Artist Marabeth Quin on Creativity, Habits & Collaboration

Today’s episode is very special because I have been a fan of my guest’s creative work since I was in college. And now I’m honored to talk to her for the first time in this interview!

My guest is Marabeth Quin. She has been working in the arts in Nashville, TN for over 35 years. It was music that originally brought her to Nashville as a professional studio vocalist in 1987 and gave her a decades-long career. In 2007, she expanded her artistic endeavors into painting when she began selling her colorful works of art.

Now with art collectors spanning the globe, she continues to explore a wide variety of subject matter, materials, and platforms, never really satiating her fascination with art’s instructive influence in shaping her spirit.

When Marabeth paints, it is an exercise of letting go—a sort of meditative process in which she notices the impulse to control, to dictate, to have an agenda. These cues gently redirect her thoughts and aims to that of simply loving and honoring the work and being a co-creator, not a dictator. When this is achieved, the work flows differently.

I’ve been familiar with Marabeth’s work as a vocalist over the years, but it’s only recently that I became aware of her work as an artist. One of my convictions about writing is that in order to be successful, you need to be curious about different kinds of creative expression, including music, visual art, acting, filmmaking, and many other areas. You become a deeper and more well-rounded writer when you can learn from artists working in other fields.

That’s why I’m excited to have Marabeth on the show today to talk about her journey as an artist, her creative process, her work in collage, her collaboration with author Amy Matayo, her creative habits, and much more.

Make sure to check out Marabeth’s artwork at https://marabethquinart.com. While you’re there, download her free “Art Buyer’s Guide to Creating Magic in Your Life.” It’s a great guide for anyone doing creative work. She also has a YouTube channel where she demonstrates her processes and shares a lot of inspiration in the process.