Meet Maghon Taylor | Author, Artist, Art Studio Owner

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

Hi Maghon, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Early on in my business, I was still working full time at a 9-5 job and was squeezing All She Wrote Notes in on my lunch break, bathroom breaks and packing orders before and after work. I didn’t have a lot of free time and worked on my business in what felt like every spare minute.

As soon as I took my company full time 2 years later, I was able to carve out dedicated work hours and free up my nights and weekends. I put my “office hours” in my email signature and worked hard to train customers about when and how quickly I could be reached and available.

Once I became a parent (about 5 years into business ownership), lots of my working hours changed and I found myself fitting work into different pockets of the day. When my newborn was napping, or even sneaking upstairs to my home office late at night to get everything done.

Now, nine years in, I have a commercial studio that we own a few minutes away from our home. My son is in school full time, and I am back to my regular scheduled working hours from about 9-4 everyday. My favorite thing about being an entrepreneur is being able to make your own schedule and make your working hours work for YOU. I’ve never had better balance than I have right now, because I leave my work phone and laptop AT work instead of bringing it at home with me. My evenings are now filled with family time and reading books and I really enjoy the space away from work that enables me to recharge each day.

I think some seasons in life will be easier to “balance” than others, but I’ve learned over the years that balance, for me at least, doesn’t always mean the scales are equally aligned at all times. It means that in some seasons, you will be tipped in one direction (family, life, etc.) and then in others your business will take center stage. It has all worked out in the end, just rarely ever at the same time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a lettering artist and I make mistakes every day. Whether I spell a word wrong or a write an ugly letter. I’ve gotten MUCH better over the past 9 years, but it still happens but I don’t get frustrated with myself anymore. Early in my career, I was too cheap to throw all the scrap paper away. I would keep it in a bin under my desk because it seemed SO wasteful that it was ALMSOT perfect but not quite. One day I got the idea to run all my scrap paper through my office shredder and out came the most beautiful CONFETTI that I had ever seen!

Confetti is just trash, that’s chosen a happier life. It’s the scrap paper, the broken pieces, the parts that were cast aside, but it’s been repackaged and given a brand new life. That’s been the biggest lesson for me in my life and in my art. There will be seasons that I am not proud of or parts of my past that left me feeling broken, but through faith, I’ve learned to turn my mistakes into confetti. Both in my lettering and in my life, I don’t have to be perfect to be good.

I encourage my students all across the nation to aim for joy, not perfection. To look for the good and don’t let striving for perfection keep them down. My writing is whimsical, joyful and full of artful imperfection that makes it the fun and casual style that I’ve come to be known for. If you’re looking for elegant, I’m not your girl, but if you’re looking for something else, I’m on a mission to spread happiness through my handwriting.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would LOVE to have y’all visit Gibsonville. We are a tiny town right next to Elon University, and on Saturday mornings it feels like a scene right out of a Hallmark movie.

Our farmers market kicks off on the downtown green around 8am and you can grab a brown sugar oat milk latte from The Gilded Bean. The miniature train at the Gibsonville Garden Railroad will be fired up and running by then and kids of ALL ages will enjoy watching it make its rounds.

You can walk down the hill to visit our All She Wrote Notes Studio (open every First Saturday) and shop our book fair energy! We have art supplies, personalized gifts and bright colors galore. You’re sure to leave with a smile on your face. And speaking of smiles, don’t forget to snap a photo at one of our 3 colorful murals featuring my art!

Other mainstreet favorites are woman owned shops like A Quiet Life Handmade, Smidgen, The Paisley Treehouse, Just for You and my favorite, Gibsonville Antiques.

For lunch or an early dinner I would scoot over to Elon (about 5 mins away) and eat at The Root or Tangent. Both delicious and both family owned. You can grab Smitty’s Ice Cream at Pandora’s for dessert.

After dinner I would grab a beer at one of my two favorite breweries, either Red Oak or Toasty Kettlyst (both in Gibsonville) and enjoy some live music to wrap up the evening.

I would stay at either the Inn at Elon or the Burke Manor Inn. Both uniquely different experiences but with that southern hospitality we know and love!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve made it this far because other friends and women have cheered me on every step of the way! Whether that was my actual girlfriends encouraging me to take the leap and start this from a set of note cards, or small shop owners inviting me in to teach classes, or even now, one of my best friends works alongside me every day.

I’ve attended countless women’s business conferences and felt encouraged and inspired by other women who were living my dream. They make me believe it is possible and I will always be so grateful for them.

Website: allshewrotenotes.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allshewrotenotes/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maghontaylor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allshewrotenotes

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIZfKIb98XBKuTujkEraO4w

Image Credits
Traci Huffman Photography