We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan McKean and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My work life balance has been up and down over time for sure. I try to keep my balance mainly based on my creative inspiration. Every artist knows the challenges of experiencing artists-block or burn out. When I feel inspired or excited to create, I create all that I can while I’m on the roll. Then, I use this content and these art pieces over time when I’m not feeling as excited to create. I also find fuel in response from other people, so commission-work and encouragement can be so so helpful.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Most of my art is painted portraiture. I have dove in to oil painting in the past few years and I LOVE it – I have a painterly approach that I use to convey not only emotion, but moments in time. Portraits and photo references are my favorite thing, as they are bits and pieces of a person’s entire life. Moments that depict parts of a whole picture. I am so proud of my ability to show something beyond realism – portraits that are fun and relatable. Beyond portraits, I love to play with all kinds of mediums. Acrylic is great for loose painting, watercolor makes beautiful florals, I use pencil to draw my favorite movies and characters. There is so much to do with art and I love accepting all kinds of commissions for this reason.

Today, I would say there is still so much more that I want to do professionally and I’ve come this far with perseverance and consistency. I’ve learned that art is truly something that you have to show to the right people. I’ve been to several crafting events now, and it is crazy that one group of people can be so thrilled about my art, while another group is bored.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting around the STL area, I would bring them to Forest park to walk around, I would take them to Kirkwood to eat at Session taco for lunch, go to a Cardinals Game at Busch Stadium, do an escape room, and take them to The Hill to eat at Anthonino’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family is absolutely my biggest shoutout and biggest inspiration for most of my art! I paint and create a LOT of art based on my childhood and moments/people I love. Portraits are something that are so meaningful to me and I believe they really speak for themselves and help to tell stories.

Website: https://Megansarts.com

Instagram: @Megansartss

Facebook: Megans Arts

Other: Tiktok: @meganmckean06

Image Credits
Myself

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