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

Hi Meghan, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As an artist, the work life balance is the biggest obstacle to any success. It’s hard enough to work 40 hours a week, take the necessary time to decompress, run errands, exercise, and have any inkling of a social life… but then pepper in all of the extra hours it takes to plan and execute your creations and you’ve run out of hours! Creating a consistent daily routine is the only thing that has kept me on my path. Even then, curveballs are inevitable, and that can derail you for days, weeks, or even months. This past year in a pandemic world was one of those curveballs and it gave me so much time to reflect and clearly think about where my path is heading, art-wise. I wish every artist that moment of clarity. However, now that I’m playing catch up financially, and readjusting, many of my projects have been slowed down substantially. So now I’m back to trying to rebalance and get more art time in my daily life!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My identity has been and will always be associated with cats. I’ve been drawn to them since I was kid. My house is adorned with vintage cat art and knick-knacks, and I am a cat mom to eight friendly kitties with their own outdoor “catio”! As an artist, I naturally gravitate to kitschy cat-themed drawings. Yes, I do draw other things, too, but what feels most personal to me, incorporates cats.

My plan is to have a cat empire and build off of my own various talents, while inviting collaborators in and strengthening alongside other artists and creators. I currently operate under Meghan Fest Miniatures as a portrait artist. I specialize in hand- drawn portraits of beloved pets, people, and even homes. I also run Gremlin Heart. This houses the goods that I create from fabric I’ve designed and turned into cat bow ties, to holographic stickers, and enamel pins.

My latest project that I’m embarking on is creating my own Tarot deck. As a tarot reader myself, I’m enamored with the various tropes and representations that so many artists have created in their own decks. This will involve 78 fully conceptualized images, and you guessed it, it will involve cats!

The thing I’ve learned along the way is if you have an idea, try it! Some things will stick and others won’t. Don’t get too precious about your ideas or overthink them, just jump right in and start!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Hills Snyder, a deep thinker and incredible artist who was also a college professor of mine. Of all the educators that helped me fine tune my craft, he was the one that made me push myself conceptually and embrace the kitschy side of my art that other professors were begging me to shy away from. We ran into each other at an Amazing Acro-Cats show right about the time I started his class, and I knew he was going to understand my brain.

Website: www.Instagram.com/meghanfestminiatures

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/gremlin.heart

Other: www.Etsy.com/shop/gremlinheartgoods www.buymeacoffee.com/meghanfest

Image Credits
@akittycallednova @thecatnamedpizza

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.