We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Megan Trueblood. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Megan below.
Megan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.
One morning in my early twenties I arrived at my student job where I worked as a teachers assistant in the art department where I studied. I sat down at my computer to get back to my current project. As I was sitting there my boss popped her head into the office and said, “Megan, get me the Pentagon!” then just as quickly as she had appeared, was gone again. I sat there a little stunned at the brief exclamation and laughed, thinking this was probably a joke. I loved my boss, she had become one of my best friends as well as a great mentor. We shared a lot and I figured there was more to that story when she got back, Later when she returned she asked if I had reached the Pentagon. I laughed and said I hadn’t tried. She said, “well then let’s call them” to which I replied, “you can’t just call the pentagon”. She quickly proved me wrong. By the time I was headed to my first class of the day, she had reached the department she was looking for and I left the office as she chatted away with someone across the country. We had been working with the curators at the campus art museum to help put together an exhibit about artwork during World War II. My boss had met with some colleagues at the museum that morning and told them she was sure she could get some original propaganda posters. After the meeting she headed to her office where she found me and exclaimed, “Megan, get me the Pentagon!”. Long story short, she got those posters. A whole bunch of them, right from the archives at the Pentagon. She was constantly showing me that anything we wanted could be achieved. In preparation for summer internships, students in the department would come to her office and give her a short list of their dream artists to work with and she would often get students their top choice. She wasn’t afraid to talk to anyone. Even the most famous artists were just people and she would just call them up and make arrangements for her students to go spend a couple months working with and learning from their heroes. I personally benefited from this and spent a summer in New York City interning with Brad Holland. It was an incredible experience that I still think about and draw from in many ways. When my boss had an idea, she went for it. When she saw an opportunity, she took it. I remember being with her in one of these moments and expressing hesitation, thinking maybe it was something we needed to get cleared before moving forward. She said to me, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission”. That phrase has stayed with me ever since. It helps me to be brave in situations where I hesitate. I am naturally cautious and I still don’t dive into new things with the same gumption she does, but her words and her examples of bravery have since helped me to move forward with more confidence. I owe so much of what I have achieved to her because of it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a fine artist. I create contemporary still lifes in oil paint. I have been making art all my life, but I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Illustration in 2010 from Brigham Young University. When people hear “illustration” they often have questions, so I’ll expand on that a little bit. I knew I wanted to make art. Specifically, I love painting the human figure. When I was looking into art programs, I loved what I found at BYU. Within the Fine Arts Department there were a couple of programs that I was interested in. After meeting with professors in both programs I decided that the Illustration department was the best fit for me. I loved that the focus was on mastering fundamentals and drawing and painting skills. We learned a lot about design principles, color theory, composition, story telling, but most importantly we studied the human figure. We were advised to take figure drawing classes any semester that we had room in our schedule. I took figure drawing classes from several of my professors. The classes were challenging, but I attribute much of my growth to those classes. We students came away from that program with the ability to design, draw and paint, compose and tell a story. We had a long way to go still, but an excellent foundation to jump from. Something unique about the illustration degree was that it spanned so many career opportunities. I loved watching my peers find success in their different paths including Children’s book illustrators, graphic designers, educators, animators and fine artists. Having those fundamentals and creative skills under our belts made us qualified for many different avenues. During my time in the department I met my husband Houston, who was also studying Illustration. We got married and graduated a couple years later with our BFA degrees. We decided the best thing we could do is take our new, shiny degrees to New York City. So with a couple of suitcases and probably just a few thousand dollars we moved across the country with no jobs or prospects to speak of. It was 2010 and our country was experiencing a recession, so our high hopes were quickly tempered as we realized we were up against many talented people with a lot more experience also looking for work. The job hunt was brutal and after a couple months in one of the most expensive cities in the country, our small savings account was disappearing quickly. After a lot of rejection, we started applying for all kinds of non creative jobs, which also didn’t pan out. One day we saw a job listing in search of creative people to work at a new, hip downtown cafe as screen printers. We eagerly applied and hoped this would be the break we needed. After a quick interview we were both offered jobs! We were relieved to have work, but a little disappointed to hear that the business we would be working for was a pop-up shop in Times Square called Pop Tarts World. Not quite what we had in mind, but we dove in and worked hard printing custom t-shirts for excited tourists with arms full of M&Ms bags on their way to the TKTS stands, hopeful to grab a deal on a broadway play. It was far from glamorous work and not at all where we saw ourselves after school. We continued looking for work opportunities and a few months later both found work doing graphic design. Houston started at a paid internship at Johnson and Johnson, where he would work for the next two years and I found some freelance graphic design work that allowed me to transition out of the crazy Times Square scene. New York was the best and the worst. It taught us to be independent and to become real adults. It gave us new and valuable perspectives and experiences. We learned to work hard and to be brave. We missed people back home, but made some of the best friends that we are still close to 10 years later. We ended up having our first baby there and he kept us busy and very