Rising Stars: Meet Maureen Palazzolo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maureen Palazzolo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first career is as a nurse anesthetist. I have been practicing for ten years in anesthesia; prior to that, I was a pediatric ICU nurse. Over the last three years, I have been developing and growing my art business. I have always been creative, and I started painting during COVID when my work hours got cut back and we were all homebound. Around that time I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and I started on an antidepressant.

For me, it was really difficult to admit I needed help with my mental health–I’m an overachiever by nature, so being faced with something out of my control that I could not manage all on my own was eye-opening. However, from that came this new art practice, which was therapeutic in and of itself. It also became the start of my art business–I was just as surprised as anyone that people wanted to buy my pieces to be completely honest.

When I started selling, though, I felt like there was this whole side of me that needed nurturing and development. I went down a new path of self-discovery and realized I had always wanted to have my own business and that beautiful, meaningful creativity is a great balance to the somewhat ugly, sciencey parts of healthcare.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, and I’m not sure I would believe anyone who says their success has been easy! For me, the biggest struggles have been figuring out how to manage my time, self-motivate, and overcome my own limiting beliefs. As far as managing my time, I have to be intentional in how I spend my days.

This includes listening to my mind and body and resting regularly. I grew up thinking that rest was a reward for hard work, but as I’m getting older I believe rest is necessary and underrated in our hustle culture. Now I don’t beat myself up and deliberately take time away from all work–both scheduled and unscheduled. On this journey of growing a creative business, I’ve discovered that inspiration and motivation are for amateurs—professionals choose consistency.

I can guarantee that inspiration does not arrive every day I step in my basement studio and I can guarantee that if relied on motivation to move the needle forward I would be sitting exactly where I was when I started. One of my favorite mottos is “Wake up and Show Up,” and more often than not it’s taking that first step and just doing the work. Not all days are winners, but showing up and doing a little bit every day is what moves my business forward.

Finally, I had to examine my own thoughts and beliefs regarding working in medicine in the service of others and reconcile that with the dream I have in my heart. In the beginning, I kept asking myself why I would want to eventually leave a profession that’s dedicated to others and I felt like I did not deserve to explore something else.

I could understand why a lawyer or something would want to leave and go make art, but I had to overcome my own thoughts that painting was somehow a lesser gift to give the world than giving my life to healthcare. Of course, there’s more to this story than I’ll go into here, but it took a lot of work to get comfortable with wanting to pursue a dream.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a contemporary abstract artist, painting in acrylics on canvas. I paint emotions onto the canvas, creating colorful and passionate pieces that bring joy to my clients. I draw inspiration from nature, song lyrics, poetry, and the range of human emotions using various techniques to bring depth to my work with the hope that each canvas tells its own story.

I believe my paintings are a way for my clients to express a part of themselves when they hang my work in their homes. Art is a unique way to give a glimpse of your personality or the pieces of yourself that are hidden from the world. Having something in your home that shows some of those facets can be empowering and help a person feel more confident in their own skin. My art can serve as the springboard of self-expression that anchors a room and even a home.

My use of color and feminine expression are unique to my pieces. As an anesthesia professional, it is important to me to use a lot of color and honor the feminine and what a feminine perspective can bring to male-dominated arenas. As a mom, it is important to me to build a home that has life, color, and softness. I think the beauty of art is that masculine and feminine complement each other and make each other better together.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I used to think success was based off of how much money I made and having a career. I am realizing as I have had my own mental health struggles and now having teenagers in my house that my definition of success has changed dramatically. I believe success is more about emotional intelligence, empathy, having boundaries, and living according to my values.

I’ve found that money follows when I am true to myself and my family, but also that money and material things take the back seat to experiences. I’ve been able to be more present and emotionally available to my kids now that I am deliberate about what I say yes and no to. My time is my most valuable currency, and being able to be around my family (especially as teenagers) is priceless.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mopalazzolo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mo_palazzolo_art/