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.