sleepy. His first year was exciting for us. We soaked up what we could from that city for the years were were there and then decided to head back to Utah to be near family as our family grew. After my daughter was born I craved making art again, but as a mother of young children, didn’t feel like I had any time for it. After talking with some close artists friends who were also moms, we decided to all jump back in together. We made small daily practice goals and they were the baby steps I needed to get back to what I loved. I started painting again and slowly was able to find my way. When I came out of school I was sure I wanted to be a portrait/figurative artist, but now, as I painted again I found myself trying lots of new mediums and subject matters. I had a phase of abstract watercolor, then abstract acrylics. I did some representational watercolor for a bit, but couldn’t resist the pull back to oil paint, where I excitedly jumped into still life and have not looked back since. It’s a great fit for me because it brings me back to my roots in representational work and I can easily find inspiration in the daily routines of my rich, family life. My still life work is inspired by anything and everything around me. I draw inspiration from the food around me as I shop for and prepare meals for my family. I’m also inspired by nature as I am out playing with my three children. My latest series is all based on flowers, plants and fruit foraged from my own yard and neighborhood. My kids help me collect and find inspiration, delivering little bouquets and handfuls of mushrooms, bugs and fruit from our trees. My work is a family affair. My studio is nestled at one end of the family room where my kids play. They often sit next to me, creating their own masterpieces— painting, making paper dolls, building things out of cardboard or engineering elaborate marble runs across my desk. Like my childhood, I want them to feel free to create and be imaginative, so I have plenty of supplies accessible to them for their projects. Realistically I don’t get much work done while the kids are busy and awake. I try to get little things done during the day; gesso and tone a panel, photograph and edit images of my artwork, add hardware to a finished piece, answer emails, get artwork packed to ship. The bulk of my painting time begins once I tuck them in at night. Once they are settled I head down to my studio, flip the lights on, put on my apron, turn on an audio book and get lost in my paintings. This time is really special for me. It’s a little peaceful escape where I am doing something just for myself. It took me years to figure out that staying up late working and losing much needed sleep was a worth it. I figured out as I talked with other mother artists that my art wasn’t ever going to conveniently fit into my life. I had to make it fit somehow, which meant I had to give some things up. A list of some things I have to give up to make time for my art: sleep, a clean house, time with friends, time on my couch watching tv, time spent on my other hobbies and lots of other things. I have some months where I work every night and some months were I only get a handful of nights in. Things are always shifting as I find the best balance for myself and my family. For the last 8 years, I have always had something going though, because it is what I know I need for myself. This work is important to me. I hope that my children know that they come first, but see that it is important to allow time for oneself, even in the selflessness that comes with parenthood and family life. I hope my work evokes the beauty of normal daily life to those who view it. I hope it shows gratitude for all the beauty that I find around me. I hope my children learn to see beauty in everything around them because they see me capturing the beauty I see around me.
I am a pretty shy person, but I love sharing my work. I love seeing people connect with it and bring it into their homes. I like to participate in shows where I can be there with my work and talk to people and be around those who love art. The energy at an art show is unlike anything else. As an introvert, I don’t find myself at many big events, but being around other artists and collectors is a place where I have found such beautiful human connection and wonderful friendships.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love witnessing transformations. I have always been drawn to seeing something go from undesirable or ordinary to becoming something alive and beautiful. In my own home I will see a disorganized drawer or closet and once I decide I want to clean it up, I get absorbed in the process and I can’t help but want to stare at it once I’m finished. I have refinished many pieces of furniture and tackled many small renovation projects in my 45 year old home. I love to sew, quilt, bind books, arrange flowers and plan and put on social gatherings. All of these things bring me so much joy and satisfaction, because I get to participate in the act of creation and both the process and the result are so rewarding. When I set out to create something, I have an idea of what I want the finished product to look like, but one of the best things about creation for me is that nothing ever comes out exactly as I imagine. During creation I have to be open minded to making adjustments along the way. When things don’t turn out how I hope, I keep working and keep exploring and eventually I through the process I come out the other side with something like what I imagined initially, but changed along the way in exciting ways I couldn’t have anticipated from the beginning.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
The most valuable resources I have in my career are my support systems and the communities I have found. So much of my growth and the big strides I have made in my career can be directly attributed to the people I have in my life. I have found many women artists that through their advice and friendship have given me the confidence and faith I need to move forward in my work. These women give me encouragement and advice, they keep me accountable to my goals and aspirations and they offer connections and opportunities that I wouldn’t have found on my own. My close family and friends provide support through encouragement, but also by offering to help and support me and my family when I am feeling overwhelmed. They show up for me in times of discouragement to help me get back on the right track and they show up for me in times of success by being there to celebrate. I am so lucky to have a partner who encourages me and also steps in to help me in my many insufficient moments. If you plan to pursue a creative career path, surround yourself with those who will cheer you on and support you along the way. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.megantrueblood.com
- Instagram: @megantruebloodart
Image Credits
Images of me in my studio by Christine Comstock Photography