THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Megan Maberry: Life is going to happen any sort of way. You can’t wait. Like, what if I had not done it? And would I be doing the same thing right now? Would I be ready to be leaving teaching if I had not made that commitment? Don’t have that scarcity mindset. Just move forward with it.
Speaker 2: It’s the Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the Inspiration Place podcast, an art World insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Coming up, we’ve got a guest who brings a whole lot of sparkle, whimsy, and wow factor wherever she goes. Her stunning headdresses. Yes, those showstopping creations draw inspiration from the glitz of vaudeville, the glamor of old Hollywood, and the vibrant energy of Carnival. Please welcome to the Inspiration place, Megan Mayberry. Hey, welcome to the show.
Megan Maberry: Hi. Thanks for having me.
Miriam Schulman: I’m so happy you’re here. Megan and I actually haven’t talked, even though you’ve been in the program for a year. I’m not sure if I want that on the podcast that I don’t talk to my clients. Why is that? Why do I never see you? Is that because you’re teaching all the time?
Megan Maberry: Most of what I do is with my pod because I have to wait till I’m out of school. So most of everything I’m watching is not real time, and that’s why.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah. Okay, so let’s start there because I have you on for a few reasons. Yeah. One is I love your headdresses. And I was saying before I hit record and for the YouTube version of this, we’ll make sure we’re going to have lots of pictures of your headdresses. So listeners, if you’re listening and not watching, go to YouTube so you can see it. It will also be linked up in the show notes for you so you can see her website, her Instagram, all the things. But yeah, I’m always showing people your stuff. It’s like, you gotta see this. This is.
Megan Maberry: My client.
Miriam Schulman: It’s in Galveston, Texas, and she does all these cool things. It’s like the new Mardi Gras down there, right?
Megan Maberry: Actually, it’s been around a really long time. We have the third largest Mardi Gras in the US. Oh my gosh, New Orleans in mobile. So wow. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: Wow. But I did remember reading very recently in the New York Times how like cruise ships are stopping there. More like that’s a reason it’s growing as a town. Is that right?
Megan Maberry: Yeah, I think that probably has something to do with it. We do have a port there and we cruise ships are constantly in and out. So yeah, that probably contributes to it.
Miriam Schulman: Okay. So I just love that I’m having someone on the podcast, an artist who’s not just a painter. So it’s super fun to see that. And the other reason I’m having Megan on is because she is one of her successful incubator members. And one of the things people are always asking me is, can you learn from this program even, or can you make this program work? Even if you have a full time job and you’re somebody who has done just that? So although you told me right before we hit record that, what’s going on with that?
Megan Maberry: So I actually today I turned in my separation letter to my school district. I’m going to move forward full time and make this make this thing happen.
Miriam Schulman: Okay. Confetti. All the things. Okay. Um.
Miriam Schulman: Great. All right. Let’s start with the first thing that you mentioned were the pods. And in case we have any listeners who are brand new to the podcast and have no idea about the incubator, what I’m talking about. So the incubator is my group coaching program for artists of all different kinds. And I created exactly a year ago, although by the time this airs, it’ll be a little more than a year ago. These accountability pods, so that artists could meet in small groups of 5 or 6 people, 5 or 6 artists, they meet with the same people every week, the same time, same day of the week. And I would love to hear from you how your experience has been with that.
Megan Maberry: Well, I think I came into your program right around the time you were starting that. And my first pod, I did not do a very good job. I wasn’t committing to showing up every week. And then we had a hurricane. And I just, like, dropped off the planet for about a month. And when I came back, I said, oh, put me in a new group, put me in a new group. And since I really committed to that, showing up to that every single Wednesday, things have really changed.
Miriam Schulman: All right. Tell us about why that is. What what is it that you get out of it? How many people what kind of artists are there? Tell us everything. Mention it all.
Megan Maberry: Well, there’s something about being in a group with other creative minded people. We can bounce ideas off of each other, even though none of us do the same thing at all, and we’re all in very different parts of our journey. I think the other people in my group, maybe two of us, don’t even have a website, but we can all still help each other out. And I think one time you said you had a book launch crew or a book launch committee that would come and support you, and you launched your book, and we just decided to be that for each other. So anytime we do something, we show up. We click the like. We all subscribe to each other’s emails. I’ve showed off to my art students the artwork of some of the people in my pod, so I just really look forward to that every week. And it makes me it keeps me accountable because I don’t want to be the person who showed up and didn’t do anything or not have anything to talk about. So I think it’s really important.
