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You know those people who feel like sunshine in human form?
That’s Mary Morris Solomon.
Mary is the artist and storyteller behind MaryGold Tales, a creative business filled with paintings, paper goods, live event portraits, and - in her words - “whimsical and charming small-batch stationery & illustrations for thoughtful people.”
But what I love most about Mary isn’t just what she creates.
It’s how she moves through the world.
This conversation unfolded the same way Mary has built her business: naturally, intuitively, and one yes at a time. We didn’t over-plan it or force it into a rigid structure...not at all. One story led to another, one gut feeling opened the door to the next, and before we knew it, the conversation had become its own little MaryGold Tale.
. . .
In this episode, we talk about Mary’s path from secret childhood art to building a creative business, what it looked like to leave behind a career that no longer felt aligned, and how she started MaryGold Tales during a season of massive change.
We also talk about social media as community, the magic of in-person markets, building a brand that feels like a whole experience, saying yes to opportunities, knowing when to realign, and why creative entrepreneurs need to understand their numbers just as much as their art.
Follow Along + Connect with Mary
Website: https://www.marygoldtales.com
Instagram: @marygold.tales
The Art That Was Always There
Mary’s story starts long before MaryGold Tales.
Her grandfather was an art teacher. Her mom is an artist. And for Mary, creativity was always woven into her life - but not necessarily in a public way.
She called it “secret art.”
As a little girl, Mary was painfully shy. She would go into her room and paint, write, illustrate, and create these tiny worlds that felt safe, loving, peaceful, and full of magic.
Her art wasn’t for the masses.
It was a place to land. It was hers.
And I think that’s such an important part of her story, because not every creative business begins as a business. Sometimes it begins as the thing that helps you feel most like yourself.
The thing you do quietly.
The thing that has always been there.
The thing waiting for the right season to become something more.
When the Old Path Stopped Fitting
Before MaryGold Tales, Mary worked as an aesthetician and makeup artist. She had clients she loved, a studio, and a business she had built over time.
But toward the end of 2019, something started to shift.
She described it as a churning, a burning, almost like a heartbeat inside of her telling her that what she was doing no longer felt right.
And then 2020 happened.
Like it did for so many people, that season changed everything for Mary and her family. There was uncertainty, loss, and so much unknown - but in the middle of all of that, Mary also found herself again.
She started painting cards and sending them to clients. People began asking where they could get them. She was hand-painting each one because she didn’t yet know how to replicate her work.
And then, almost perfectly timed, a shed she had ordered before the shutdown was delivered to her home.
She looked across the yard, saw that little black and white building, and something clicked.
“This is it.”
From Hand-Painted Cards to MaryGold Tales
Mary did not start with a polished roadmap.
She started with what she had.
She painted cards.
She drew houses.
She learned from YouTube.
She bought a scanner.
She paid another illustrator $100 to pick her brain.
She downloaded Photoshop.
She took a community college class so she could learn how to get her artwork from paper to computer.
And she kept following the next step.
One of the things I loved most was how practical she was, even in the early days. She didn’t expect someone to give her free advice. She found an artist whose work she admired, reached out, and offered to pay for her time.
That one conversation helped her understand what tools she needed and gave her enough direction to keep moving.
From there, Mary built a website, started selling cards, painted custom houses for real estate agents, and eventually sold her salon so she could give this art business a real chance.
She didn’t leap without thought.
She created a transition.
She sold the business in a way that gave her monthly income for two years, which gave her space to slowly build MaryGold Tales into something sustainable.
The First Market That Changed Everything
At some point, Mary realized she needed to be with people in person.
She had a website. She was walking into shops. She was getting small orders.
But she wanted to see what happened when people experienced her work face-to-face.
So she signed up for Red Barn Market in Lynden, WA.
She had a four-foot table in a 10-by-10 booth.
A tiny card rack.
Seven card designs.
A tablecloth.
A hand-painted sign.
No cash box.
And an old Square reader from her salon days.
She sat there, in her words, “like a little mouse.”
And then...she sold out!
That market became a turning point. Because there is something that happens in person that you just can’t fully recreate online - the energy, the connection, the instant recognition of “these are my people.”
Now, years later, Mary shows up to markets with a booth that is bright, thoughtful, layered, and completely her. She’s gone from that four-foot table to bringing a Volkswagen bus into her display and even winning awards for her booth.
But the beginning mattered.
The tiny table mattered.
The seven cards mattered.
Because that was the yes that opened the next door.
Intentional, Yes. Strategic, No.
One of my favorite lines from this conversation was when Mary said:
“Intentional, yes. Strategic, no.”
And honestly, that captures so much of who she is.
