We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marcy Wurzburg Stagner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marcy, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I don’t think we ever fully overcome imposter syndrome, though there is something to be said about getting older and the confidence that comes with being comfortable in your own skin. With time I’ve learned to be at peace with the fact that some people will like my art and some people won’t, and that’s ok! My advice to those struggling with imposter syndrome is to just start. Just do the thing. There’s a saying, “Do it scared” and I try to live by this through my art and other endeavors. Eventually, the confidence follows.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Art is the most wonderful side-hustle for me. It’s cathartic and it’s how I process so much of the world around me. It’s how I make sense of things. My art is very expressive and colorful. I do a couple different styles that reflect my lived experiences in nature, as a single mother, and it’s how I connect with people. Connecting with my buyers through my art is one of my favorite things about being an artist and I’m so appreciative of those who have supported me along the way.
My career started in education as a middle school teacher, which I did for almost 10 years. Right after I decided to transition away from teaching, I decided the nonprofit route was for me. I love the work I do. I work at Church Health as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Opportunities. Church Health is a nonprofit that provides health care services to those who cannot afford health insurance. Our services span all ages and range from primary care, to dental, to vision, to behavioral health and nutrition services. I’ve never been prouder to work for an organization than I am to work for Church Health and I am so grateful to the donors who make our work possible.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My advice to those early in their journey is to work. Practice. Whatever that means for you, just keep working and practicing and don’t stop. Take breaks, but don’t stop. If you’re an artist, take pictures of your work so you can look back and see how far you’ve come each week, month, year. Follow artists you admire on social media and learn new techniques. Get brave and experiment. Just keep going.
For those early in their non-artistic careers, my advice is the same. Keep working. If you stop, you’ll be further behind than if you didn’t. Take breaks and rest and then start again. Another huge piece of advice I have no matter your career path, artistic or otherwise, is to find a mentor. Go to lunch, to coffee, and learn as much as you can from this person to develop your skills. There are so many generous people around you who would love to be that person for you!
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
My biggest challenge at the moment is finding the time and energy I need to paint as much as I want. I work a full-time job and am a single mom to the two most wonderful boys. I paint when I have time and am not too tired! I really try to capitalize on that time when I have it. I don’t paint every day, but I do when I can. It’s fluid and I’ve learned to accept that this is where I am right now and it’s not always where I’ll be. My studio is my dining room, so I long for a proper studio space as well. We do what we can with what we have and I’m much better at feeling good about that now than I used to be. My artistic process has flourished when I’ve come to a place of acceptance and let go of the pressure I put on myself to be the kind of artist I think I should be. Now I’m the kind of artist I am and I feel really good about it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marcystagner.com
- Instagram: @marcy.stagner.art
- Facebook: Marcy Stagner Art
- Linkedin: @marcywurzburgstagner
