We were lucky to catch up with Meaghan Marie Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Meaghan Marie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Like most artists, I’ve loved to draw for as long as I can remember. I always had such a vivid inner world, so learning how to express that imagination and that internal vividness through the language of visual art was the first motivating factor to refine my craft, whether I understood that as a kid or as a younger student or not. But that purpose is the first thing anyone needs to commit to learning something.

After that, developing observational skills was probably the most foundational learning process I experienced for drawing and painting. I think I instinctively developed some of this in my elementary years–I knew that looking at other people’s art and the real world helped. Still, I wasn’t conscious of it until a high school art tutor walked me through visual deconstruction. When you draw anything–a flower, a tree, a person–you can’t draw what you think you see! You have to “defamiliarize” yourself with the subject, and recognize the shapes, shadows, highlights, and even negative space that defines anything we encounter in the world. Learning to oil paint isn’t about painting (at first) at all; it’s about seeing. Had I understood this at an even younger age, I would have avoided some bad habits earlier (some that I still work on unlearning). Transferring what I see to a canvas or paper would have been even more natural. It’s important to be able to hold accurate images in your mind when you’re rendering 2-dimensional images.

I know none of that is about the traditional oil painting process precisely, but without those fundamentals, I don’t think it’s possible to learn the craft.

Meaghan Marie , 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?

After I completed my master’s degree in British Literature and creative writing, I decided that I needed to go back to the hands-on, creative side. I love research and it informs so much of who I am as an artist, but my passion is in the fine arts. So, just about a year and a half ago, I took the plunge and decided to become a full-time artist.

The best place to experience my artwork is on my YouTube channel @MeaghanMarieArt. Each video is a behind-the-scenes story that brings my audience through my process–from the concepts and history that inspire every piece, to some of the techniques and methods I use. I also post regularly to Instagram @MeaghanMarie_Art and people can visit my website, www.meaghanmarie.art to view my portfolio and contact me for commissions or inquire about originals.

While I’m an oil painter who does representational work, I often to describe myself as a visual storyteller. I draw deeply from historical art movements like British Romanticism, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and the Hudson River School. I love beauty for beauty’s sake, the whimsical, and dramatic, even otherworldly lighting effects. I don’t think any of my paintings are meant to be just images–they’re full of lush detail and realism that I hope immerses people in the story of the visual experience. Like many of the Romantics, I see the overlap between visual and literary arts, and I want my paintings to feel a little like reading a poem. I want people to slow their pace when taking in my work, to see something through my eyes and to enjoy something provoking, but also simply beautiful to look at.

In the art world, edgy avant-garde trends and non-representational styles have been considered more interesting and conceptually valuable than representational work. I think emphasizing the conceptual over technical skill did provide a much-needed critique of art trends overall. But like any pendulum, it perhaps left a lot of audiences too critical of more traditional styles. So it’s always been my goal to celebrate and express the forgotten value of traditional methods and historical beauty, and remake it in a refreshing way that invites people into my imagination.

I paint mainly landscapes and botanicals, and I like to think I create scenes that act like small windows into different worlds–places that look like ours but with a heightened sense of drama, mystery, and light. I hope this inspires others to start to see everyday life this way.

My painting methods are also traditional–I use imprimatura underpaintings and work slowly, in layers and glazes. Even contemporary painters who lean more toward representational art often practice alla prima and follow a more impressionistic style. Which I also love and have learned a lot from–but fewer artists practice painting that’s sharper, more focused, and less painterly in style. I think both styles are wonderful, but I’m happy to be able to fill the slightly more archaic niche!

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

Since I’m still an emerging artist, I’m in the process of building social media. But, I’ve had some success and have some practical (if not slightly scary) advice! We all know social media is essential in today’s world. An online business can scale more quickly, and for creatives who are as unique and niche as artists and painters, you’ve got to curate a community and collectors who resonate with you and your art. This can be very difficult if you limit yourself to local art fairs and galleries because you’ll need to appeal to the general public instead of connecting with others who share your vision.

So the question becomes…which social media platform can help you become the most established in your business? I think a lot of artists’ first thought is Instagram, and while it’s still valuable, I’d suggest it’s far more difficult to build a great community on the app as it is today. More than ever, the app favors already-established accounts and growth can be slow for small accounts. It’s more about creating consistent content that might not showcase your actual work rather than quality content that emphasizes your portfolio and brand.

I really recommend investing in a YouTube channel. And that can feel intimidating at first–it does require thorough research for the type of vlog and niche you’d like to fit into, and how you’re going to differentiate yourself there. It also requires learning to film and edit video, and getting comfortable sharing who you are as an artist in video format. But, if you’re willing to tackle that, I believe YouTube is one of the best platforms to invest in long-term. From a practical standpoint, it’s the most straightforward of the platforms to monetize (artists need to get paid, right?) with the best potential for collaborations and partnerships. It’s also an amazing way for your audience to be introduced to you as a 3-dimensional person. I believe people connect with your work on such a deeper level when they connect with you! Plus, I’ve found that I’ve grown more quickly on this platform, and my content is a little more evergreen.

And, hot take, here’s one more thing to think about if you’re a visual artist: we suddenly live in a world of high-quality, instantly produced AI art. It’s much harder to compete with AI accounts that can create eye-catching still images daily and post to platforms like Instagram. But as of now–vlogs and videos on YouTube are somewhat less affected by this; there’s no AI program that can recreate footage of you filming your painting process, of you speaking about your work or your research and inspiration, or of you just being you! It’s a platform that will inherently protect your brand, because while AI might be able to edit some footage–no AI program can recreate you telling your story.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

So, as much as I recommend new artists and creatives get into the video-making and vlog scene, YouTube is still a social media platform that requires perseverance, constant self-critique (within reason), and courage in the face of discouragement. No matter what, it’s going to take time to build an audience. Maybe even a year or two or more. And you won’t grow as quickly as you hope or dream! But that doesn’t mean you won’t grow. You have to be patient. Most of the artist vloggers out there put out great content with few views for a long time, until one day, it just starts to pop, and then snowballs. If you’re going to brave YouTube, give it time. There were (and are) so many days that I wonder if posting on YouTube should become the backbone of my business. Many days I’m tempted to re-consider that grating 9-5 job. But being an entrepreneur is a sacrifice of time and consistency.

I will say that patience is only half of it. Like life as an artist in general, you’ll need to have a thick enough skin and constantly improve and learn how to film and edit. Watch others in your niche, break down what they do, and incorporate it into your own brand. But once you feel the quality of your content is there, please don’t give up too soon!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meaghanmarie.art
• Instagram: @MeaghanMarie_Art
• Youtube: @MeaghanMarieArt
• Other: I can be contacted through my website via email! If you’re local, I teach painting and drawing classes at Water Street Studios in Batavia, IL (https://waterstreetstudios.org/) and starting this October, at the DuPage Art League (https://www.dupageartleague.org/) in Wheaton, IL.