Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Downs.
Hi Megan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started my journey as an artist when I was a kid. I was always drawing animals, as I grew older and went to high school and college, my notebooks for class always had sketches filling the empty sides next to my notes. I entered a few small painting competitions and did really well. This boosted my confidence, but I didn’t truly start sharing my art until showing my husband my sketchbooks. He loved it and pushed me to start my social media. I began sharing what I did, and people really liked it. This also helped me be more bold when talking to people about my art. From there, I entered a few galleries and sold some paintings. I was blown away! Now, here I am, painting late into the night while my baby sleeps and sharing my art with the world through social media.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many struggles and many to come! There are always bumps in the road. I think I thought if I just showed my art, then everything else would just happen. No! I have learned and continue to learn social media and am making new connections. I have to be creative with my time since I’m a mother. By this, I mean how I use my time (painting things, shipping, website work, etc.) and balancing my art studio life with being a mom (diapers, groceries, laundry)… I’ve learned it can all be very overwhelming, and it’s okay to ask for help and learn from others. The biggest bump is fighting my own mental doubt when I hit little bumps that set me back. I just keep going and believing in what I do. The oil painting process is slow, it takes time, and social media can make me feel as though I need to have the next piece done now! I am learning to slow down and be okay with creating my own pace within my work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist who is inspired by my outdoor lifestyle. A lot of my paintings originated from my time spent in Alaska. My husband would fish, and I’d sit on the rocky beaches with my paints, I would actually use the sea water as part of my watercolor paintings. Dipping my brush in salt water and painting starfish, whales, otters. I love looking back on these days. My art takes form around my adventures. Me and my kiddo go play outside in the mountains constantly, hiking, skiing, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking… All of these outdoor activities fuel my art passion. During or after our adventures, I have an even stronger need to pull out the paintbrushes; how else am I supposed to capture the beauty and feeling of this world around me? I love painting horses, bison, and moose but also mountains, pine trees, and unique sceneries from adventuring. The outdoors and art go hand in hand for me.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success is the act of always learning how to better perfect my art practice. I think that people are attracted to beauty, and I want to make beautiful things. The better I am at my art practice, the more I learn and improve my skills, and the more effective I can be at putting what I see in my mind onto the canvas. I think art and really life are a never-ending learning process, you can never know it all. So, I think success is constantly learning and improving and, in turn, creating something high quality that will last years and years to come and be beautiful. I want to bring a sense of peace, joy, adventure to a home with my art. If a painting can bring that to someone, I have succeeded. I just want to create the more time at the easel the more successful my days are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meggydownsart.com/collections/all
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meggydownsart/
