“In November of 2000, I walked into my boss’ office and turned in my resignation. He asked me what I was going to do. I replied, “I have no idea”. I did not have a clear plan other than the knowledge of what I did not want.”
 Morgan Bricca was clearly the first person I thought to interview for my new blog. This blog is intended to inspire first time entrepreneurs to finally take the leap and make their passions profitable. Morgan did just this! With no formal art training, just a massive amount of artistic skill, vision, and sense of adventure, she has created an incredibly successful custom mural business as a solo entrepreneur venture. She has painted over 350 murals in private homes, schools and businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay area and beyond, and is having herself the time of her life doing what she loves, and loving what she creates. Make sure to check out her online gallery after you get to know how she took the leap.
Q1: How did you figure out what you were meant to do?
I had decided to paint a mural on a windowless stairwell in my condo. At the same time, I happened to be reading the book Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He encourages us to find happiness in complete engagement, where the task is creative, and offers just the right amount of challenge without being overwhelmed. I realized that for the first time in memory, I was so absorbed in what I was doing when I was painting the mural that I forgot to stop for lunch. Eight hours went by without me realizing the day had passed. I realized how much I enjoyed the process of painting. I had not felt that absorbed in my labor in all my years working in an office.  It led to a profound realization that I was not going to find the resonance with my work that I was looking for with my corporate job.
 Q2: Was there any particular event that kick-started your career as a mural artist?Â
 That summer, while attending a wedding, I met someone who asked me what I did for a living. For the first time in my life, I decided to try on a new coat.
“I’m an artist!” It was an experiment more than anything, and I just let it hang there, without explanation.Â
I said with assurance, which was mostly invented, that I painted murals.Â
I had just started to paint a few murals and I had business cards made up, but murals were still a hazy direction.
It turned out the man I met at the wedding was in the hotel industry, and had just come back from a conference where he sat with several Hotel managers from San Diego. Over the next couple months they all called me to bid on mural projects. Two of the hotels commissioned me to paint a total of 9 murals. It was my lucky break. While it is true I had a business card and a few murals by my name, this was a lucky chance encounter. My career as a mural artist had begun! (Author’s note: 15 years, later: I just learned that Morgan met her first client at MY wedding!)
 Q3: Explain to me what you did when you faced your first naysayer who tried to derail you from your dream. How did you keep moving forward?
Imagine me at a well-paid, stable corporate job at age 26, calling up my dad to tell him I wanted to quit and maybe explore my art.  He was absolutely wary. The quintessential naysayer for me is my sister who received a MFA at a prestigious French academy.  When I called her and told her I had painted a few murals, she responded, “Oh I hope it’s not that bullshit kitsch junk. You are not doing that?” Fortunately I had recently worked through Julia Camerons The Artists Way.  She talks plainly about creative monsters and how important it is to NOT listen to every one’s advice.
  I knew I was having a blast painting; it was a personal, immutable truth. I knew my work was not great at that point, but I felt sure that I wanted to pursue that direction. Having that paradigm helped me decide to completely ignore her. Don’t absorb other people’s fears. You also have to say to yourself, “Who is more right? Are they right just because they have the fear in them and I don’t?” You have to trust yourself.
 How do you define success and how do you know when you are there?
Success is each baby step, making decisions that are in line with your values and dreams. Success is definitely holistic, having the life that you want, unconventional/nontraditional, but designed by and for YOU.Â
 I will add that a “success milestone”, in the traditional sense,  that I have crossed now is being able to relax and know that work is going to keep finding me. I can turn down jobs I am not interested in, and enjoy the time when my schedule is lighter.
 Most of us want to work at a job that we are passionate about. How do you handle the business aspects that are not about art?
Improving my craft is a top priority. I try to paint every day,  maximize the time I spend painting and minimize the time I spend on my business. With that in mind, I still spend 50% of my time working ON my business.  Marketing, accounting and PR are the lifeblood, and skipping any of them because you are not “good” at them is like trying to drive a bus with three wheels.
 Do you have a daily habit that keeps you going?
 I make a list of my top priorities every day, and I move forward on the ones that are most important even if I don’t “feel” like doing it. I keep showing up, every day, and do the work. Repeat, repeat, and repeat. I continue to make notes to myself about WHAT’S WORKING. I take a few days off in between projects, aiming for “self-care.” I remind myself to schedule a few days of down time (mini-vacation) in between jobs. And when something goes wrong I write down how I can avoid that from happening again. I also wake up before my family, meditate, work out, and drink a green smoothie in the morning.Â
 HOW DO YOU GET TO THE PLACE YOU WANT TO BE?
I like to learn things backwards and imagine what kind of person I want to be when I am 80: fit, sharp, and enjoying new experiences daily. I am doing the work now to make that happen. I feel like I am playing with the dials and I need to believe in and know what I want and ask for it clearly to be able to keep doing what I am passionate about.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING FOR YOURSELF?
I love the flexibility and I am accountable to no one but myself. When I paint I listen to awesome music, pod casts like The Kick-Ass Life and Entrepreneurs on Fire, and audio books. I feel so fortunate to be able to continue to educate myself while I work. I work really hard when I am working.  I am also totally done with painting work by the time I need to pick up my two kids from school. I typically squeeze in an hour of e-mail before bedtime, but I am fully aware that I only have these kids, who are attached to me at the level they are now, for only a few more years and I want plenty of space to be able to be with them.  My kids don’t want to be in a rush, I don’t either.
 DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE READING THIS BLOG THAT IS THINKING ABOUT STARTING HIS OR HER OWN BUSINESS?
It is totally about self-belief!  Nobody else is supposed to do what you are supposed to do. Stop thinking “I’m not good enough!” Leap and it will appear. Know that it is totally possible. If you have a higher vision for yourself, doing anything else is a waste of your time. Hold the vision for yourself and it will unfold. Do the best you can with what you have in front of you and keep pushing the edge.
I am figuring out how to enjoy my life right now, because there is no future brighter than right now. I Just keep showing up. I only get one shot, one chance in life, so I continually ask myself: What is the most exciting path I can take? What am I meant to do?
 See for yourself the amazing artwork Morgan is producing for people here to brighten up their home and day.
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