Miriam Schulman: That’s great. I know that with even some, even if you’re just doing it. So you meet every Wednesday. Even if you’re just doing it on Tuesday, it still makes a difference.
Megan Maberry: Yeah. Yeah. And it’s nice to have someone care about you, too. Like on a, you know, if you miss out. Oh. How’s your cold? Are you okay? So there is we do care about each other on that level also. But the business side of it is pretty good too.
Miriam Schulman: That’s good. And you mentioned you’re from your all different kinds of artists. So what other kinds of artists are in your group?
Megan Maberry: They’re all painters. One lady does some digital and some linocut, and two of them are in Australia. Uh, the time we meet, it’s the morning for them and it’s the afternoon for me. So I often join the call, and I’m driving home from school. It’s the only time I could fit the pod, so a lot of times I’m connected on the card. I have an hour commute both ways. So I do the I do the chatting on the commute sometimes.
Miriam Schulman: Oh, that works out for you.
Megan Maberry: Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: Like that’s your drive home. And now, once you’re not commuting, it’ll be.
Megan Maberry: Oh, I’ll be turned into. Yeah. Everything live. All of the myriad many things. I’ll be there bugging you. Okay, so.
Miriam Schulman: Tell us about how you manage the rest of the program since you’re working full time. Since. That’s a question a lot of people ask me.
Megan Maberry: Yeah, that is a really good question. In the beginning, I almost didn’t sign up because of that. I was like, am I really going to get the the value of the of the cost? Am I going to get the same experience because I worked full time and I just I just did it anyway. And I found that drive to me is like, you’re going to get your money’s worth. And so I just would sign up and keep showing up and keep watching the videos. And you kind of do just have to do it at your own pace. So, you know, that might be two nights a week and then on a Sunday, you know, on my mobile device when I’m traveling, I just have to squeeze it in. And it’s interesting to me. So, you know, it makes me happy to do it.
Miriam Schulman: Okay, Megan, take us back now to a year ago where you were at before you joined this program, because a lot of people, I bring them on to the podcast and they’re sharing their success. And it’s so easy for the listeners to think, well, that worked for her or she was always successful. So I want people to really hear the two story of where you were, and I know you were somewhat successful before you started, but you weren’t ready to quit your day job. So bring us back to where you were at a year ago and what your what life was like and what the struggle was.
Megan Maberry: Okay, so a year ago I thought to myself, like, I’d really like to make this eventually down the road in a few years, what I’m doing full time, there’s a lot going on in education. It’s a little hectic, so I wouldn’t say that this is the only reason I’m on the way out the door, but I think it is. It was a major push to be this year to do it now instead of waiting for another year or two. So I was before that, sort of just doing it almost for fun and a little extra spending money. Little part time gig. And so I signed up to do the boot camp after I listened to Artpreneur on my commute. So I listened to audible, and that came up as a suggestion for me. And I just remember hearing all these little quips and thinking, wow, like that makes a lot of sense to me. Let me look into this. So now I’m ready to do it full time.
Miriam Schulman: Just pause a second. Did you catch what just happened? Megan was working full time. No website, no email list. And she almost didn’t join the incubator because she wasn’t sure she had the time. And now she’s leaving her teaching job. She got featured on TV, landed a magazine Cover and doubled her income all in one year. What changed? Well, she started building her audience with purpose. Not with gimmicks. Not with social media burnout. You’ll even see she’s a very small social media presence, but with an aligned strategy in support. Even when she was busy, scared and squeezing things in after school. That’s exactly what I teach inside the audience building workshop. Because the truth is, your people are already looking for you. You just need a way to help them find you. Inside this workshop, you’ll learn how to grow your audience of collectors, students, and supporters without relying on algorithms or feeling like you have to be more visible. You’ll also get my audience Building workbook. It’s packed with email templates, press outreach scripts, and AI prompts designed specifically for artists to capture your authentic voice. So if you’ve been holding back, waiting for the right moment, this is it. Take this as a sign from the universe that now is your time and you’re ready for the next step. Go to SchulmanArt.com and get started today, just like Megan did. And now let’s get back to the show. You had a dream of becoming a full time artist. You thought maybe in a few years. What changes have you made in your business this year? So this is like really sharing with our audience, like some of those tactical things that you changed or even mindset shifts that you’ve made that have made the difference.
Megan Maberry: Oh yeah. Totally. So I didn’t have a website right? When I first signed up, I had gotten GoDaddy and I had reserved the name, but I hadn’t put it all together. So that was motivating at the beginning to do that. And then I had my website audited, so that was helpful.
