EP 28 - "Rooted in Nature, Reaching for Joy" | Maggie Douglas | Visual Artist

Maggie Douglas is an artist based in Des Moines, Iowa. She graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa with a BA in Art and Digital Design. She has worked as a graphic designer while developing her art practice. Her body of work consists of abstract, mixed media pieces on canvas as well as large-scale murals. She creates as a form of self-guided therapy. Working on art gives her a space to escape reality and focus on something outside herself. Her work has been shown throughout Iowa at the The Octagon Center for the Arts, The Dubuque Museum of Art, The Cedar Rapids Art Museum, The Iowa State Fair, and The Polk County Heritage Gallery. In 2024, she painted a mural along the bike trail for West Des Moines Parks and Rec and a bench for Waukee Parks and Rec. In 2021, she was selected to paint a mural at Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines. Her work has won Best in Show from the ‘Iowa Exhibited’ show at the Polk County Heritage Gallery in 2024, First Place in Mixed Media at the Iowa State Fair Juried Art show in 2023, and the Veronika Ruedenberg Mixed Media Award at The Octagon Center for the Arts in 2022.Motto: "Creating is one of the most natural things that humans can do."Powerful Quotes:1.    "Finding your passion is so important that it just can't be found through perfection. You don't need to be perfect about finding your passion and your purpose, but just doing it and figuring it out along the way and failing and then trying again. It's so worth it."2.    "I believe that creating is one of the most natural things that humans can do. And so I think with my audience, I kind of want to convey that they too are this natural being, and that they too have this connection that all of us have to nature."3.    "I would say that all of those failures are truly what I learned most from and have directed me on this path of where I am with my career now. So I would say I'm grateful for those failures, because they have kind of shown me where I should go with my work."Key Lessons:•    Embrace creative freedom and experimentation•    Learn from failures and rejections•    Art can be a form of self-guided therapy•    Public art can make creativity more accessible•    Connection to nature is fundamental to human experienceInspirational Moments:•    Discovering abstract art as a form of personal expression•    Creating murals that bring communities together•    Transforming personal passion into a successful art business•    Using art to bring joy and connection to people's lives•    Continuously pushing creative boundaries