Debra Mager remembers our initial conversation differently. We first met almost 20 years ago, when she was at a crossroads in her marketing career. She was thinking about launching her own consulting business, and mentioned that if she had certainty that it would succeed, she’d take the leap with no hesitancy.
She claims my response was something like, “You have to trust yourself and take the risk.” But I remember my response verbatim. It was, “No shit.” (Meaning, that’s why they call it taking a risk. There’s no guarantee that you’ll succeed.)
Debra did indeed launch New Eyes, her consulting firm for restaurant marketing, and the business was quite successful. But eventually, she made another career shift, when she went from avid art collector, particularly of mosaic art, to mosaic artist — and started her current company, Debra Mager Mosaics.
Meeting a mentor
I remember another lunch with Debra, years later, when she’d just returned from a mosaic workshop that had her very excited. She’d been in Austin at an art show and happened to meet a mosaic artist she particularly admired. “She encouraged me to take one of her workshops,” Debra says. “I resisted, having never done any art making, but I took the chance. I returned to Austin, did the workshop and fell in love with the art form. It helped, too, that the instructor felt I had the talent for it and mentored me long distance. Eventually we became fast friends.”
The basement studio
At first, Debra considered mosaic making just a hobby. She was working full-time in her marketing consultancy but would steal down to her basement studio (with no heat or AC) early in the mornings or whenever she could find a little time. I remember the quality of joy in her voice when she described that intensely creative time.
Eventually, she realized it was more gratifying than what she considered her real job, and potentially could lead to a career shift. “I discovered a drive in me and a deep gratification, both from the process and the result,” she says. “I felt it to be a divine gift to discover I was good at this, that I could have so much fun doing it, and that I could actually consider making it a potential business.”
Building momentum
Beginning to teach mosaic art was a steppingstone to Debra’s current life in Asheville. “I decided I wanted to give others the opportunity I’d been given by teaching. I wanted them to feel the joy of making art when they may not have known they could do it, just like me. So I rustled up a few students and began offering workshops.”
I asked Debra if her earlier career experiences had contributed to this new chapter in any way, or if the two were completely unrelated. “My marketing background helped me create a business out of a hobby I treasured. I knew how to sell and had lots of friends in the marketing business who helped me launch this new endeavor. I had resources to help me create my website, film online workshops, and create a strong online presence with Facebook and Instagram. So I guess my former background was really valuable, because I could not have made this work without them.”
Making the career shift a reality
“I was about two years into it that I talked to my husband about leaving my job and doing mosaics full time,” she remembers. “And moving to Asheville on top of it!”
Her advice for others considering a major career shift in midlife? “Trust your gut. Recognize the signs when you are bored or tired or burned out with your current career. Take the risk, if you can afford to make a change and go try something else.”
My thought is that the way Debra approached the shift reduced a ton of the risk. By the time she stopped working as a marketing consultant, she had already built a strong foundation for her mosaic business.
“I’ve had to get used to the reduction in income, but I have zero regrets,” she says. “You may be surprised at the resurgence you will feel when you realize you have yet another gratifying phase of your life ahead of you.”
Life after career shift
When asked what aging well means to Debra, she says, “I’ve shifted my priorities to exercise more, eat well and experience nature — meaning good air, mountains, trees, flora and fauna, which can be so calming. We shop often at the local farmer’s markets to eat healthier and support the local farmers. We work out more often now that we have the time.”
In closing, Debra says, “I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful life in the mountains. Life is good.”
All artwork above by Debra Mager of Debra Mager Mosaics.
