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

Mary Kathryn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Growing up my mom encouraged me to be an outside of the box thinker- she gave me freedom to create, design, and dream. she let me design my own room and choose the theme, paint colors, and furniture arrangement.
I watched her paint commercial murals, decorate other people’s homes, and sell antiques. I worked alongside her but had no idea it would be setting me up for a future working as a full time creative

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

Mary Kathryn Decker is a Madison, MS native who was born into a family of artists. She grew up in an environment where she was challenged to think outside of the box. She was always painting, creating, and assisting her mother with professional murals.
In the fall of 2015, she began her first year at The University of Mississippi. Naturally, she and her mother created a special painting for her dorm room. Soon after that, people began asking, “Where did you get that painting?”, or “Can you make me one?”.
From that point forward, every summer Mary Kathryn worked hard to create hundreds of paintings to decorate dorm rooms and apartments. She graduated from Ole Miss in 2019 with a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics, following in her mother’s footsteps in a medical-centered profession, but her true passions lay in art and entrepreneurship.

Mary Kathryn never stopped painting and creating. She poured her energy into her art business, and in 2020 she was able to take a leap of faith and begin a career as a full-time artist.

It was all in God’s perfect timing. Her business has flourished, shipping thousands of paintings all across the United States, connecting with people, and inspiring their lives through the brilliance of art! In the Spring of 2021, she had the opportunity to open a storefront in her hometown of Madison.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission has been strong from the start.
I want everyone to be able to have access to high quality, beautiful, and affordable artwork
we have worked very hard to keep our prices fair and our products of the highest quality
so many of our clients have entire houses filled with our paintings and that means the world to be apart of their homes and lifes in that way

Have you ever had to pivot?

When the 2020 pandemic hit, i had just completed my internship in dietetics. I was at a crossroad, and decided to apply for a few medical jobs. In the interview I explained I was a hardworker because I had success as an artist etc – he said “well if you’re so successful then why don’t you just do that” it was a jab and after finding out the other person got the job.. i thought you know what.. I am giving this art thing everything I have and im not lookong back. Now we have passed over 3 million in gross sales and I am thankful I pushed forward with my art

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mkdeckerdesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkdeckerdesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mkdeckerdesigns/photos