Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan.
Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been creative my entire life, art was always my favorite subject and I was always drawing at home. When people mentioned me, they probably said “she can draw!” But I didn’t truly start taking it seriously until I had my son at 18. I was taking AP art in high school and really enjoyed it, but I never really believed I could do anything with it, as far as a career went. This may sound lame to some, but around that time I got really into Machine Gun Kelly through a friend. At that time he wasn’t known or liked yet. His music was all about making it in life through his passion, like I wanted to. He also had a kid at 19 and was dealing with life through his art, and it just clicked for me. I knew people made a living selling their work, and because of his music I finally started to believe I could do that too. His tenacity and approach instilled a drive in me that I didn’t really know was there, but it stemmed from refusing to be the stereotypical single teen mom and discovering what a passion art was for me instead.
Friends and family started asking to buy my work, I started submitting to art shows wherever I could find them, and I was painting non stop. Art slowly took over through commissions and pet portraits and I was able to work part time instead of full time. Once I started muraling, the whole game changed. But muraling didn’t start with a hire, muraling started with me painting my own living room to begin creating a portfolio. I’ve always felt like if I can take matters into my own hands and put myself out there without waiting for an opportunity, that’s where the magic begins.
I’ve always had a deeper purpose for creating and being able to contribute to public art has allowed me to talk about that more than I ever thought I would be able to. I truly believe my desire to help people who have been in dark places, through art, is what has moved me in the direction I’m going. My work is not just pretty pictures, it’s really a message to all who need it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a young mom (with tons of help from friends and family I must add), it was still incredibly difficult for me to make all the events and immerse myself in my local art scene when I was first starting out. Even just finding time to sit down and paint was hard with a baby and then toddler. I was(and am) very fortunate to have people around me who believed in me and supported me having that time to create.
A lot of galleries are so incredibly difficult to get into unless you know the right people as well. RFQ’s for murals, or getting an artist residency are very, very competitive. I haven’t found much success getting accepted in those avenues, the couple of times I have been chosen were a incredibly big deal for me! Your work has to be well thought of by the community and if they don’t know who you are, those opportunities are hard to land. A lot of landing mural jobs, in my opinion, is putting yourself out there over and over again and not hanging onto the “no’s”. Easier said than done, but just making sure I put out quality work and that people think of me when those projects are starting to be discussed is the real goal.
I’ve had to really take the no’s in stride over the years, if anything they’ve increased but I try to remember you may be one ‘no’ a way from getting the ‘yes’ you’ve always dreamed of.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m known for the women I paint, paired with realistic florals and botanicals! My work is surrealistic. I’ve always been inspired by Salvador Dali and how much there is to see in each of his paintings. I have trouble narrowing down one thing or theme to paint, which usually leads me to adding in all of my ideas and making them flow together. There’s usually a lot of movement and elements in each of my canvas work.
Over the years I’ve learned a lot about the effects nature has on our mental well being, down to the neuroscience. Through that I’ve been creating with even more intention. Viewing these elements, even in art, can actually have a positive physiological effect. This is why public art has become so important to me, if I can make my work available to anyone walking down the street, I think I can make an impact on my community. I really try and share a larger message with my work, I don’t want it to just be something visually appealing on the wall. These subjects are driven from my own struggle with mental health, so I aim to help other people the way I know how to, through paint! Providing a sense of relief or a smile when you walk past one of my pieces is the ultimate goal.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t think people get lucky, I think people have good intentions within their actions, and good things come from that. My belief is that creating a high frequency for yourself and around yourself, brings in high frequency experiences and opportunities. You may have been dealt a difficult hand in life, but it’s really about what you do it with it that informs what happens to you and for you next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mlnart.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganleighnajeraart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganleighnajeraart
Image Credits
Savanna Romano/SR.IceMedia