Miriam Schulman: Okay, so wait, you had a website on GoDaddy?
Megan Maberry: No, I didn’t have one. I had everything set up to go, but I had not put it all together yet.
Miriam Schulman: How were you making sales then? Just like in person. That was the only way you made sales?
Megan Maberry: Yeah. Word of mouth? Yeah. Yeah. Like, I’m really involved out there in the community, so I would just. People would contact me. I saw so-and-so at this special event, and they had this fabulous headpiece on, so could you, you know, make me one for my fundraiser. So that’s which is which is good. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: Until something like Covid happens.
Megan Maberry: Correct.
Miriam Schulman: Right. You know. Okay. Or a hurricane. And then you can’t go to the in-person show. All right. So. Yeah. So you created a website. Then I imagine you created an email list. Next.
Megan Maberry: I created an email list. I started there, I’ve just been adding everywhere I go. I like to talk to people, So it’s easy for me to start a conversation and then just say, oh, hey, by the way, I’m just going to add you to my email list, write your email down right here and just make it casual like that. And that’s been working out pretty well. I would say the part I didn’t know that I needed until I got into it was listening to the coaching with Sean. That never even crossed my mind to worry about that aspect of building a business.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah, let’s talk about Sean, because just this morning, Eddie, who is on my team, it used to be Anna would monitor, you know, monitor that zoom call. And recently we switched it to Adi to monitor the zoom call. And this morning, she came to the team meeting. I was like, oh, my gosh. The last one was so emotional. And Miriam, you don’t talk about it enough. And people have to know about this because somebody in there was crying and everybody was being so supportive. And so Sean Roney is our resident mindset coach. She meets with the incubator members twice a month. I don’t go in and babysit because I figure it’s kind of like having two parents. You want to talk to the other parent without the first parent interfering. And she also has a very different approach from what, you know, from me. I’m talking to listener right now. For the listener on the podcast, they know I’m like, this New York no nonsense, just let’s kick some ass. And Sean has a much more nurturing approach. Would you agree with that?
Megan Maberry: I agree with that completely and I also have to watch those later. I never get to watch those live, so I’m not even interacting with her. Most of the time I’m just listening and people are even doing different things than me, but just the model of it applies to things, and I find myself thinking about that even in my personal life. So it’s been beneficial too.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah, I’m glad you said that, because a lot of people, when they join a program, they think, oh, am I going to get value if I can’t attend, live like I live in Europe or I live in Australia or like you, I work full time or what time is it? I have bridged that day or whatever and I can promise you with the mindset calls. It almost is more powerful to watch somebody else get coached than to get coached yourself. Because when you’re the one being coached, you can’t really even see what the problem is. But when it’s somebody else, you’re like, oh yeah, that sounds like me. But and you’re able to see it a little. Am I right about that?
Megan Maberry: Yeah, you can think about it a little more in depth and not worried about being nervous and being on the spot.
Miriam Schulman: Exactly.
Megan Maberry: Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: So I belong to a mindset coaching program through Brooke Castillo, who doesn’t run it anymore. But that’s how I found Shawn Roney. For years I never got coached live. I only watched it. I think I was too afraid that one of my artist students would be watching me. Like, I didn’t want the like, I don’t know, I had that paranoid fear anyway. Okay, so what are some of the things that I know you’re not getting the coaching personally, but what are some of the things that you have learned through Sean Rooney’s calls that have helped you either personally or professionally?
Megan Maberry: Just definitely to reframe things, your mindset towards things. Something might seem really awful and upsetting to you, but then getting to the bottom of what is actually upsetting, it just brings your anxiety level down and then you can focus on what’s really important.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah. And also like really being able to look at something that you think that realizing that it’s not a fact, that it’s just a thought.
Megan Maberry: Yes. Like for, for example, I had a really hard time convincing my own self that I was an artist, even though everyone around me my entire life has told me that I’m an artist. I mean, starting in the third grade. Like, the teacher would ask me to draw things for the field Day T-shirts. Like, I’ve just always been creative, and I don’t know why I couldn’t wrap my mind around that until the last two years or so. And then just listening to her calls really just made it. I am the one telling myself I’m not an artist, not the rest of the world. So that really helped break through that for me.
Miriam Schulman: All right. I do want to spend a few minutes here just discussing your art. I know, like I said, for the YouTube people, they’re going to see lots of these pictures. But we’re going to talk about your art as if we’re talking to somebody who’s blind, who cannot see it at all. These headdresses are insane. They’re insane. So last year you had the cicada headdress. Oh my God. Are you people must have gone nuts over those.
