Fun, fashionable, and fabulous; these are just three words that describe this week’s Campus Profile! She is a local artist and a young entrepreneur, and is DEFINITELY a name you should know!
Name: Megan Sharratt
Hometown: Boise, ID
Major: Art with an Emphasis in Drawing and Painting
Graduation Year: 2017
A Little Background
A perfect blend of down-to-earth and urbanite, Megan is the perfect representation for her native city. Her vibrant personality and compassion makes her an excellent friend, and her bold aspirations and creative imagination make her an INCREDIBLE artist. As a matter of fact, Megan has shown that any person, regardless of age, can live their dreams if they only have the courage to pursue them. In 2015, she officially started her own art business (The Naked Neighbor), leaving behind a well-payed management position in a coffee shop. She had realized that, while she could work a standard eight hour shift at an office or even as a barista, at the end of the day, it wasn’t what she wanted. So she decided to take a chance on herself, and she jumped headfirst into her dreams!
A Little More about The Naked Neighbor
“A life lived for art is never a life wasted.” ~Macklemore
Running her own business has been an amazing adventure! Every day her work gives her a sense of fulfillment, and she has never been happier. Social media has been a HUGE contributor to building her success; Megan runs an active Facebook page and Instagram account for The Naked Neighbor and has caught quite a bit of attention with her art. Her pieces are “edgy, urban and young” and every time she finishes one, it instantly becomes her new favorite. Megan says that her greatest challenge with The Naked Neighbor has been balancing her production with the actual running of the business; but it’s still new, and like anything, there’s a learning curve.
Current Projects
“I’m always working on thirty-ish paintings at a time!” Megan gushed.
Right now her current projects include her “Babes,” which are a series of nine partial nudes. It’s a series of female empowerment, but she started it just as a pet-project for herself.
“One day I was just not feeling inspired. I was thinking, ‘I’m not in love, I’m not heartbroken…I haven’t had any of the inspirational life experiences lately that other people experience.’ And then I stopped myself and said ‘Megan, what are you doing?! You’re awesome!’ And that’s how I came up with the babes.”
She has also started working on some abstract pieces, a completely new genre for herself. She bases her abstracts on emotions rather than set subject matter, and it’s different from anything she’s ever done.
“When I paint a flower, it looks like a flower. When I paint a female form, it looks like a female form. This is different; with this, you just have to let go, and guide it, but the art makes itself.”
Megan has also started picking out images for her next large project, titled “The Fifty Shades of Drake.” It’s meant to be a whimsical, almost satirical piece where it will literally be fifty different images of the artist, Drake, and will be a comment on how fandoms can borderline on obsession.
Creative Inspirations
Megan’s biggest inspiration comes from music, particularly hip-hop. She has done several pieces inspired by some of her favorite artists, and it is rare that you will ever find her without her headphones somewhere nearby. Another heavy influence in her art comes from her identity as “a girly-tomboy;” most of her close friends are guys, and her art often blurs the lines between the masculine and the feminine, “showing the stronger side of the women and the softer, more delicate side of men who are often considered to be ‘hard.’”
Other Hobbies
While art is what she does and what she loves, Megan DOES still have other hobbies outside of her work! The self-titled “Thrifting Queen of the Northwest,” her style is unique AND eco-friendly.
“Shopping at thrift stores is great, because you’re doing good for the environment (due to less waste), as well as doing good for others, as many thrift stores donate part of their proceeds towards a charity. Plus, you can find great stuff, and no one else will have it!” Megan explained.
She also enjoys hiking, cooking, hanging out with her grandmother, and longboarding. She’s currently teaching herself to skateboard, learning both the basics and building up to tricks. As a former barista and long-time coffee lover, Megan says her drink of choice is “the strongest, melt-your-face drip coffee you can find, with a little cream.” Megan is also an avid book-lover; a favorite author of hers is Kurt Vonnegut. She is currently reading “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell, which discusses the “theory of 10,000 hours;” or how it takes the work and dedicated practice of “10,000 hours” to perfect anything.
Upcoming Events
Megan has taken part in multiple art shows, and has two more coming up soon! If you like what you see and want to learn more, go see the artist herself at:–Raw Presents: Signature on March 24th at the Revolution Event Center–The Art of Fashion: Menagerie on April 23rd at the Boise Art Museum