Meet Meghan Robertson | Westcoast Woodburning Artist and Mama of 4

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

Hi Meghan, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I always find this type of question so interesting, and I think I’ve come to view the idea of work-life balance as a constantly shifting state; kind of more like a pendulum swinging from one side to the next than an attempt to do all things at once in balance. I think there are periods of time, seasons that we’re in, that require us to maintain certain states longer (kind of like how that pendulum ball pauses at the epitome of its swing for a moment before heading back down to swing to the other side). I think the important thing is that our pendulum keeps moving so that whatever state we’re in shifts to give us the opportunity to distribute our energy differently.

I have four kiddos and kind of lost touch with the creative parts of myself in the very-consuming role of being a mama. So my pendulum ball stayed at its swing epitome for a lot of years, and it needed to. There were many small humans who needed me but then it hit me one day that I really only did anything creative when I was planning one of my kid’s birthday parties. It also hit me that I was not my best version of self (for a variety of reason) and what was missing in my life was being actively operating in my creative side that used to be very important to me. I picked up a woodburner and the pendulum started to swing to allow for creativity to take up more space in my life again. I still primarily do my art when the kids are at school or in bed, but I feel more connected to the things that make up my identity other than being a mama, which in turn helps me be a better mama. Also my daughter wants to be an artist when she grows up like her mama so that’s pretty badass.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what has been a priority over the course of growing into my art business is that I have come to accept, love, and appreciate all the wide range of things that makes me who I am – the parts I appreciate and even the parts I don’t as much.  This self-acceptance took about 4 years of therapy to kickstart, and then I think just being in my 30s now (currently 37) helped sort out my attachment to what other people think of me to significantly healthier levels. I refuse to get caught up in comparison and I’ve worked hard to not view my work (or myself as a person) as being any lesser when I see the amazing art that others create. I’m different. My work is different. And that’s ok. The way my hand creates a landscape, or a whale, or an eagle, or a pet portrait is going to be different than someone else’s and I think just over time and repetitive practice, I’ve developed a style that looks like me because I haven’t tried to be like anyone else.

A huge part in getting me to where I am today in my business, which I am still blown away by the fact that this has actually turned into a business, is the result of consistency, practice, practice, and more practice. I burn every day, often for hours. I wouldn’t say it’s been easy to grow my business, but I think the more we do anything the better we get at it. I also really value relationships and operating ethically in what I do, and I think people see that which helps them trust to ask me to make things that often have a lot of emotion and meaning behind them.

I’ve learned that it’s important to figure out what you like to do and what you don’t, and that it’s ok to say no to the things that drain too much from your tanks. I’ve found out that doing large quantities of inventory makes me go “ugh” when I go to pick up my burner, which will inevitably lead to burn out (haha puns) if I do it too much. So I don’t stock stores and I make smaller batches of items when I’m building up things for markets and such. There are other artists who do amazing jobs at inventory creation, and it’s ok that I’m not that artist. I think it’s also important to create just for the sole purpose of creating, otherwise there’s the potential for what’s supposed to be soul-filling to actually be the opposite when our career is creation-based.

My hope is that what I put out there in my little corner of the internet is something that is authentic and genuine because those are pretty foundational values in how I want to live my life. I think it is important that we show up in real ways because that’s how we connect to others and how others are able to connect with our work. I’d want to encourage artists out there who might have a loud inner critic that art that connects doesn’t have to look like one particular thing or look like what someone else is doing; it just has to be from you and whatever that looks like, if it’s authentic, then that’s all we can strive for. Put in the time and practice, and you will be your best version of creative self.

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?
Well I live on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada so there’s no shortage of amazing things to see and do here. You can’t beat the summers here and if you haven’t seen the absolute west coast where when you look out to the ocean the next land you’d get to is Japan, then that’s a pretty amazing view. The white sandy beaches, best seafood around (we’re talking salmon, prawns, crab, scallops, halibut), delicious bakeries, local coffee roasteries, and small non-chain restaurants are a major highlight too. If we head more towards the other side of Van Isle, you have Mt Washington which has amazing trails to hike in the summer and slopes to ski/snowboard down in the winter. We have lakes, rivers, and oceans all over the place so you’ll get used to hanging out at some beach or another pretty quickly! We also have a bunch of small breweries and wineries, so if you’re hanging out with me hopefully you like hiking, beach hanging, camp fires, pub afternoons, and eating!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been fortunate to develop such a solid creative community and friend group so the hugest shoutout needs to go to my #pyropals. We encourage each other and help each other be our best creative selves which is beyond words meaningful. I’ve also made some amazing connections with affiliate companies, so I also need to give another big shout out of appreciation to RZ Masks, Razertip, Artistro Art Supplies, Culiau, and Woodpecker Crafts. I also couldn’t do what I do without the support and encouragement of my hubby of 16 years and 4 kiddos.

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