Things Happen by Wendy MacNaughton

Fresh out of advertising-land, 20x200 edition-maker and prolific artist Wendy MacNaughton has recently taken to being a full-time artist in San Francisco. We sent Wendy a few questions about what it's like to make that transition, and what she's up to next!

First of all: congratulations on quitting your day job! What made you decide to become a full-time artist?

Thanks—it was a big move for me. Scary and exciting. My job was a great job as far as jobs go, like a little family, and all the work was for a good cause, so it was tough to leave—not only because it was a shift from security to risk, but also I was nervous about leaving a social life for a more reclusive one. But I didn't have a choice really. My artwork had been my priority for a long time, and my day job was not getting the attention it deserved. Towards the end there I was basically working two jobs—I would get up and go to my job from 10-6, then come home, eat dinner, hang out with my girlfriend for an hour, then do my "real work" from 8-1 a.m.

I made the final switch when I had enough commissions, sales and illustration jobs to know I would be okay for a few months, and most important: the timing just felt right. Things were taking on a life of their own—one opportunity leading to the next, and it felt like, "if there is ever a time to do this it is now—and if I don't I will have missed my chance." So to not make the leap because it is scary, well, that would have been a terrible mistake.

I'd like to imagine you roaming around San Francisco by trolley (and other less romantic forms of public transportation, of course) with a drawing pad, pencil case, and a set of keychain watercolors. But what does a typical day actually look like for you these days?

I thought that would be every day, too!

I mean, that is true, I do that, but it's not every day—it's maybe one day a week. When I had my day job there was a structure imposed on me that I had to work within—I was literally on public transport every day, so I had at least 40 minutes of public drawing time every day. Now it is up to me to get myself out into situations to work. I am still learning how to create that structure for myself. mainly, how not to get stuck behind the computer with emails, invoices, marketing, all the stuff that leads to the actual drawing. Not that I don't enjoy that stuff—I do. But it is the exact opposite of making something, headspace-wise. It is a different brain mode for me, and once I start working at the computer, I promise you I am not going to draw. Or at least not very well.

But to answer your question more directly—I wake up later than I used to and check emails in my robe. I draw midday and paint at night—sometimes 'til 1, but that's fine as I can sleep later now. I go to the gym in the evening. I do errands in the afternoon. It is a VERY different life than a 9-5, less regularity, less predicability. But I have always preferred to shift between crazy busy and crazy mellow than to have a steady, plodding pace.

Untitled, from Commuters, 2010, by Wendy MacNaughton

A lot of your subjects so far have been commuters, will you continue commuting now that you're self-employed?

(See above) I've been drawing commuters for almost 5 years. There are other groups of people that I never had the time to explore that I can start to now—some short term projects, some longer term. But I won't stop drawing the commuters. It is such an interesting space to me&mdashthe commute. I'll always be hopping on one train or another, and hopefully in different cities more, too.

What's the hardest part about being an artist?

Remembering to change my clothes? That might be runner-up. Right now the hardest part is balancing all the different types of work I have while still keeping my eye on the direction I want to move in with my work. Not only do I make my own work, but I also do freelance illustration and commissions. I love doing it, it's fun to draw and I like working with people&mdashbut they are very different experiences. The only thing they have in common is that they both require me to draw. And because the illustrations and commissions are a more reliable source of income, and I enjoy the interpersonal side of it, it is easy to get caught up in those jobs and put my own work to the side. Which, of course, takes a toll on my work (and me). So now I am trying to find that balance, which I think is more about behavior than math.

As part of your humanitarian efforts, you've previously designed ad campaigns for non-profits, and produced a film about political elections in Africa. Can you tell us a little more about this aspect of what you do? Does this feed back into your work?

Absolutely it does. I have a curiosity about all different types of people, how people think, how they live, why they feel the way they feel, and why they do what they do. My degree was in social work, and I think the ethos of empathy and self-determination are integral in everything I do. I approach people through drawing with a little bit of a social work lens, a little bit ethnography, a little bit voyeur, and a lot of appreciation...so whereas I might not work directly as a social worker or on specifically social or political projects, I hope the work I do still brings up the important issues and question grappled with in the field.

A lot of your work incorporates writing. Do you ever write without drawing or draw without writing? What's the relationship there like?

Drawing is how I experience a feeling related to a person or a place&mdashit literally allows me to work through the subject&mdashand writing is how I put a meaning or narrative to that feeling. I do sometimes draw and without writing for sure, though I haven't written without drawing in a while. Maybe I should try.

There Are So Many Things I Would Be Doing if I Didn't Work in Advertising, from Commuters, 2008 by Wendy MacNaughton

Your recent projects have included some fast-paced artmaking in conjunction with Longshot Magazine, guest-illustrating for Gizmodo, and an installation at ShoeBiz in San Francisco. What's next for you?

Those projects were so fun and the people at those places are all so great. Right now, I have a couple commission jobs with non-profits (TechSoup Global and the California Women's Foundation) which is great, I'm drawing a shirt for Gizmodo (their first!) and painting a website (The Scuttlefish), and I'm working on a couple pieces for 20x200(!). A chinese fashion magazine, Vision, is running a story on my work, which is fun and Katie from Juxtapoz (who we all love) is coming over for a studio visit in the next couple weeks. Also, I am also starting a monthly visual column in the literary journal The Rumpus, which will be a new adventure in narrative for me. I started working on it a week ago. The first piece will be on the motley crew of chess players at Market and 6th Street in Downtown SF. Wish me luck.

A huge thanks to Wendy for taking the time to answer our questions! You can learn more about the artist herself (and take home a print) at Wendy's 20x200 Artist Page and website, and keep up with her drawing adventures over at her blog.

Drawings for Longshot Magazine, 2010, by Wendy MacNaughton