My brother encouraged me to go. It changed my life. I had something in common with all the men and the families that came along with them. They told stories of their lives related to the experiences they had had. I started a series of watercolor paintings. It started with one painting to honor my husbands service in Vietnam. Then It slowly grew to many more. The Series is very popular in South Florida. It has been used to help get attention for Veteran Day celebrations. It has been used to draw attention to the Commissioning of the USS Fort Lauderdale Navy Ship. It was hung at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport for over a year, as a very popular Exhibition. It has been hung in Museums, galleries and retirement homes. I have done talks about WWII POWS and many other stories. The latest use was when it was on display at a local Fort Lauderdale Gallery to commemorate the founding of the Veterans Administration. It always gets a lot of press. Each painting is about the history of our military told through the stories of the lives of the men an women who lived it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to tell the history of the lives of people through my art. My Soldier Stories Series is only one of my series. I am second generation immigrant in the U.S. The stories of my relatives on both my maternal and paternal sides and my husbands immigrant family as well. This series is called Generations. These were all strong people that left everything they know for a dream. Relatives and friends of relatives that defied the norms of their times.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My youngest son is a social media marketer. He established my website and search engine optimized it. Then he put me on every social media platform. He does videos from time to time on the latest events. I also stay involved in competitions in the art world. I am a member of several state watercolor societies. I have been in Watercolor Artist Magazine and a selected artist for Splash 20 book. One of my paintings was chosen by the Missouri Watercolor Society Qingdao, China Exhibition in 2018. My painting End of Day received the Bronze Award in 2017 with the Southern Watercolor Society.

Advice to artists: Websites will cost you money but like all businesses you must spend money to make money. Get your name out there by being involved even if you can’t see an immediate benefit.

Contact Info:

• Website: marilynjohansen.com
• Instagram: The Art of Marilyn Johansen
• Facebook: The Art of Marilyn Johansen
• Linkedin: Marilyn Johansen
• Youtube: Marilyn Johansen @marilynjohansen6593