Megan Maberry: I made quite a few of those and I never really made the same thing twice. So even if you ran into someone else in their cicada headdress, yours would be different too. So yeah. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: There was also the queen bee headdress.
Megan Maberry: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Miriam Schulman: That was gorgeous. It had like, chains and it was.
Megan Maberry: Yeah.
Megan Maberry: Beyond jewels. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. I think at first I was just making things for Mardi Gras and then I thought, you know, I could be doing this all year long. Stuff’s always happening. Galveston is a festival town right near Houston.
Miriam Schulman: So it’s not just for Mardi Gras. When I was at a writers conference and I was sharing the headdresses, there was a woman there who has a gay daughter who was saying, you know, my daughter would totally buy this because of the like. She likes to go to balls and wear these types of things. So there is definitely a need for it. I think also in terms of people who like Kentucky Derby or just people who want to look really cool.
Megan Maberry: It’s like anybody who wants to look cool. Totally inclusive. I have everyone you can ever imagine come to my workshops, and that’s really fun and special because everyone can customize their headpieces to match their personalities.
Miriam Schulman: So instead of me, like, it sounds like a mansplaining, like it’s me telling you who your customers are. Could you tell all the listeners who some of your customers are like, what are the different things people buy these headdresses for?
Megan Maberry: Sure. So party goers, mostly outgoing, fun people. And then but also there there’s this other section that is also really sort of quiet people that need to go somewhere with their extrovert friends. So we have these really extroverted people and then these sort of introverted people, and it’s like transformative. They put it on their head and they go out there and then they’re on the front of the paper. They’re their most photographed person. Wow. So there is a lot of confidence that comes with wearing one. They’re definitely little pieces of wearable art, a little self-expression, and definitely a conversation starters. People want to talk to you when you have something like that on your head.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah, yeah.
Miriam Schulman: Can you share some of these types of events? So we we discussed Mardi Gras. I imagine you may not have this demographic yet, but after this podcast you might forum is is very similar to Mardi Gras in the sense that we Jewish people dress up. It’s around the same time of year. Yeah, yeah, there’s some talk, by the way, that Mardi Gras was actually like started by Jewish people down in the South. I don’t know how true that is.
Miriam Schulman: But what are the kinds.
Megan Maberry: Of into that?
Miriam Schulman: Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: What are the kinds of events are there that people wear this to?
Megan Maberry: I’ve been staying busy year round with mostly like fundraiser events. Oh yeah. Big like kind of balls, galas, galas because they usually have a theme. And so a lot of times they’ll have people who are on the committee of these fundraiser events. They’ll reach out and want to do either a workshop where everyone can be creative together and getting ready for an event like our junior league. Made Mardi Gras masks for their Truman Capote themed events. So they all came together and made. And then, like we have our farmer’s market in Galveston, they have a big okra fest. So like it’s a festival town. Some things happening all year long. Shrimp festival. So I mean, like there’s just yeah, there’s just something always, always, always going on. And, you know, I’ve been Galveston has treated me really well. And and I think now I’m ready to stretch my legs and my arms and move around a little.
Miriam Schulman: Have you done publicity around your headdresses yet?
Megan Maberry: Yes.
Megan Maberry: So just this past year, which I think probably some of that had to do with looking more professional and having a website and an email list is I got approached by coast magazine and they asked if they could photograph me in a mardi Gras headpiece, and so we arranged it to go to a float barn where they store the floats out of season. And I showed up and I made this giant kind of crescent shaped. It was very on Saturday Night Live chapel. Rowen had just done her piece in a big crescent shape, so I took the idea of that shape and made it Mardi Gras style. And I showed up to that shoot and I should have known something was going on. They had a few people holding lights and a bunch of people were there, and then they called me right before the issue came out and they said, oh, we want to tell you you’re going to be our cover this month. So not only they wrote a feature about my business, and I mean, it’s a really nice piece. And then the cover, the cover was amazing and it’s a very fancy magazine with like, really nice paper quality, you know what I mean? Yes. Yeah. And so from that, then the following a week or two after that released, Abc13 called me and asked if they could do a story on my business. And so they came to a workshop and they interviewed me before it started, and then they got a lot of footage of. It was a really full workshop, and they just took footage of people and they’re working on things and kind of asked me my story. And yeah, so I know that I got people in future workshops that said I was brushing my teeth or I was drinking my coffee, and I heard you on the morning news and I had to come out and look and see. And I told my friends, we’re signing up to do that.
