Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Lyon.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, surrounded by art as my mother was a practicing artist- she’s truly the most talented person I know. I would watch her create beautiful murals and tapestries for people’s homes and restaurants, and when I was old enough, I even got to help her with a few murals. I had always been interested in art, but I was also curious about many other things, just as I am now. I loved to design clothes by building outfits with scrap fabric and safety pins (I didn’t know how to properly sew). I would pretend like I ran my own business, and my friend and I even “published” our own fashion magazine weekly. I never thought I had much artistic talent until my senior year of high school when something clicked. I remember I could imagine exactly what I wanted my drawing to look like but became so frustrated that my hand couldn’t produce it. I decided to sit down and really focus on making just one really good drawing. I learned how to be patient with myself and the process and that you don’t always need to have this overflow of natural talent to be good at something – it just takes hard work and patience. I decided to get a degree in Fashion Merchandising from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The summer after my freshman year, I realized I did not want to go back to school and needed something to change. I started to get commissions for pet portraits that summer and I had so much fun with it, I decided to change my major to studio art.
Looking back on this decision, it was a risky move. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I’ve never once regretted it. I decided to concentrate in painting (without ever oil painting in my life, ha) and after a few awful paintings, I became obsessed with it. This was the first time in my life I ever felt great at something. I never excelled in sports or academics, but I knew the painting was made for me. Again, I knew my natural talent wasn’t good enough to succeed in this field, so I made sure to work really hard to catch up with others. Graduation finally rolls around and I’m completely lost. I opted out of grad school and continued working at my college job for another year. It was a part-time job, so I spent the rest of my free time trying to become a full-time artist. I think I did well for what I knew at the time, but everything changed when I found my first studio. Through renting my studio at ArtUs Co, a non-profit art organization in Austin, I was offered my first duo exhibition out of school. I was looking for a new job at the time, and I ended up working for the organization. After a couple of months, I got promoted to the Gallery Curator, and a new passion of mine was unlocked. I had been so focused on trying to make myself happy with the painting that I didn’t realize the joy I could find in helping other artists elevate their careers. Since I am an artist myself, I understand how exciting it is to get a new opportunity, and I love being the person that gives that to them. I am very thankful for that opportunity as I got to learn so many things about myself and the way the art world works. After spending a year in that position, I have recently moved on to a new position at Art Direct as the Marketing and Curating Director.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. There have been more struggles than wins, to be honest. The question I ask myself over and over again is, “what’s the point of creating art?” At the end of the day, I realized that it doesn’t really matter. The world is still going to continue if people stop making art. But what makes it worth it for me is that when I set aside time for myself to create, I am a better and kinder person to my loved ones, to my friends, and to myself. I am more thoughtful, curious, and introspective about myself and the world around me. If you want to sustain a career in the arts, you can’t create for other people. It has to be for yourself. It’s also really tough to maintain a healthy balance between painting, working, and spending time with loved ones. These are all very important to me, and it is a constant challenge to keep this balance. It’s important to remember that art has its ebbs and flows, and it’s okay to not be practicing 24/7 and to enjoy life. I wish I could have given that advice to my college self.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a very introspective person, so I use my paintings to better understand myself and why I am the way that I am. I am completely in love with oil painting so 90% of my work is in oil. I tend to paint either portraits or washing machines. Here’s how that happened: in one of my early painting classes with Shawn Camp, he asked us to paint our biggest fear. I really had to reflect on what that was for me. I stumbled upon an artwork by Johann Deckmann titled “I Put The Washing Machine On The Endless Cycle.” Something about this phrase really resonated with me and I decided my biggest fear was being stuck on an ‘Endless Cycle’ of bad habits that had the power to hold me back from my own potential.
My biggest bad habit was surrendering to fear. I think I was always afraid of my own potential, so I would almost sabotage myself into not succeeding by procrastinating or not giving my full effort. I painted a washing machine as a symbol to not getting stuck in these beliefs and to keep moving forward. A constant reminder that the biggest rewards in life are given by being uncomfortable at first. I painted the washing machine very colorful and beautiful, just as staying someplace comfortable can be very enticing and tempting. This was a project in one of my early painting classes, so afterward I continued trying out different styles and subjects. For my senior thesis, I created five large portraits of my family and myself. I’ve always been interested in painting myself as a child because I miss the girl I once was. I had never been heartbroken, I didn’t have any trauma, and I was my most outgoing and silly self. The older you get the more the world tries to break you down, and that little girl had no idea what was to come.
After graduating, I kept thinking about the washing machine painting and wanted to explore that concept again. I would paint one here and there, but it wasn’t until two years later, after my duo exhibition, that I realized I had so much more to explore with the concept. This past year, I have really focused on building this body of work (The Endless Cycles) and put a lot of reflection into each painting. Each one explores a different cycle I was stuck in that I decided I needed to break. I am most proud of myself for continuing on this journey even when I felt like there was no path to success. It’s hard for me to pinpoint what sets me apart from others, so I will use the words my artist friend once described me as: “Once you decide you want to do something, you don’t stop until you achieve it.”
What are your plans for the future?
Like I said in the beginning, I have always been interested in many different things. I have a passion for art-making as well as helping artists in our community. I also believe there are passions of mine still undiscovered, and that’s really exciting to me. I plan to always create art, as it is the backbone to my life and career. I would love to keep organizing art shows in Austin and connect artists to opportunities and resources that will elevate their careers. My dream is to run my own art non-profit that is filled with kind, driven, and creative human beings. If I have learned anything, it’s that you can never predict how the future will turn out. I never imagined myself to be where I am today, and I’m excited to see where I will be in another 5 to 10 years from now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maggie-lyon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggielyonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggielyonart
Image Credits
(Personal Photo) Jenna McElroy Photography
