We recently connected with Marie Castiglione and have shared our conversation below.
Marie , thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
I worked in the corporate world for about 10 years as an art director in fashion and advertising in New York City. To say I was burnt out, was an understatement. Emails after emails, meetings after meetings, campaign launches after campaign launches- everything felt the same and I couldn’t get excited about anything anymore. I knew there had to be a better way to live and be creative without this feeling off being on “E.” I felt like a car with no gas and my tank was always on E. So after 10 years of trying to climb the corporate ladder, I went on an artist retreat to Oaxaca Mexico. I saw this retreat one night when I was late night scrolling on social media. It’s a creative program/retreat called “Poco a Poco” which means “little by little”. I flew in and spent a week there with other artists from around the world and realized everyone there was also “burnt out” and suffering from the same creative fatigue that I was feeling. It became evident to me that if I did not change my ways and get off the hamster wheel, I would always feel like this. Corporate America kind of has a way of not letting you go. The experience was great, the pay was great, but its was not conducive for a long period of time- at least for me. After that trip, it was so crystal clear what I needed to do. I journaled all the way home and left by corporate job that month. I packed up and moved out of NYC and back to my hometown in Buffalo, NY. It wasn’t an easy decision, as I moved back in with family, but I knew I needed time to recoup and build myself back up without the high pressures of NYC and paying rent. It wasn’t overnight but in that time I moved back home in 2018-2020 my business boomed in so many ways. I could finally give my side hustle the love and attention that it deserved. And I always knew deep down, that as soon as I did, it was going to work.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Since launching my brand in 2017, we are now in over 1,500 brick and mortar stores as well as some big national chains such as HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Bloomingdale’s, Macys, Barnes and Noble, Paper Source and a few others.
We also just launched an exclusive line at Target at the beginning of 2024! This was a huge goal of mine and an actual dream come true. Target was my dream retailer. This partnership started 2 years ago back in April 2022 at a tradeshow in San Francisco called Noted- run by the Greeting Card Association and it’s been 2 years in the makings! Huge! And now I can finally talk about it! So yes please go and support us at Target- we have a line there right now for Mother’s Day and also Father’s Day coming up.
As far as other things going on, we are always trying to grow and expand and work on projects that inspire us. I am thinking of moving spaces soon to have a little bit more work/life balance. Currently I am operating out of my two bedroom loft apartment in downtown Buffalo, NY but we are looking at spaces in the city to expand our business into.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The phrase “Poco a Poco” always really stuck with me. I think in this world when everything is so instant, and swiping, or dome scrolling- we expect results to be just as fast. I know I fell victim to it. But there is a book out there- I recommend all artists read called “The War of Art” and it’s about the procrastination and work ethics of an artist- and how important it is to just show up everyday- little by little- you will get the job done. The worst thing we can do as artists is “not start” or always waiting for the perfect moment to begin. It’s never going to happen. Sometimes inspiration doesn’t hit for months at a time. We can’t sit around and wait to be inspired. It is our creative duty to just show up everyday and do a little work everyday, until the job is finished and then move on to the next.
As corny as it sounds, you just have to believe in yourself, even if you’re the only one who does. Alot of family and close friends and old coworkers thought I was nuts for leaving a full-time job as an art director to make “greeting cards for a living.” It was almost laughable. I think they pictured me in my small NYC apartment drawing each one by hand! But I knew I could do it. Something in me- believed in myself mixed with a little delusion- but I need I could do it. Sometimes it hurt alot for family or friends to laugh or not see my vision, but it’s okay if you are the only one who sees that vision. Creativity is a gift. I had to keep reminding myself that and not get upset with the people around me who did not have the same vision glasses on.
Hard work pays off. There’s no way to skip the line. I am a true believer that the energy you put into the world, will always come back around. There is no way around it. You can’t fake it til you make it. I believe you have to show up, do the work, and repeat the next day.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents let me move back in with them after I left NYC! Then the pandemic hit so I stayed for 2 years. But this was so crucial because my business boomed over night during covid and my parents were right there to support me when I needed it. I designed some pandemic themed cards and put them on etsy in late March 2020. Well, the sales went through the roof! We would hear the cash out ding from Etsy- every couple of minutes. Sometimes 100 orders in a day! It was thrilling and also overwhelming because I was not used to this volume. But luckily I had my parents there to sit around the kitchen table, late at night and print and fold cards and get them out in the mail. They let me take over their entire house with inventory, boxes, tape, shelving, you name it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themeatballstudio.com
- Instagram: @_spaghettimeatballs_
Image Credits
Photographed by Eric Tronolone Photography and Marina Boswell.
