Weekly Featured Artist - Megan of Studio M.M.E

I am amazed at this week Featured Artists work - so unique!! My favorite piece is the first picture in the post, you can find it HERE wouldn't it just look perfect above a little lady's bed??
Be sure to check out the many other gorgeous pieces in Studio M.M.E shop.


Tell us all about yourself and your craft?
I am currently a senior at Minnesota State University Moorhead, earning a dual degree in art and creative writing. I am a classical trained artist who specializes in pen and ink drawings (although my professors are pushing me out of my comfort box for my last semester). My art is reminiscent of 19th century illustrations and 16th century etchings. It is also heavily influenced by the work of Edward Gorey. Most of my pieces illustrate European fairytales. However, with my creative writing background, I have started to write my own tales to illustrate. In addition to my prints, I also make 2" pinback buttons that feature my work, so that I can wear a little bit of the Victorian age wherever I go. Then, to make things even more hectic for me, I recently started to make handmade envelopes from repurposed children's books. In this way I sometimes feel like the Renaissance woman on campus, juggling two degrees, a business, and a part-time job.

How long have you been creating your craft?
I've been drawing since the age of four. Never on the walls, though. My father is an oil painter so I had a lot of artists' books around the house to inspire me. It wasn't until this February though that I started making my envelopes.


What is one of the biggest lesson you have learnt about your craft & selling it?
RSS feed everything! When I started my business, Studio M.M.E., in January, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would be the easiest thing in the world to make a website and get people to buy my artwork. Boy, was I naive. It doesn't matter how nice your website is if you don't market it. Now I hand out business cards to everyone. I spend an hour each morning on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter, my blog, and google analytics. It's exhausting. Thank goodness for RSS feeds. Those will save you HOURS! If everything automatically updates when you post something on Etsy, then you don't have to go to each one and update it manually. It took me only two days to figure out the importance of this simple trick.

Which of your items did you have the most fun creating and why?
I absolutely loved making this piece HERE. It combines my favorite things: time travelers and details. I had a blast hiding art history references and drawing the time period clothing from 1880 and 1960 respectively. (Their cameras are time period as well.) Plus, it's a self portrait of myself and my boyfriend, so that made it extra special.


Is there a basic household item you use when creating that seems to work as good if not better than the 'actual' tool?
My mother keeps buying me Emory boards, assuming I'm using them on my fingernails. In actuality, they work amazingly well for polishing up the bevel cut on mats. I use the finer side and get rid of any extra burrs.

What is your favorite candy bar and why?
Oh goodness, this is a hard one. After much deliberation I'd have to say Kit Kat. When I was little, I knew the jingle by heart. Heck, I still do. And you get two candy bars in one! How can you argue with that?


If money, responsibilities, and time were no issues, where in the great wide world would you go and why?
Mongolia. I honestly can't tell you why but for some reason that place has been calling to me for years. I don't even want to climb the mountains. I think it's just the allure of the unknown. It's one of the last untouched regions. I don't even know if their food is good. All I know is that whenever I hear the word "Mongolia" something inside of me gets excited.