Miriam Schulman: I mean, like, I want to go now and take a workshop. This sounds like so much fun. I think I need to go down there.
Megan Maberry: I’m going to start I’m going to start traveling. Miriam. Yes.
Miriam Schulman: Yes, ma’am. Okay. So what about your prices? Have they gone up since you started being in the incubator?
Megan Maberry: They have gone up. I know they need to go higher and I’m working on that. And I’m. I’m using the mindset coaching for that. But I also, in this weird way, sold this loyalty to my clients or something. I can’t explain it. It’s they’re addicting. When somebody has one, they’re going to have three. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman: They will not notice if you raise your prices. Eggs have gone way up. I still eat omelets.
Megan Maberry: I mean, like, in fact, they have said to me, like, we know we won’t be able to afford you one day. And I’m like, what? So, like, I think that it’s going to happen this year. This is the year 2025. The second half of 2025. Is it you know, hurricane season starts June 1st. So we’re starting to.
Miriam Schulman: Yes.
Miriam Schulman: All right.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah I better go do my shopping now by the way.
Megan Maberry: Yeah yeah. All right.
Miriam Schulman: Because because all all all my favorite people listen to me. And they said, well I read what you said about raising prices. And I’m like, yeah, but you’re not supposed to charge me more.
Miriam Schulman: Like.
Megan Maberry: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Miriam Schulman: Okay. So anything else you want to share in terms of a big change you’ve made in terms of your business.
Megan Maberry: I would say something that is important probably is just being out there in the community and giving back and volunteering. That’s given me a lot of interactions, a lot of leads. The women of the community have really supported me. Other small businesses, like little local boutique motels and little shops downtown in the strand area, women have just reached out to me and wanted to support my small business. So I think really that is a result directly of getting out there and believing in myself and marketing. But it’s just really it’s really all coming together.
Miriam Schulman: I love it. All right. Do you have any last words for, you know, we’re not ready for last words. Let’s talk about all the different ways people can shop by sign up for your workshop. We’re going to link all that in the show notes. But where’s the best place they should go? Is it your website or connect with you on Instagram?
Megan Maberry: I’d say all the information is definitely on my website. You can either sign up to take a workshop. I do have a little online store that I change out pretty regularly and custom orders. That’s really where most of my clients are. So they start there. You can start headdress and query form there, and then I’ll reach out to you via email, and we’ll just set a time if you want to talk on the phone, or I’ll meet you where you’re at and we’ll, we’ll come up with something beautiful.
Miriam Schulman: All right. Now, do you have any last words for our listeners before we call this podcast complete last words of advice or wisdom for artists who are listening?
Megan Maberry: If you’re on the fence about it, just do it. When I was nervous about signing up, I convinced myself to do it and my husband right away, like the following week, got laid off and I was like, oh my gosh, I have made this financial like decision. And then this happens. So the point is really just that life is going to happen any sort of way. You can’t wait. Like, what have I had not done it and where would I Would I be doing the same thing right now? Would I be ready to be leaving teaching if I had not made that commitment? Don’t have that scarcity mindset. Just move forward with it.
Miriam Schulman: Yeah, there’s one thing that and I’m pretty sure it was you who commented on social media, by the way. So thank you. Somebody was complaining on social media about the cost of getting coaching, and I forget whether it was the incubator or something else that I was offering. And you were like, you know, Miriam has a book and a podcast and it’s free. And I do give a lot away for free on this podcast. And the book you can get also for free from your local library. So for people who are ready to make the commitment to go deeper, I’m waiting for you inside the incubator and for everybody else. We’re here to help you as well through the Inspiration Place and the book. Artpreneur Megan, thank you so much for joining me here today and sharing your wisdom so generously. I really appreciate that.
Megan Maberry: Thank you. I’ll see you in a year when we’re having my big success story. Miriam.
Miriam Schulman: This is your big success story.
Megan Maberry: Oh, bigger.
Miriam Schulman: Bigger, bigger. Okay, okay. How do you how do you define that success?
Megan Maberry: Well, I’m going to be traveling, doing workshops. I haven’t figured it out yet, but it’s going to happen.
Miriam Schulman: Okay. When you double your income, when you retire your husband. Let’s dream really big.
Megan Maberry: Yeah, yeah, we’re dreaming big.
Miriam Schulman: Okay. You go, you do it, and I’ll see you in a year. All right, everyone, thank you so much for joining me here today. I’ll see you same time, same place. Until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, facebook.com, Schulman Art, on Instagram at Schulman Art and of course, on SchulmanArt.com.
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