Today we’d like to introduce you to Meaghan Gietzen.
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?
I always knew I wanted to be an artist. I wasn’t sure what field or what medium, but I just knew I was destined for some sort of creative future. Being raised in West Michigan, I was surrounded by all kinds of art. My moms and aunt supported anything and everything I was interested in from choir, to drawing, to being on stage; if I wanted to do something, they made sure I had the right materials and signed me right up for all kinds of classes and camps. All through my school years I was known as the artsy one. I had a large involvement in my high school theatre and was drawing or painting ALL THE TIME.
As I got to choosing a major, I was introduced to Medical Illustration. Throughout my years of drawing, I had developed an eye for detail. I also was incredibly analytical and loved to know how things worked, so this technically advanced artistic major was right up my alley. I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kendall College of Art & Design in conjunction with Michigan State University: College of Human Medicine and have since been published in medical journals twice!
While completing my degree, I became heavily involved in community theatre. I performed and worked with theatres such as Circle Theatre, Actors’ Theatre, Civic Theatre, and Betka-Pope Productions. Lately, I have found myself working more backstage than onstage. I am a teaching artist at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre for set, prop, and costume design for the School of Theatre Arts, the prop designer for West Ottawa Public Schools, and am a prop designer and set painter for various theatres around West Michigan. I have found a passion in helping these pieces come to life and celebrating the creativity this next generation has.
Currently, I am gearing up for the school year shows and classes, applying for markets and craft shows, and working on launching my freelance art business full-time. I am so lucky to live in an area where artists are uplifted and there is always a project to work on!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Any adventure worth going on is not going to have smooth roads the whole way. I have definitely had my share of difficulties throughout my lifetime and I’m sure there will be many more ahead. Working as a freelance artist is not for the disorganized, that’s for sure. Creating the art is the easy part, learning to run a small business is a different beast and I’m just getting started. My first venture into entrepreneurship began when I was sixteen and I started selling pins and doing henna designs at local festivals and markets around town during the summer. I learned to apply for markets, track costs and profits, manage inventory, and market myself. I carried my tent, table, and supplies in my wagon and set everything up myself (and if you don’t know me, I’m not that big of a human). I learned to not be disheartened when people didn’t come to my booth and how not to be offended when people criticize my pricing.
Following my college graduation I did not have immediate success as a freelance Medical Illustrator as I had intended. I got a job in a call center and did some commission pieces here and there. I am endlessly fighting between working a job that pays well but takes up all my time and creative energy versus puzzle piecing several part time and contract jobs together. I am currently in a transitionary period where I have several consistent contracts and have the ability to take the time to focus on my freelance art.
Creatively, I struggle with perfectionism and imposter syndrome as many of us do. I nit-pick at my art and have had to create strong boundaries with myself or else I’d never finish anything. I especially have had to learn to trust the process and trust in my abilities. As someone who majored in paying attention to detail, I can get caught up in where I am at the time and not consider the bigger picture. When addressing my imposter syndrome, anytime I accomplish something I remember one of the skills I have gained from my time in art college- step back from the piece and squint a little. Is the picture still what you intended it to be or do you need to change something to achieve your goal? Sometimes if you’re trying to fix something for too long, you need to step away for a while and come back. Paintings and life, basically the same thing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am truly a jack of all trades. I love learning new mediums and skills and improving my talents in places I’m already familiar with.
There are a few stand out projects I’m really proud of. The first one being my mural inside the vestibule of the Cherry St. Planned Parenthood. I was commissioned by the board to create a piece for their entryway back in 2022. They wanted something welcoming, safe, and assuring. Coincidentally, I was in the midst of creating this piece when Roe v. Wade was overturned. This mural, which featured seven figures of all different backgrounds, was more than a nice picture for a healthcare office, it was a piece I could channel my grief, my hurt, and my rage but also my hope and potential outlook for the future. It became a piece that stands proudly to this day and I love visiting it anytime I have an appointment there.
Another exciting project I worked on was a product packaging line for Fluresh Cannabis Dispensary (2023). The line was to feature five artists with a color and a prompt. My color was red and my prompt was ‘festive’. As a Chinese adoptee raised in the United States, I wanted to tie in celebration of my heritage by merging the Chinese New Year lanterns with the American fireworks above in the style of cannabis leaves all together mimicking the ornate beauty of a traditional Chinese paper cutting. The design was printed and sold among several locations then went on to win a Clio award for packaging design that year.
The last projects I’m proud of (for now) are that I have been published in two medical papers. One being in the American Journal of Medical Genetics in an article discussing congenital malformations during gestation due to a deficiency of the molecule NAD+ (2022), the other being in the Cambridge University Press in a case study about neonatal heart defects (2025).
The common denominator between all my pieces is realism. Many of my commissioned works are pet portraits and architecture pieces, my set painting projects reflect spaces you may find in everyday life, and my medical illustrations depict an accurate and deep understanding of human anatomy while considering the principles of art and visualization. What makes me stand out is my versatility and flexibility. When approached about working with a medium, I have either worked with it before or am excited to learn. I love a good challenge but I also love expanding on my current repertoire.
Any big plans?
This next era of my career I am looking forward to really getting into the nitty gritty of everything it takes to run a small business. There was not a large focus on the business side of making it big as a small artist so I’ve got a LOT to learn. Since college I have been putting it off because it’s a huge task, but I really am excited to take the leap and see where it takes me.
I am going to keep working at the theatres, applying for more markets, do more intentional outreach for projects, and make art for art’s sake. Finally, I have found myself in a place where I am stable enough to take a breather from the capitalistic rat race and refocus my efforts on launching into this new chapter. Look for me at upcoming local markets, support local theatre, and buy local!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.FuGietzenArt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fugietzenart/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Fu-Gietzen-Art-Design/61550993524804/
