Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Grant.
Hi Megan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was a child, I loved coloring, drawing, and painting. I recall my parents often getting on to me for taking their pens and hoarding them in my room.
I fantasized about being an artist, however, at a young age I never thought I would be able to make a stable living off of painting and drawing alone. My parents always encouraged me to go to college and have a stable job, but to never stop creating art.
As I approached adolescence, I continued to paint and draw, but I found that I also loved helping people. I volunteered as often as I could with events my church did for the community and went on mission trips every summer to the Navajo Reservation. Though I didn’t enjoy leaving the reservation after a week and a half, I cherished the relationships that developed after going every year for many years.
This love of helping others led to an interest in the field of Social Work. I knew that I would have a stable job and would be able to have fulfillment in what I was doing, so I obtained a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Social Work. Though it took me a while to get to where I am professionally now, I learned a lot. I worked as a trauma therapist for children, a court advocate for children, a crisis worker, and a therapist in a community health center.
I focused a lot on my career and developing professionally, which affected how often I was creating works of art. Though I was painting and drawing much less than I would have liked, the drive to somehow incorporate art more into my life remained.
I began painting more after coming out of an episode of postpartum depression and anxiety. I gained a hunger to learn about art and artists, as well as paint as often as I could. I considered taking art classes and even began thinking of a career change as I was feeling burnout professionally at the time.
With encouragement from friends and family, I decided to pursue a more formal education in art. This also led to me obtaining my current position as a therapist out of a small, behavioral health practice. My time in the art program I was attending allowed me to not only grow as an artist, but how I could use art to help others. Even incorporate it into my practice as a therapist. I have been able to start mindful art groups and encourage my clients to engage in their creative aspirations as a way to help them with their mental health. Meanwhile, I am able to maintain my own, personal art practice and meet others in the art community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Throughout the road to where I currently am, I have experienced various struggles. Though difficult, I am grateful to have gained many lessons.
I have had a few of my own mental health struggles throughout adulthood. I have had a couple of episodes of depression and postpartum depression and anxiety. The earliest episode of depression I can recall is when I began experiencing burnout from my job as a crisis clinician after my husband and I moved across the country. I was helping children who were not being safe with themselves or others, often multiple children each day early in the morning into the late night hours. Though I was happy to help others, and gained a lot of valuable skills, it was not a sustainable job for me.
I took at job at a community health center, which was helpful to my mental health at that time. I was able to work with adults one-on-one and had a more normal work schedule. However, after a few years, the COVID pandemic, becoming a mother, and postpartum, I began to burn out again and questioned if Social Work was something I could do long-term. I felt like I was in a cycle of working until I burned out, then made a change.
COVID effects on my job at the community health center in combination with my postpartum depression and anxiety was not a good recipe for what I wanted out of my life. I had a high caseload at my job and often treated 8-10 clients with therapy sessions on a daily basis. I was isolated from family and friends and was anxious to take my new baby out of our home for many months.
However, as mentioned, I wouldn’t be where I currently am without those experiences, for which I am grateful. My current job allows me to help others without being overloaded with sessions each day, and gives me the freedom to try things I believe would be helpful to my clients’ mental health, such as art and incorporating groups into our practice. The experiences have also helped me gain insight to what I am passionate about and how I can utilize it on a daily basis to help others and for myself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally, I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. As mentioned earlier, I do 1:1 therapy sessions with adults. I specialize in treating depression, anxiety, grief and loss, and relapse prevention using various treatment modalities. I have also recently started a Women’s Support group and a Mindful Art group. I’m also looking to start a Women’s Support group for women 60+. I have always enjoyed leading groups and watching group members establish relationships with others within the group. Participants always feel more encouraged when they commiserate with others over shared experiences and it’s a privilege to watch that unfold in real time.
I also have my personal art practice, which I enjoy and use it as another avenue to express myself. I enjoy exploring my own feelings and emotions while a paint or draw, which often leads to a wide array of textures and techniques in my paintings. I have been creating more for myself lately, but offer some of my work to the public for purchase.
I have been writing more often as a means to help others, explore ideas, and facilitate conversations on different topics. I also hope to collaborate with others on different projects to have different experiences and expertise available to readers.
More Mindful Art groups is another goal. I would like to do them outside of my professional practice, so others will have access to it as another resource to help their mental health. Art has been helpful to me throughout my life, and various studies have proven that it has many benefits, so I want to make it available to others. And it’s just a lot of fun.
I incorporate these unique experiences, and other lived experiences into my paintings and drawings. When I paint or draw, I channel the emotions felt at the time of the experience, or what I’m feeling in the moment and work to convey that through the different media and techniques used. My emotion is even shown through the color palette used in the painting or drawing.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I am fortunate to have a community of individuals that have supported me in a variety of ways throughout my life. Some of them have been cheerleaders, mentors, and even patrons of my work. I am grateful for each of them.
My parents were huge supporters of my art since I was a child. I always had an abundance of crayons, markers, paper, and coloring books to express my creativity. I recall my dad always telling me (even to this day) to “never stop doing your art”. My mom is also the reason I was introduced to plein air painting, Vincent Van Gogh, and how to use colors as another means of expression. She enrolled me in an art camp when I was a child and that was the first time I painted in a garden and saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. I even remember going to a college workshop as a teenager to learn how to put together an art portfolio.
My husband has also been my greatest cheerleader. He knows me better than anyone and has always encouraged my ideas. He encourages me to explore my ideas and will make sure our daughter will give me time to myself to explore those ideas. He believes in my capabilities, ideas, and projects even when I don’t.
I have also had seemingly an army of friends and family members encourage and support me. Many have purchased my artwork (I think my grandmother’s house is basically a gallery of my paintings at this point), commissioned me for a painting, or subscribe to my writing platform to stay updated.
I have also had two friends who are also artists that have become mentors to me. We encourage each other to paint and draw, as well as market ourselves and our work. They also offer feedback when solicited and have provided me with invaluable advice and wisdom.
Pricing:
- Monthly Paid Subscription for an on-demand Mindful Art Session: $20
- Original Paintings and Drawings: Prices Vary
- Prints of Original Paintings and Drawings: Prices Vary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/betweentwobirds
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meggrantlicsw
- Other: https://between2birds.substack.com
