Real Talk // with Martha McQuade

The gorgeous MAD studio in NE Minneapolis.

COMPANY

MAD--WORK

YEARS AS A BUSINESS OWNER: 8

Martha McQuade is one half of the design house MAD. Along with her creative partner, Dan Clark, these two create everything from architectural spaces to textiles and clothing. Martha is also an Architecture Professor at the U of M.

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You are an artist + business woman who has a lot of different projects going on. Why does this work for you?

The way I think about everything I do is related - from the projects I am working on at MAD, to the classes I teach at the U of M and to raising my kids. There isn't a lot of separation in terms of the process. 

I encourage both my students, my children and myself to explore our ideas and be flexible in our expectations and embrace what happens in a curious and open way. This approach leads to happiness and surprise, rather than disappointment.  Learning to look for the surprises and then explore these unexpected findings in a rigorous way can lead to new directions in our work. 

At MAD, I move back and forth between design projects without worrying what 'category' they fall into. Having multiple projects across many different disciplines going on at the same time is beneficial as they all inform each other. 

You are a woman who seems to be 'doing it all'. How do you manage your time? 

I have a lot of help! I have an incredibly supportive husband and a great work partner, Dan Clark, and our interns at MAD. 

I wish I had this advice when I first started: 

To trust my intuition more. I am not a naturally confident person, so I would often seek out advice from others and then assume they knew best - even if I felt their advice wasn't the best for me. Especially when it came to things like marketing and business, which I knew nothing about. 

What has been a game changer for you?

Moving into a studio space outside of my house. Having a beautiful, light filled environment to work in every day. It is big enough to have all the work visible, which has been really motivating!

How do you actively seek inspiration?

I am so inspired all the time by my surroundings. The things I see as I drive through the city, instagram and online magazines, art shows, podcasts, my kids and my students! It can all be a bit overwhelming at times, so I don't think I ever actively seek inspiration, but I often seek the opposite of it. 

The photographer Andrew Zuckerman gave a talk for 99u titled "On Curiosity, Rigor and Learning as you Go." In it, he talks about inspiration overload and how too much can actually shut you down. 

Sometimes when I feel like I'm not sure which direction my work is going in, I will look back through my process work. I have two hashtags, #MWMProcess & #MADProcess and I find looking back at these incredibly inspiring. It is quite motivating to see all of the previous work - it pushes me to work harder and make better work. 

The best part about being a freelancer is:

The ability and freedom to do what I think is best in every situation and not try and guess what my boss would want. 

The most annoying part about being a freelancer is:

Nothing is 'annoying'. It IS scary not having a regular paycheck to rely on though. 

Lets talk about social media. Do you love it or hate it? More so, what value do you think it beings to the world these days?

There is so much discussion around social media currently. Is it good or bad? Are we using it too much? I think it is different for everyone and you have to use it in a way that works for you, your business and life in general. 

My first social media experience was on Flickr, which is image based. It was a way of communicating with people online through how I saw the world. It also quickly became a way to record the process of what I was making and designing. I also connected with a lot of designers, photographers and artists. I am an introvert and it was a great way to meet people and break the ice with artists and brands I am interested in. 

I currently use instagram a lot, because that was an easy transition for me onto this platform that I could use similarly to Flickr. 

I think the number one value social media brings is that it allows us to show our process and work to allow the public to engage with that process. It lets art be accessible to everyone. when people engage and follow along in the creation through social media, you build a relationship with them  and the work you make has more meaning. 

This engagement is valuable to us as artists, both on the creative and financial ends, as it allows us to be visible and in turn, be able to make a living. I really like that social media is interactive, unlike traditional marketing of the past which was costly and not really appropriate for individuals or small business. 

You are also an educator at the U of M. What do you think prepares students most for being a full time artist?

Working for someone else. I encourage all of my students to go out and get experience working with and for others. Even if the work isn't exactly what you would do, if you are working with good people, you are going to learn so many valuable things. You will also make connections with people that might lead to opportunities in the future. 

What makes you happy with your work?

When I am surprised by something that happens that I haven't intended. 

What does success mean to you?

Seeing people enjoy the things and spaces we have made. 

To stay in touch with Martha and Dan, follow all of their work @MAD__Work and @mwmmpls 

Creating Goals + Doing the Work

As we look into 2016, a lot of us will be looking back upon the last year - everything we accomplished to everything we didn't and we will also make a list of dreams we still want to achieve. I think goals are great. Many times in my life, I have written out lofty ideas that have somehow manifested themselves far sooner than I could have ever imagined (You can check out a recap of this year on the Photogen Inc. blog).

I wanted to touch on a topic that is often missed at this time of the year: Doing the Work. 

I've had countless conversations this year about 'What it Takes' to be successful in a world where it seems like every where you look, everyone else is having BIG things happen. It could be their epic breakfast or celebrating they got their laundry done - let alone all of the creatives boasting about their projects and ALL the work they have (guilty). My point is that it can be overwhelming - to see everyone else posting these big, exciting things and you might feel - how do I get all of that? Why isn't my success happening faster? It seems like it is instant for everyone else. The truth is that instant success is actually a myth.

Yes, some people are lucky and I am very happy for those who have the actual 'instant' success. But behind every successful person who is building something for the long haul, I would like to argue that before all of those sweet gigs, behind all of the social media attention, and before they truly made money in their business - they did the work. 

They worked two jobs. They put in the late nights and early mornings. They networked. They fostered relationships. They made phone calls. They were praised and they were called not good enough. They were challenged and they learned how to thrive in that. They showed up every day to create. They made the work - no matter what other people might think of it. They learned to listen to people's opinions, but they didn't put their self worth in that. They asked the hard questions. They took the risks. They were tired. They had to take a break. They chose to still do the work after rest. They discovered themselves a little more each day and they began to understand the purpose of their passion. 

They put in their 10,000 hours. 

They did the work. 

It is such a simple idea, but one that many freelancers, creatives, and small business owners forget all too easily. A lot of the big success comes from the tiny victories. It comes from actually sitting down, being focused, and doing the work. It comes from the dedication of practicing your craft and knowing why you are doing what you love. 

So, this year, as you make your goals for 2016, I encourage you to definitely list out your goals - and dream big. But also spend some time thinking and planning how you will work towards these goals. What are the small steps you will do to make sure you are making progress? 

Who are the people you will surround yourself with? How can you plan out your days to be more efficient? What do you need to cut to create more space and allow yourself to grow? What little thing will you do for yourself to make you happy?

I would also like to acknowledge that your daily to-do-list is very different from setting your goals. Your Goals should be the big picture and your to-do-list is a daily list of attainable actions that drive productivity towards your current projects and those big picture ideas. 

I'm a big list person and last year, I started using the Momentum App as my google homepage. It allows you to set your intention for the day, manage your to-do-list, and even gives you an inspiring quote and a pretty picture. I can't tell you how many times I have gone to open Facebook and am reminded of what I actually HAVE to do. It keeps me on track and has been a lovely tool. 

Hell, buy yourself a fresh new notebook, clean your office and post those goals on your wall. Look at them often and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised in just how far you have come in a few months! 

Here is to the New Year and all of the exciting things to come!