Margret Wilson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Margret, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Considering I have ADHD – I’m definitely wandering. I have a vague idea of the direction I’m going based on my ethics & overall vision… but the exact path or route? I’m rolling with the punches. I’ve also had so many things pop up the last several years that I just don’t think sticking to one “path” is a good method for me. Ranging from finances to physical health issues to studios shutting down to struggling with grief… I just have had to be adaptable. But the overall goal of building and trying to help my community hasn’t changed.
It just may look different from time to time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a Fine Artist from Florida & went to the University of Tampa. I currently am focusing on working with acrylics, but have a strong passion for watercolor and charcoal mediums. I love creating artwork inspired by human rights issues and community activism; particularly focusing on queer & reproductive rights. I like to work with various non-profits/mutual aids that I feel will help directly impact the needs of my community.
I am having to take a temporary pause due to a health crisis that like, has cut my resources/spoon drawer in half, but I was working on a Queer Visibility Series… where I used colors from different pride flags to create portraits of individuals. So like the blue, pink, & white being used to paint a picture of a trans man or grey, black, purple, and white being used to create the portrait of a demisexual person. It’s been very fun getting to know individuals, talking with them about what makes them feel most themselves(or queer), & just sort of bringing a small bit of joy from being “out” despite everything that’s happening in the US right now. It’s also been pretty challenging in terms of color theory so I’ve really enjoyed the amount of mental work I’ve had to use to create these portraits.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
So, I didn’t have the best childhood & no contact with my family. There’s a lot of things that I believed about myself that I realize were not true (thanks to therapy.)
The one I’m most comfortable sharing was my family told me repeatedly that I didn’t have friends & I was a generally unlikable person. My community has shown this is incredibly false time & time again. I have amazing friends & likeable to folk with compatible personalities (and it’s also okay if we don’t have compatible personalities. It doesn’t make me unlikable, it just means we’re incompatible which is okay.)
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Oddly acceptance is always scary. I know it’s mostly due to PTSD & waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it’s definitely weird to feel accepted because it’s like “,Okay but why?”
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
For the most part, yes. I do have private parts of my life, but I also don’t want to hide or put a ton of energy into masking. Plus, I feel like sometimes seeing someone go through similar struggles can make folk feel less lonely.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I think if I don’t know who to ask for help, that’s how I know I’m out of my league. There’s no shame in asking for help, but not knowing where to get support or information… that’s when you know you need to step back & re-evaluate things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://margretwilsonart.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margretwilsonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MEWArtwork
- Other: https://linktr.ee/margretwilsonart
