Seeking Balance with Chris Maynard (#70)

Balance. The holy grail of every entrepreneurial artist's quest. What does a balanced artist's life look like? And what happens when you actually achieve balance? As much as I love the idea of being whisked away by my latest all-consuming project, I also know what it feels like to be out of balance. I much prefer being in charge of my time and my life, and that's why I loved this conversation with Chris Maynard.

Chris turns feathers into intricate art. Working with delicate tools, he carves into feathers to create images of the very creatures that shed them. His unique feather sculptures are recognized by art collectors, bird lovers, and a variety of people from around the world.

In this episode, I talked with Chris about finding balance in life as well as in making and marketing art. He shares the secret behind his seemingly successful quest for balance, how he approaches requests for commissioned pieces, and the systems that he uses to stay on top of it all.

Balance may seem elusive, and, yet, we all need it in order to be our most creative and successful selves. Whether you're currently searching for balance in your work or have already homed in on what the perfect balance means to you, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Highlights

• Chris Maynard explains the inspiration behind his unique artwork of carving feathers. (3:39)

• Details about the seven galleries that represent Chris's work. (6:55)

• Chris's income streams, including commissioned work, prints, and his book. (7:30)

• Why balance is important to Chris. (11:00)

• How Chris balances commission requests with his own creative license. (12:45)

• Maintaining relationships with galleries while accepting commissions. (15:47)

• Balancing commissioned pieces, for Chris, means working on one at a time. (18:04)

• Dancing, movement, and leaving work undone are all part of Chris's typical work week. (23:55)

• Systems for staying on top of commissioned pieces and communications. (27:04)

• Finding the balance between making and marketing art. (29:28)

• Which marketing channels have brought Chris the most sales? (31:33)

• Balancing the marketing and the making of art starts with a feeling. (38:11)

• Chris shares the details and collaboration of his current piece. (41:03)

Mentioned

• Featherfolio
• Feathers: Form and Function by Chris Maynard
• Chris Maynard on Instagram
• Chris's newsletter
• Chris's blog

Resources

• Photos and full show notes
• Art Career Success System
• Art Biz Success Community
• Art Biz Success Planning Sessions
• Intro and outro music by Wildermiss

About My Guest

Oregon artist Chris Maynard combines his strong backgrounds in biology and ecology to pay homage to nature through the plumage of birds — using feathers acquired from legal sources such as zoos and private aviaries all naturally shed by birds. Working with delicate tools, he carves into feathers to create images of the very creatures that shed them, inventing poetic and playful compositions of birds in flight. His unique feather sculptures are recognized by art collectors, bird lovers, and a wide and interesting variety of people from around the world.