Stories to Inspire
Attend the March Passion Driven Professionals Meetup and learn from Mary and others on how you too can turn you passion into business success! http://www.meetup.com/passiondriven/events/52135002/
- Mary Zeran, Artist, Cedar Rapids, IA
How did you come to recognize the service you provide as a passion? Making art is a family tradition. My grandmother and mother taught me to work with my hands at a very early age. My mother, who is a folk artist and my grandmother was a textile artist. In our family passion and tradition are interchangeable.
I didn’t really understand the passion aspect until I went to college and started art school. I felt like I had returned to myself in my first art class.
What steps have you taken to get to where you are today with the service you provide? First and foremost, I pursued an education. I was lucky enough to go to college and study art. While at the University of Iowa, I took metalworking and jewelry as an elective and I was immediately captivated. I went on to get my Master’s in Fine Art.
During college, I taught art for non-majors. Afterwards, I lived in Seattle and co-ran a cooperative art gallery. I’ve also had a lot of jobs working retail and wholesale sales. All those experiences combined with my art education have proved to be an awesome combination of experiences to draw on.
It has been a twenty year journey to become a full time artist but, worth it.
What do you consider the secret to your success? Your greatest lesson learned? My secret weapon is that I am somewhat like a Pit-bull. It is hard for me to let go. I’ve always been tenacious. I’m willing to jump in and see what happens. Leap first, think later. Right now, I am trying to learn to think first and then act. Balancing my spontaneous personality with planning is my new goal.
My greatest lesson would be that running away from challenges isn’t the answer. Hiding from things can be very lonely and makes you feel like a failure. When it is all said and done, the only one you are hurting is yourself.
Where do you see God in the service you provide? This is the hardest question for me. I have been extremely lucky in my life to be exposed to many different ideas and approaches to Spirituality and God.
My parents came from different Christian belief systems. My father was raised Catholic and my mother was a Methodist. I started my life as a Catholic. When I was 8 my father had a change of heart. He started to wonder if god existed. At that time, he quit attending church and left it to my mother. My mother always believed that it was important for kids to be raised in a “church” community. She was struggling with the belief systems of our current church. So after my first confession, we moved to the Congregational church. The contrast was amazing. Catholicism seemed to have tons of rituals and traditions. The Congregationalists had more emphasis on fellowship.
Later, I lived in Sweden where the church is part of the government. I got to see how a culture combines their pagan past with Christianity.
All this helped me see that God is extremely personal. I find my closest connection occurs when I am in nature. Looking at clouds, prairies, and forests. All the information we need to live our lives seems to be right there. The cycle of life is a powerful example. I find it comforting to know that there is something larger than myself. Being a part of a bigger whole humbles and supports me. I try not to control everything. Be more open to the journey and the process. That act of faith in discovery is what fuels and inspires me.
What is the most rewarding part of what you do? The most challenging? The most rewarding part of my career is meeting people, finding out more about them and how they view the world. I also love all the teaching I do. I get to see the world through kid’s eyes. Working with other teachers and artists is exciting because I learn so much. Collaborating is an incredible way to build momentum and workshop an idea to a bigger and better solution.
On a personal level, that act of making art is such a rewarding experience. That quiet time of discovery is so fulfilling. Making art is like a mini life moment. There are challenges, frustrations, and ultimately success. It is all about sticking with it and having faith in the process. And sharing what I do with others has become another joy.
My biggest challenge has been working with myself. If I view me as my number one employee, I can get a little frustrated. My employee/ I can be shy, timid, and prone to talking myself out of things. In moments like that, it is easier for me if I approach my career as the boss. I put on my manager hat and assign myself tasks. It also helps to do a little playacting. I find it is easier if I go to events as Mary Zeran Artist, that person is a lot more confident, enthusiastic, and most importantly unafraid. I think we all do this in life. It helps distance us from what scares or intimidates us and enables us to take things less personally.
What is the best advice you have ever received? Just do it! My college professor Chunghi Choo would always yell that at the top of her lungs. She was especially fond of doing that when people where being scared or full of self-doubt. She really instilled in me the idea that anything is possible. No matter how crazy or outlandish. She showed me there was room in this world for art and artists. And she had a passion for teaching that was inspiring. She promoted finding your own voice and putting it out for the world to see.
How do you continue to grow and learn? I am constantly reading, researching, and talking about art and art education. The Internet has been a huge help for seeing art and reading other people’s approaches. I also have friends who have the same career. Surrounding yourself with a community that has similar goals provides a support group. You find out that everyone has similar ideas, insecurities, and interests. You realize you are not alone.
Do you have entrepreneurial role models? What’s so inspiring about them? My entrepreneurial role models would be my family, my art dealer Stan Wiederspan, Mike Ryan, John Paul Schaffer, Bob at Modern Gallery, Suzy McCrane Hop, Deb Bailey, Pam Rheinhardt, Sophie Munns, Dena Tollefson, and Casey at the Cedar Rapids Museum Store. I also admire all the folks that make Eastern Iowa Arts Academy function. Each of these people have been so wonderful mentoring me and taking the time to answer questions and discuss how a person becomes an artist and small business owner. Of course, there are many other folks who have been supportive and inspiring. Inspiration is all around us.
How have you been using social media to grow your business? I use Social Media to create and build my community. When I first developed my business, it was an amazing way to have contact with people and learn how other folks were doing things. Etsy has a great community of very generous people. And the blog community is fantastic. I’ve had the chance to connect with artists from all over the world. Many of them have become “virtual pen-pals”. We cheer each other on and offer advice.
If you could send one message to the readers, what would it be? Just Do it! There are so many great quotes about it is better to fail than not to try at all. If we can just throw away our attachment to perfection and “doing it right” anything is possible. When you enter this journey, it is amazing how things/ possibilities just seem to appear. There is always a new approach or way to try things that can be the answer to a challenge. Willingness to go “Just Do It” is the first step.
Attend the March Passion Driven Professionals Meetup and learn from Mary and others on how you too can turn you passion into business success! http://www.meetup.com/passiondriven/events/52135002/