We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mays Mayhew. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mays below.

Mays, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

RISKS? The biggest risk I’ve ever taken is not going back to the office after my second was born. Talk about a wild ride! Motherhood shook up my career plans with a short maternity leave for the first one and a tough (because I didn’t want to leave my baby) return to work. I loved my job. I loved my co-workers. I loved working in the art material industry. I loved the travel it required. I loved the financial security. However, I loved my babies more. It was a tough decision to stay home. My friends and family didn’t believe I could do it. My brother said, (knowing me), you won’t last three months. Granted, it was a significant lifestyle shift—goodbye to cute office skirts and sports cars; hello, mom jeans and minivan!

Sacrifices piled up, my husband made a marathon daily commute to a better job to make up for my lost salary. He wasn’t home for two years. It was a solo journey of raising our babies in a tiny house. -A tiny house that flooded every time it rained. Our sacrifice paid off when, two years later, he snagged a better job closer to home.

Then, out of the blue, the art world came knocking, and my dormant art career found its groove again. One show led to another, and art was purchased. I was like, wow, maybe I can make this work. We knew staying home with the kids was the right thing for us. We moved to a bigger house with an in-home studio ideal for my art practice. No more flooding either.

Now, eight years later, my art business is strong. I’m growing every year. I wouldn’t have created my art practice full-time without first taking the risk of leaving the office and staying home with the kids. And the cherry on top? I’m still proudly rocking the stay-at-home mom jeans.

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

Do you mean, besides sporting the mom jeans at home? I am a mother of two, wife, and professional artist. I create contemporary figurative work that is realistic and surreal. I sell my work at 20 art fairs a year and online at MaysMayhew.com. Once a year, I open my studio to the public. I also do custom portrait work. I operate the art business full-time as a “solopreneur”. Although, really, I couldn’t do this solo – it’s really a family business since the kids pose for the work, and my husband helps with the shows. We live the dream.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In art school, I absorbed the belief that success as an artist hinged on prestigious art education and galleries. I was one of many art students who believed you had to get an MFA to be successful. I tried. I was rejected by MFA schools all over the country for three consecutive years.

I tried all their advice, i.e., MFA programs, NYC, galleries, and museum shows, while working nights and weekends in the studio alone with no tangible result.

My sister, one of the farthest persons from the art world, as a Harley-Davidson engineer, kept pushing me, saying, you need to try to sell your work at fairs.

Art fairs are scorned by the art world, I couldn’t do that. I protested.

Guess what? Art fairs sell work. They connect me with art collectors. The art collectors get to see a lot of work at once, so it works for them too.

Art fairs defied the art school narrative, which was crucial for my artistic success and financial stability.

You don’t always need to attend fancy art school to be a successful artist! Congratulations to the few artists that do. -But, you know, I just want to make beautiful, thoughtful art and sell it. -And I do.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

You know, when people imagine a professional artist’s life, they usually picture someone just painting all day, right? But surprise, surprise! There’s a whole lot more to it than that.

I spend more time with spreadsheets and marketing plans than with a brush in hand. I don’t even want to think about the social media aspect. Just for fun, go look at my Facebook or Instagram page. You’ll notice that I post every day. I try to sell my work, I show you my process, I do reels, stories, posts, etc.

I have an art business coach. I am always trying to learn how to sell so I’m always reading, and listening to podcasts. Seriously, about 75% of my time is all about the business side—selling, promoting, organizing exhibitions, and making sure everything adds up in the books. It’s like wearing two hats—artist and entrepreneur

Keeping this artist dream going means working like crazy—like, 50 to 100 hours a week kinda crazy. I homeschool 40 hours a week too, so art isn’t the only thing I do. And my year? It’s split into two halves: one for creating new, beautiful stuff, and the other for selling it. It’s a balancing act.

Sure, creating is the star of the show, but behind that easel is a whole journey of hard work and juggling creativity with business smarts. Being a professional artist isn’t just about inspiration; it’s about dedication and focus. In short, art is like every other type of business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maysmayhew.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maysmayhewartist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaysMayhewContemporaryFigureDrawings
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mays-mayhew-art/
• Youtube: @maysmayhewart202

Image Credits
Mays Mayhew Art