We recently connected with Meg Britten and have shared our conversation below.
Meg, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Exactly one year ago, I had the privilege of serving as the primary artist for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay’s newest project at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Working alongside RMH designer Jennifer Bertrand and the incredible staff was an experience I’ll always treasure. From the very beginning, I felt deeply connected to the project for several personal reasons, all of which reaffirmed my belief that I was meant to contribute to this amazing organization in my own unique way.
I first reached out to RMH after seeing an Instagram post seeking local Tampa artists to contribute artwork for the new building being constructed at the children’s hospital. The opportunity struck a deeply emotional chord with me because, only a month earlier, another social media post had stopped me in my tracks. My dear friend, Jessica Stevenson, had tragically lost her son, Leo, to leukemia that October. Even in the midst of unimaginable grief, she used her platform to praise the organization that had supported her family throughout their journey. She passionately encouraged others to raise awareness for childhood cancer research and to support organizations that care for families facing such devastating circumstances.
At that moment, I knew this project was meant to be. I’ve had family members in the hospital in the past, so I know how much an organization like this can support families in their time of need. Plus, I had previously worked with RMH during my time as a member of Alpha Delta Pi at University of Florida, so in many ways, this opportunity felt like a full-circle moment.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a mixed media artist with a colorful and illustrative style, and I really enjoy collaborating with other creatives and small businesses on a wide variety of projects. I find artwork can be very solitary, so I love working with others to come up with something cool and unique combining talents with other creatives. I’ve been painting/creating/cutting/ assembling for as long as I can remember. Art has always been at the forefront of my life, whether as a teacher in an elementary classroom. developing marketing materials and campaigns for small businesses or illustrating and writing my own children’s books!
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
I did start out in the Fine Art program at UF but was told my style was too “preppy and trite,” which was a fancy way of telling me it was shallow. And of course, 18 year old me took it personally and I developed some extreme self-doubt. So I thought, OK, maybe this isn’t the right fit. Like, who am I – Picasso? After some significant soul searching, I transferred out of Fine arts and ultimately earned a Masters degree in Elementary Education, where I absolutely loved creating curriculum for my students. I’d lead monthly author/illustrator studies in which we’d create art projects that extended the lessons, and that process really honed my artistic style (I started seeing my “preppy” style as a gift not a curse!)
Over the 4 years I taught Kindergarten, each time we’d come to the study of Dr Seuss and read “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” I would share with my students that my dream was to some day write and illustrate children’s books. So when I started my art business, I would post pictures of my illustrations of my own stories I created. Those posts got the attention of a local Tampa gallerist. She pulled me under her wing and encouraged me to pursue a career as a fine artist, which I had previously thought was not even an option for me.
So here I am as a full time artist, 8 years later, and I often say it was a career I never knew I could have and I couldn’t love any more.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
An opportunity presented itself last summer that touched on my interest in illustrating children’s books. A local business owner and artist asked me to illustrate a book showcasing all of the fun landscapes and icons of the Tampa Bay area. I already paint tons of Tampa centric artwork each year. And I already had a ton of intellectual knowledge ready for this project, so it was another kismet moment when I met the book’s publisher for the first time. I felt after that meeting the three of us could do something really special together. Our book, “I Love Tampa,” written by Valorie Bauer and published by Little Wayfarer’s, an imprint of Saxon Andrew Publishing is a beautiful and colorful nod to the town that the three of us love so much.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.megbrittenart.com
- Instagram: @megbrittenart
Image Credits
Photographer: Lindsay Weiser