Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Hughes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Megan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
The definition of work ethic and work has evolved for me a lot over the years. When I was younger, I think that the hard work that I did and the efforts that I put in were about pleasing others. I worked hard to make my mom happy, or I worked hard to impress teachers. I have always had the drive to create and do things, but actual work, and accomplishments were motivated from a desire not to let down. Even early in my career, working for others, I tied my work ethic to my self-worth. I thought I had to be good, or work hard, to be of value.
As I went through life, I started to realize that others are going to form opinions of me and value me as much as they want, often regardless of how hard I worked. At the same time, I started to really push towards and pursue my passions and interests the way that I wanted to. I would set a goal for myself and I would work towards accomplishing it. I decided that I wanted to make and sell coloring books, so I set myself a goal of creating a certain number of pages in a set amount of time. Even when I was tired, or sad, I would pick a singular goal and I would work in achievable steps towards it. Now, when I want to complete a painting, I set myself focused goals of what I work on and in what stages. I aim to complete certain amounts of work in achievable spans of time and I set aside other tasks and interests until I have reached these achievable goals.
I found that I have to narrow my focus, pick a goal, and break that goal into measurable and obtainable chunks and then just work for myself. I have more fun ideas and interests than I actually have time and energy to do and so I have had to learn some discipline and self control to select one or two projects at a time. By completing my goals, it opens up opportunities for the next goal. Having the freedom to start something new is very motivating and so it helps me to work hard and complete tasks. I feel like thinking about my work in this way both allows me to get more completed and also makes completion seem very obtainable and even fun. I feel a lot healthier, and happier working hard to complete goals than to work for the sake of working to prove my worth. I still often find myself working long hours into the night to complete projects by deadlines, but the biggest difference is, I am almost always motivated to do it and enjoying what I do.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an artist and small business owner. While I enjoy many types of art, especially sculpture, my business has really evolved into commercial illustration and painting. While I went to college for sculpture and oil painting, learning about fine art and the gallery system, life took me on a different path. After college, I had to jump into a job that would help me pay the bills. I still did art, did a few shows, and had my art displayed in a few places but it was not my career at the time.
Eventually, I was working in a job where I really did not feel valued. It was emotionally very draining. So, I set myself goals on the side to stay working and motivated. One year, I gave myself the goal of creating and publishing a coloring book. I was able to achieve this goal, and it did pretty well. I had done digital art before, and enjoyed it as a hobby, but I found that after purchasing the nicer drawing tablet and spending all the time on these images that they could easily then be painted and re-used on items like T-shirts, stickers, and print on demand products. I started drawing and painting more designs to sell both online as well as in person at art shows and fairs. As designs started to do well I was able to transition my work into a full time business.
I created a large library of various paintings and projects. I was fortunate enough to network and make some wonderful acquaintances at art shows including gallery owners, other artists, and even a licensing company. The licensing company has opened the door for my illustrations to make their way to products at major retailers.
My artwork has always been centered on animals, identity, and self worth. I enjoy creating light hearted, expressive, approachable designs for everyone. It makes me very happy when someone can connect with an illustration. I enjoy painting various animals in fun poses and activities. I actually really enjoy my artwork being affordable and commercial. It is a wonderful feeling to see people, and even kids walk up to my booth and get excited about a piece that resonates with them. I like that they can pick an item that they can afford, even if it’s just a sticker, so they can take it home and enjoy it and connect. I hope to be able to continue to work with the licensing company because I enjoy now knowing that people all over the country can find and connect with my artwork just in their daily lives. It adds so much personal value to my work knowing that it can help bring a little joy to someone’s day.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the most important skills or qualities that I have found impactful on my journey has been networking with other people. It is very important to be nice to others and approachable. While I am definitely not an extrovert I have learned it is always worthwhile to network and engage with all people of all backgrounds. All of my best opportunities have come from engaging with others. People often have great ideas too, they may have a cute idea for a new design, a new product idea, may be they have a space or opportunity for my business. Sometimes they may just want to chat, but even that gains new perspectives and experiences. It is very important to be kind to others and listen to what they have to say.
Another important quality or skill is completing tasks. It may sound simple, or silly, but the projects that matter are the projects that you complete. I could easily start hundreds of new projects in my life but I would never complete any. Completing tasks, even small ones that I am not super thrilled about is important. I try to pick achievable goals and work in steps to complete them one at a time. Staying focused, and motivated on a project and seeing it through to completion is super important.
Lastly, I would say is to be always be learning. It is important to be a lifelong learner so that you can adapt and improve as things change. It is important to learn and practice new skills and technology as things evolve around us. New opportunities present themselves all the time and having the skills or at least the adaptability to pick up and go with change can only ever help.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
If I only had a decade left to live I would try and spend as much of that time as possible with family and loved ones. I would not be trying to acquire new possessions, I’d also be a little less worried about acquiring new skills. I think that I would focus as much of my time and energy as I could into others. People and animals matter most in this life and when you’re gone, that’s all that will matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: mehuart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mehuart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MehuSculpture
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-hughes-56828732/
- Other: mehu.redbubble.com
Image Credits
Mehu Art
