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

Meg, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’m fortunate to say that I’ve earned a full time living solely from my creative work for years! After leaving an agency to start my independent art practice in December of 2019, I had a pretty solid salary deficit to make up for my family. The first year was the hardest in terms of striking a balance of the work I wanted to be doing and the work that paid my mortgage, but it was also the first year of the pandemic and the scarcity mindset was really difficult to overcome in such an early phase of my business. In hindsight, I think this was actually a helpful beginning because it allowed me some slow time to develop my voice and style at a comfortable pace.

After that first year of making a very modest salary, the economic pandemic effects started to improve and I had my sea legs, so in year 2 I matched my agency art director role salary, and in year 3 I surpassed it by 20,000.

I don’t know that there is a short cut or a way to have sped up the process for me. I think it took some time to feel around a bit and learn what fit. If I pass any wisdom back to my past self, it would be to trust yourself and start sooner.

Meg, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sure! I’m a visual artist and art director in the Midwest creating murals, art & illustration for collections and licensing. A self-prescribed color maximalist, I love to work in large scale with style that blends bold, graphic colors with flowing organic lines. I choose to be multi-disiplinary as a painter and illustrator so I can really expand the ways I get to express my ideas and ways of connecting. From canvas collections to public art installation to an irreverent greeting card line, I love using art to connect the human experience.

I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was 7 and I started drawing Scooby Doo cartoons on my lunch napkins, but I’ve not always known how I wanted to make it happen.

I got my BFA from Missouri State University in 2011 and was lucky to study under some really brilliant creative minds in that program. Staring my student loan bill in the face, I got my career start as a graphic designer in an in-house setting that made me cringe daily (they made me wear slacks and cover up my tattoos), before moving to agency roles as an Art Director and eventually Creative Director for brands and organizations across the U.S. By most standards, I had made a successful and sustainable career, but I was deeply unhappy, grumpy, and full of workaholic traits I hated but couldn’t stop myself from getting sucked into. Over time, I realized I needed a different pace of living where my creative brain could balance curiosity with creation.

In 2019, I went out on my own and began work that was able to utilize my training and experience as an art director with my skills and passion to create tailored and impactful art for people and for spaces they occupy. I began painting murals and quickly fell in love with the large scale impact and the energy of big art. With my experience, I’ve been able to provide a pretty turn-key solution for clients where I can consult with their team, plan and concept tailored art for the space, and paint it. It has been a joy to paint more than 30 murals and I know we’re ready for more!

I do love variety (and resting my body), so when I’m not painting on a wall, I like to use my studio space to explore and create what feels good to me. Sometimes it’s a very moody original collection, sometimes it’s a set of quirky prints and stationery sets that I dream Target will pick up. My only rule is that I remain curious and don’t focus my work on the algorythm. I make what feels right, what feels like it has a curious spark, and I share authentically.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Overworking! I was for sure a subscriber to the Rise & Grind hustle culture as it formed. I had been conditioned for long enough to believe that the only way I could make more or be more was to do more all of the time. I worked too many hours for too long. I used to think it was the fault of my bosses or the places I was working, and although that’s partially true, it took me a long time to realize I was part of the problem. I had terrible boundries that I myself was guilty of stomping over. I was in a chronic state of stress and unfufillment because there was always one more thing that needed to be done before I could close my laptop.

Learning to rest and learning to hold my ground with clients on establishing reasonable timelines did not come easily to me, but after years of experience of getting it wrong, I have really been able to adjust into a solid balance of work and rest. This has been huge for me and my overall art practice.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, designing my life to run at my own pace, on my own terms, was the purest form of self care I’ve been able to practice. Moving from a career in an office from 9-5 (or let’s be honest, usually 9-7ish) to working inentionally with my natural flow has been life changing. I’ve been able to make space for exercise and play almost daily. While I do have big stints of production and work, for the most part I’ve been fortunate to build a life of variety and ease that brings me inspiration and joy every day (even on the hard days). This gift allows me to open up and make better art that connects and resonates with others, which is the ultimate goal and reward of art in the first place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.megwagler.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megwagler_illustration/

Image Credits
all photos were captured or created by Meg