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

Hi Marissa, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think the word juggle sums it up better than balance! You can’t do everything well, so you have to prioritize and make sure you’re doing the best you can (not 100% necessarily) in the most important areas. It’s okay to let things go, put them on the back burner for later, and pause when you’re overwhelmed. This year has been extremely difficult for many of us – I hope we can all give ourselves grace and be kinder to ourselves and everyone else.

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.

I create playful and colorful artwork that captures moments of delight inspired by everyday life. I paint, collage paper, and draw digitally. My art may show up framed on a wall, or on pillowcases, clothing, or home goods. I’m inspired by the tropical plants and bright colors. I want you to feel sunshine warming your face you see my work and you can’ t help but smile. I also am passionate about empowering others to prioritize their creativity. With my business partner, Heather Kirtland, we published the book “The Motherhood of Art” in 2020, and founded a community for artists called Carve Out Time for Art.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about.

After my children, I’m most proud seeing an idea come to fruition. This could be a bucket list goal to have my art on surfboards, our 5 years on the book project, or making a painting I’m proud of. I’m most excited about the next steps in my pattern design licensing, and launching a new program in our community soon! What sets me apart is I love celebrating and laughing at myself for the messy behind the scenes. I like to take my dreams seriously but not myself. I hope to inspire others to give themselves permission to just start, and give themselves grace.
How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
On paper or Instagram, people may assume I am a full time artist and make art all day. That is not the case at all! I have a full-time job as a Sr. Occupancy Planner, have 2 children, and 2 side businesses. It has not always been easy, but it has been worth it. The most important thing I’ve learned is nobody has everything figured out. So many people I know assume someone’s life is perfect because they posted photos on social media that are actual images from a photoshoot for marketing. It’s important to know so you don’t fall into the comparison spiral. I am certain that everyone has their unique heartaches and struggles — but also their own joys and dreams worth pursuing. Yes, everyone. My main challenge is time and energy. Being a mom made me efficient with my time, and more confident and focused in my art. If I have 20 minutes to paint, I will use all 20 minutes, no more procrastinating out of fear. I’m washing dishes, I think of marketing ideas or let my mind figure out a design problem. Not all work is hands on! For artists, give yourself permission to do your work (nobody else will!), and then go for it. Start one baby step at a time, but keep inching forward. Before you know it, something that used to be scary is easy. But you can’t look for shortcuts or only research your way out of doing the work, particularly with art. You’ve got to make a mess, make crappy work, learn, and hope something sticks along the way. But please know that it will absolutely be worth it. If it’s in you, you will be miserable if you ignore it.
What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I want my art brand to remind people to take a moment to laugh, play, dream, and appreciate the beauty in the everyday moments. I want people who love and buy my work to feel like it gives them a happy and bright moment when they see it, especially on a hard day because we all have those. It’s the hardest times in my life that make me treasure the beautiful moments the most. I want my colorful pattern on a pillow to be your favorite pillow for a nap you chose instead of vacuuming. I want the pretty curtains you hung up to make you feel happy when preparing a meal for your family. And I definitely want you to feel really put together on a conference call with a framed art print behind your desk, while hiding the mess behind the camera! (wink wink)

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?
Ideally they’d be visiting in the winter season when the weather is gorgeous! I’d do a mix of things to enjoy, and we’ll assume there is no budget! I was born and raised in Broward, and commute to Miami, so I don’t mind driving to explore our area. Here are a few places I think are fun to visit: Morikami Gardens in Delray is such a cool place to visit. We can spend the day there, bring our watercolors and paint what we see. I can let my kids run around and we’ll just have lunch at the cafe there. An artist friend of mine lives in Redlands, and one of my favorite days was visiting her and going to the Everglades. It would be fun to recreate that day. We had lunch at a small outdoor spot, then got milkshakes at Robert is Here, visiting Isaac Farms, and finished the day exploring the Everglades. There was so much inspiration and it reminded me of growing up in Plantation in the 80s when there were still cows. One day it would be fun to visit The Frost Museum, the Perez Art Museum, and we have to splurge at Joe’s Stone Crab. Afterwards we can walk along the beach and enjoy the view.. One day I’d like to visit artists at Bakehouse Art Complex and see what they are up to. That would be fun! In Fort Lauderdale, I’d take them to lunch at Coconuts, and we can walk around and go on a tour on The Jungle Queen. I used to swim and dive at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, so it’s a fun one to visit. I also think it’s fun to bring people to Mai-Kai for the Polynesian show (especially the fire dancing!), and delicious cocktails. Other fun things is a pontoon boat ride near Sawgrass to see alligators, and just spend time at the beach. Maybe a stop to get ice cream at Jaxon’s and a jaunt to Dania beach!   

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m so grateful to the deep connections we have made in our Carve Out Time for Art community. (www.instagram.com/carveouttimeforart). These artists all over the world make me dream bigger, inspire me, and make me feel part of something bigger, even when we are all in our little corners of the world during the pandemic. I’d like to give a special shoutout to my creative partner Heather Kirtland ( www.instagram.com/heatherkirtland ) who makes me believe anything is possible and we can figure it out along the way. It’s a wonderful friendship and partnership, and I’m so lucky we were both willing to put ourselves out there and meet each other. I joined the Art Brand Alliance (https://artbrandalliance.com) this year and it’s been invaluable for mentorship, learning, and connecting with other artists and designers. Betsy Cordes is the visionary behind this, and I am very happy to have a home in her community of artists!

Website: www.marissahuber.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/marissahuber
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/marissahuber
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marissahuberart
Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@marissahuberart Society6: https://society6.com/marissahuber Minted: www.minted.com/creative/marissahuber

Image Credits
Photo credit to Madison Short Photography for Book with yellow background only. All other photos by Marissa Huber, no credit needed.

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