Happy to share this recent on-line interview with
IdeaMensch about my arts practice:
how I do what I do and why I do it. Candid and straight-forward, I tell it like it is ...
Excerpts follow:
Margaret Lindsay Holton is a senior Canadian artist and an
award-winning fiction author from the Golden Horseshoe region of
Southern Ontario, Canada. She has recently released her third novel,
TRILLIUM.
Appointed an ‘Alumni of Influence' by University College at the
University of Toronto in 2018, she is also an out-spoken activist.
Lindsay readily stands up to protect further industrial degradation of
our shared environment. She writes – “We must be Nature’s Caretakers,
not just Nature’s Takers.” Lindsay maintains her vibrant arts studio on
the Hamilton Beach strip on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
I knew, very early on, before leaving University, that I wanted my
own arts-based business. MLH Productions represents my name (MLH) and
what I do (produce creative works.) Acorn Press Canada happened a decade
later when I noticed that the Canadian publishing industry was being
swallowed up and re-jigged by American and global concerns. I was
adamant that I wanted my ‘world view’ expressed as a ‘Canadian’ not as
an American or as a globalist. My mantra for that venture: ‘From little
acorns mighty oaks grow.’ ...
What advice would you give your younger self?
Take better physical care of my Self. Our bodies are amazing ‘tools’
and ‘temples’. When we abuse ourselves, through drugs or alcohol or
physical injury, we throw away the incredible possibilities that this
‘vessel’ has given each and every one of us. I was rather rough on my
‘younger’ self. Luckily, the body has amazing restorative powers too. We
can and should take better care of our physical selves.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Much of what passes for art these days is crap. Just because someone
is ‘creative’ and can shape colourful clay balls into blobby figurines
does not make them an ‘artist’. Being an artist demands much more then a
boozy weekend paint party or a year or two of production. Being an
artist is an ‘all or nothing’ kind of endeavor. Meaning, my Life is that
of a full-time Artist. It’s what I’ve done and will continue to do
until I’m dead. Poseurs and amateurs may grab at the ring. They may even
become ‘influencers’ or revered social tarts. But a genuine artist
seldom seeks fame, glamour or monetary gain. Those aren’t the real
challenges. The very real and very serious challenge is the daily
improvement of one’s abilities. Get better at what you are compelled to
do every day. That’s it.
As an artspreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Sleep. Seriously, good sleep can make or break your productive day.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour and get up early. Set the routine,
establish it as a habit, then follow it religiously. Periodic glitches
are allowable, but I guarantee, you’ll want the benefits of a good
nights rest again before too long.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Every person in the business of business should watch Kate Raworth’s
TED TALK on a sustainable economy … Take it from there. ...
What is your favorite quote?
Helen Keller was prone to saying remarkable things. I particularly
like this quotable quote: “Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind;
it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance
oneself on a bicycle.”
TRILLIUM by MLHolton now on AMAZON
