We recently connected with Mac McIntosh and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mac, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Developing your confidence and self-esteem as an artist is an everlasting work-in-progress. When I first started posting my art to a business instagram, I was very self-conscious about it, and didn’t tell many people I was thinking about creating this little business.
What I quickly learned though, is how accepting and encouraging the art community is.
I think two things that that helped me develop as an artist were my art community, and figuring out exactly what “style” art I wanted to create.
I’ve been really intentional about surrounding myself with artist who build up my confidence, give me constructive feedback, and are true friends.
I think being an artist can be incredibly lonely, especially if you don’t have a local community. So I was really intentional about who was in my community and who I was attracting as my audience.
Narrowing my focus on the style of art I wanted to create also helped me gain more confidence. Finding “my style”, didn’t actually mean limiting myself to one art type. I create embroidery, do bead weaving, fabric arts, and many more things. In focusing and finding my style, I am able to bring that to life, no matter what medium I am creating in. Once I figured that out, I was a lot more confident in my main craft, embroidery, and trying new things.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Trail Stitching Co is a women owned, small business based in Colorado. Inspired by adventures in vast, desert, canyons and rugged, granite, mountains, I hand embroider landscapes from National Parks, Forests and other public lands. Denim jackets, felt wool hats, and handmade patches are my canvasses of choice. My goal is to capture your favorite outdoor moment to inspire and carry with you on your next adventures.
I holds sustainability as one of TSC’s core values, by upcycling second hand items to extend their life span and hopefully bring a little spice to old items.
A portion of every purchase goes toward restoration efforts of the lands we live and recreate on, the nonprofit change with each shop update.
I strive to capture the memories you make in the west.
I find people care more for their environment when they have an intimate relationship with it.
I embroider everything from desert towers to rugged mountains.
I want it to feel like a wearable journal entry,
a time before things are the way they are now, or might be in the future.
When biodiversity wasn’t a daily worry,
and the West wasn’t in a never ending drought.
A moment in time frozen,
to keep.
Just for you.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey were:
1. Be resilient and don’t take everything personally. I put a lot of heart and soul into my artwork, as every artist does. It can be painful if I don’t get selected by market, if a commission falls through, or someone doesn’t recognize the hard work that goes into embroidery, It can feel this way with any art form. I learned being resilient is key to being able to feel your feelings, but then try again.
2. Knowing when to rest. Working for yourself, it is very easy to just work all of the time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with ideas and want to get them all out before they fly away. Learning the cues my body gives me, well before burnout and listening to them, was very hard when I first started. I’m not a person who is good at resting. But I’ve learned how to take the time I need and what works for me, because otherwise my art cup gets too full and that burnout is hard to come back from.
3. Price for what you’re worth. This is a hard one. I never want folks to feel like they can’t afford any of my art pieces. At the same time, I do match my prices to my experience, hard work, and time. I think that probably stems from a degree of imposter syndrome and feeling like my art wasn’t worth much. For a long time I was underselling myself. After some encouragement from friends, I raised my prices and guess what? My customers supported me. That was a turning point for me, and something I always tell folks who are just getting started. You have to believe in your art first, because if you don’t, why should others?
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
A book that has played an important role in my development as an artist, and as a person is ‘Erosion’ by Terry Tempest Williams. “By paying attention to what is real and true and authentic, we come home to our self, the person we want to become. We remember what we may have forgotten. The world is so beautiful in spite of the troubles. We are alive again to the way the desert sage brings our breath all the way down.”
Terry Tempest William’s taught me that art can be political. She uses written word as a tool to speak for environment, social, and political justice. This book taught me to use my voice and use my art, for change.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TrailStitchingCo
- Instagram: TrailStitchingCo
Image Credits
Brown Suit Jacket photo: Abbey L Moore Rest of photos: Mac McIntosh
