We recently connected with Megan Grant and have shared our conversation below.

Megan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

When I was a child, I absolutely loved coloring in coloring books. It eventually grew into learning to draw from step-by-step drawing books geared towards kids and I began dabbling with paints. However, the turning point was when my parents sent me to a week-long art camp and I was introduced to painting flowers and using different mediums. I remember finding joy and pride in my work for the first time as a kid when my mom started framing some of my work to hang on the walls. I loved seeing my art get framed for the walls in our home so much, I decided to draw my version of a Magnolia print my mom had (my mom was one of the 90’s moms that collected Magnolias) framed on the wall. She loved it and framed it, hanging it directly next to the print that inspired it. I wish I could describe the pride I had. That pride wouldn’t compare to what happened next. A friend of my mom’s visited us from out of state and she too loved magnolias. I know now as an adult, that she just wanted to support and encourage my enthusiasm for creating (super sweet, right?), but she told me that she loved my drawing of the Magnolia so much that she wanted me to draw another for her to purchase. As a kid, earning some money for one of my drawings was unbelievable to me. I was so incredibly excited and was so very careful with the drawing. I wanted it to be perfect. Once completed and mailed off, I remember a few weeks went by and I was not expecting anything as payment, honestly. But when a check came for me in the mail, with a thank you letter, I think I was almost in shock from being so overwhelmed with excitement and disbelief. It was pretty cool.

Megan, 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?

I have been painting, coloring, and drawing since I was a little girl. I had a plethora of coloring books and would often draw manga with friends. Although life got busy as I moved into adulthood, and I pursued a career as a mental health professional, art was always there for me and brought me joy. After the birth of my daughter, I pursued art more and wanted to grow artistically. I was producing more pieces and wanted to share the joy with others that art brings to me. This is what eventually led to the start of Nolia Arts. I find inspiration from nature, florals, pollinators, gardening, and vintage items. I am fascinated with their functionality and how they affect our lives. I am particularly drawn to bright, bold colors and the patterns frequently found in 1960s and 1970s works.
Initially, I was working to produce art that was more life-like, but lately have been more drawn to expressive and perceptual pieces. I enjoy finding ways to incorporate what I’m feeling into the artwork, instead of only what I see.
Though my primary products are original paintings with acrylic and prints of my paintings, I have been drawing and lettering more. I also enjoy painting and drawing on unusual objects, like old furniture or wood.
I also offer commission work and enjoy the process of getting to know the client to create the perfect piece for them. It’s particularly fun when the client knows what they want, but encourage artistic liberty. It’s truly a privilege.
I have been having such fun with growing artistically and learning how to run a small business. Though it has challenges, helping individuals add some color and a bit of joy to their life and home has been a fulfilling experience. I continue to work on improving and growing artistically, so my work will not stagnate. I am currently and MFA student and am working towards “finding my voice” as I have learned although I feel I am starting to catch a glimpse of it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I used to create because it brought me so much joy. However, as I have continued to create and started to push myself to think of creating on a more broad scale, to be viewed publicly, I have been wanting to convey that joy through my work with the goal of bring the viewer some form of their own joy. Even if it is for a moment. I am fascinated with nature, in particular flowers and pollinators. I find their intricacies and functioning separately and together interesting and beautiful. Recently, my mission has started to take shape in the form of continuing to explore these interests in colorful ways so I can bring that sense of wonder and brightness to the viewer.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have actually been in the process of pivoting for the past year, or so. When I was a child I loved drawing, painting, coloring, anything that allowed me to create. It grew in my adolescence, so much so that I took every art class offered in high school and had the thought of pursuing art professionally often. However, I didn’t think I would be able to support myself in the field of art and kept creating in my spare time, though the thought of working in the art field stayed with me. I married my very best friend, and high school sweetheart, at the young age of 20 (still kids!) and chose to do social work as my husband was in the military and I knew I could find a job in the field wherever we lived. I also always found fulfillment in helping others. Fast forward a Masters Degree in social work and almost a decade later, the thought of doing more art never left me. Before my daughter was born, I remember a coworker asking everyone at lunch (a room full of about 6 therapists, including myself), what they would do if they could go back to school. Of course, I said get an MFA and study art because it’s what I’ve always wanted, but life took me in a different direction and I was okay with it at that time.

That changed after my daughter was born. I’m not sure why, but about 6-9 months after she was born (when we were getting consistent sleep more often than not again), a hunger for art and to create art came over me with an incredible force. I wanted to paint whenever I could and start learning everything I could about art and how to grow artistically. That hunger led to me searching out guidance from artist friends, books, podcasts, anything I could get my hands on. I started painting whenever my daughter napped during the day and sought guidance from friends whenever I could.

As many social workers will tell you, they eventually get burned out. I have been burned out from being a mental health provider before, but this time I started feeling like something was different. I started thinking about my future more long term and I just couldn’t see myself providing therapy multiple days a week for 8 hours a day until I retire. I started looking at taking some local art classes to continue growing my art skills, but again, life was busy (working and being a mom) and it didn’t seem possible.

My husband knows me better than anyone on this planet and I think he knew something was up. He already knew I would have loved to go to school for art and pursue it more had the opportunity presented itself in the past. I remember bringing up possibly taking a couple of online classes and I’ll never forget him saying, “Why don’t you go all in and go in person?” Seriously? Yes. Go all in. Go back to school. Do this for you. So I ended up applying and I got accepted to my dream school and am working towards an MFA in painting. I started early January of this year and I am unbelievably excited. I am still providing therapy to others, but with a different company and it has been much better for my own mental health than my last job. So I’m not really sure what exactly I will do professionally in the future, but I am already learning and growing artistically much more than I could have imagined, which is what I longed for. And my biggest hope is that my daughter, who kickstarted this pivot, will see that mommy chases her dreams and that it’ll inspire her to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.noliaarts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nolia.arts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086606059602
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-grant-lcsw-a906b5b4/