Mary shows up online in a way that feels deeply genuine. She shares her art, her process, her daily life, her anxiety, her relationships, her behind-the-scenes moments, and sometimes, as she put it, a little TMI.
But she’s not chasing trends.
She’s not forcing herself into someone else’s formula.
She used to be what she called a “post and ghoster” - posting what she made and then disappearing. But over time, she realized she wasn’t just posting into the void. People were responding. They were asking questions. They were encouraging her. They were becoming part of her community.
That changed the way she saw social media.
It wasn’t just a place to show her work.
It became a place to connect.
And that’s such a good reminder for anyone building a small business: you don’t have to chase every trend to build something meaningful. Sometimes the more powerful thing is to show up honestly, consistently, and in a way that feels true to you.
The Whole Package of Small Business
Mary is thoughtful about everything.
What she wears.
How her booth feels.
How people experience her work.
How her colors, signage, displays, and presence all come together.
And not in a stiff, controlling way...in a loving way!
A thoughtful way.
A “this is the world I’m inviting you into” kind of way.
We talked about how, when you’re a small business owner - especially at markets and in-person events - you are part of the whole package.
It’s not just the products on the table.
It’s the feeling people get when they step into your space.
It’s the story.
The energy.
The way they’re greeted.
The visual world you’ve created.
The care behind the details.
Mary even shared that people will come into her booth and say, “You match your booth,” and her response now is essentially, “I know. It’s deliberate.”
And I love that, because it’s not about perfection.
It’s about intention.
A Season of Yes
Mary has this phrase I love: a season of yes.
She first used it when talking about dating after a previous chapter of life. She decided to say yes to human-to-human connection, yes to meeting people, yes to learning, yes to seeing what life might have to offer.
And then she realized she brings that same approach into business.
There are seasons where she says yes.
Yes to opportunities.
Yes to live painting.
Yes to markets.
Yes to children’s book illustration.
Yes to new ideas.
Yes to seeing what fits.
But what I appreciated so much is that Mary doesn’t treat “yes” as a forever contract.
She sees it as a season.
You say yes.
You learn.
You gain information.
You pay attention to your energy.
And then you reflect, edit, pivot, and realign.
That’s such a beautiful way to build a business - not by shutting every door before you know what’s behind it, but also not by forcing yourself to keep walking through doors that no longer fit.
Choosing Capacity Over Constant Busy
Mary is now in a new season.
A more intentional one.
She shared that as she turns 46, she’s focusing more on her health, mental health, and capacity - and letting those things lead the way in her work.
That means doing half the amount of events.
Taking half the amount of commissions.
Building a stronger wholesale side of the business.
Tightening down on the things she knows work.
And letting the things that take too much energy gently fade.
I loved the way she said she’s being “delightfully responsible” with her own health.
Because that is such a real part of building something that lasts.
It’s not always about doing more.
Sometimes success looks like protecting your bandwidth.
Sometimes the bravest business move is admitting that just because something works doesn’t mean it’s the thing you’re meant to keep doing forever.
The Practical Side of Creativity
When I asked Mary what advice she would give to someone starting out as an artist or creative business owner, her answer was so practical.
- Get your numbers straight.
- Get your business license.
- Get your reseller’s permit.
- Use QuickBooks or some kind of system to understand profit and loss, cash flow, and what is really happening in your business.
- Get insurance.
- Know your write-offs.
- And if you’re doing markets, please get a good tent and good weights.
It was such a good answer because creative people often want to focus on the fun, beautiful, "juicy parts" - and those parts matter. They’re the heart of the business.
But if you want the business to last, the practical pieces matter too!
As Mary said, without the numbers, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby.
And maybe an expensive one.
Building Something That Feels Like You
If there’s one thread that runs through Mary’s story, it’s trust.
Trusting her gut.
Trusting the timing.
Trusting the yes.
Trusting when something needs to fade.
Trusting that the practical pieces and the creative pieces can coexist.
Trusting that her story, her art, and her way of moving through the world are enough.
Mary’s path hasn’t been perfectly linear.
It has been intuitive, layered, brave, practical, funny, tender, and deeply human.
And that’s what makes MaryGold Tales feel so special.
It’s not just a brand.
It’s Mary 💛
Her stories.
Her path.
Her joy.
Her honesty.
Her art.
Her willingness to keep listening for the next right thing.
Mary’s story is such a beautiful reminder that you don’t have to have it all figured out before you begin.
You can start with seven cards.
You can start with a four-foot table.
You can start with the art you’ve been making quietly for years.
You can start with one yes.
And then you can let your story unfold.
Follow Along + Connect with Mary
Website: https://www.marygoldtales.com
Instagram: @marygold.tales
