Meet Maureen Palazzolo | Abstract Artist and Nurse Anesthetist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maureen Palazzolo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maureen, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I began my first career as a nurse anesthetist, I was a single mom of two kiddos under the age of five. Working up to that career I had spent seven years as a nurse, mostly in the pediatric intensive care unit. The schedule of ICU nurses is notoriously difficult in part because of the long shifts, the emotional stress of the job, and in my case working only night shifts. At that point in my life, I was dedicated to giving my time and energy to my work because I felt called to it. As I transitioned to my anesthesia career I was also dedicated to the job in the early years because I wanted to become clinically proficient, and in medical careers experience contributes mightily to proficiency. However, I missed almost every event at my kids’ schools–I missed plays, concerts, Muffins with Mom…you name it, I couldn’t make it. My work schedule was set in stone months before I knew about kid events, and usually I found out about these kinds of activities a week or two before they were scheduled. I think it is frustrating to no end for anyone in health care that we miss out on all of these things because of our jobs. In my mind, though, at that time I was committed to creating a financially secure life for me and my kids, which required working full time and sacrificing the ability to attend field trips, etc. Five years ago I got remarried and expanded my family to four kids, a husband and a rescue dog. Around that time I cut back on my work hours. Firstly, I now had the luxury of a second household income which made cutting back a possibility, and along with that I began to realize that my life currency was my time, not money.

That realization/belief has only gotten stronger in the last five years–I cut back my hours even more, changed my schedule to being able to choose my hours/shifts, and I no longer cover call shifts. For me, call shifts (read: 24 hour in hospital shifts, trauma call, holidays, nights, weekends) were no longer working in my life. I had done enough of them in ten years that I finally gave myself permission to let go of the responsibility of covering them. I also have enough self knowledge at this point to realize that I am a terrible person to be around when I’m sleep deprived and stressed out–which go hand in hand with being on call and being post-call.

Cutting back on my hours has also driven me to grow my art business–and I love that I have flexibility with my “side hustle.” The mindset that is pervasive in health care is that the hospital owns you, and that seeps over into family life. Cutting back in my anesthesia job is giving me much more freedom and more currency in my time bank. I also believe that “balance” is fluid and dynamic–there are times when I need to give more to my day job and times when the opposite is true. However, taking more control over my work schedule and saying “no” to is what has given me that freedom.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love questions like this! I mentioned that I am a nurse anesthetist by day already–and I have been growing my art business over the last three years. I have always been creative, and I started painting during COVID when my work hours got cut back and we were all homebound. Around that time I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and I started on an antidepressant. For me, it was really difficult to admit I needed help with my mental health–I’m an overachiever by nature, so being faced with something out of my control that I could not manage all on my own was eye-opening. However, from that came this new art practice, which was therapeutic in and of itself. It also became the start of my art business–I was just as surprised as anyone that people wanted to buy my pieces to be completely honest. When I started selling, though, I felt like there was this whole side of me that needed nurturing and development. I went down a new path of self-discovery and realized I had always wanted to have my own business and that beautiful, meaningful creativity is a great balance to the somewhat ugly, sciencey parts of healthcare.

I create expressive feminine abstracts using color and emotion to capture moments in life as they unfold. I use a lot of color, motion and flowers in my work. I’ve discovered in this journey that I work primarily in sterile, masculine environments where self-expression is fairly limited. Art let me say without words who I really am and what I value: beauty, family, spirituality, joy, resilience and balance. My pieces bring that same feeling to a home: joy, vitality, love, and beauty. The are statement pieces that grab and hold onto the viewer’s attention, bring them fully into a story that unfolds on a canvas.

I’ve learned that good growth is slow and steady–some of my favorite inspirational quotes come from professional athletes. I think it’s a quote from Lionel Messi the soccer player where he talks about how it took seventeen years to become an overnight success. My art business has been similar–it’s growing slowly but steadily and right now I’m continuing to build a solid foundation for it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Castle Rock, Colorado, a smaller town about thirty minutes south of Denver. Places to visit: hike Rock Park and get a panoramic view of the city and front range, plus see Castle Rock itself up close. Other great hikes include Castlewood Canyon and Devil’s Head (visit the Fire Tower while there). In Downtown Castle Rock you need to visit the Barn, the Emporium, Sudden Fiction Bookstore, Festival Park, and the Riverwalk. Places to eat: the B and B cafe for breakfast (have the breakfast burrito with green chili or the giant cinnamon roll), the Castle Cafe for dinner (must eat the Parker House rolls and have a slice of the black bottom banana cream pie), La Loma for great Mexican food and the best view in the city. Union Bistro has local artist’s work displayed on the walls as well as good food and cocktails. Crush Wine Bar has an amazing wine selection and tapas. Philip Miller Park has zip lining and the mini version of the Manitou incline. During the summer there’s a concert series in the amphitheater.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The person who gets the main shout-out is my husband Chris. He is a partner in every sense: he and I are equal partners in everything, from our parenting to taking care of the house to making dinner. I never have this feeling that the domestic realm is mine and that I have to ask for help–he contributes equally on his own. I think our dynamic is unique in that sense–I hear from many mom colleagues about how they are so stressed out because of taking on a professional career outside the home and also still doing all the work in the home. Chris and I both work hard at our jobs and hard with raising our family and creating a home.

The other shout out goes to my kids, who are so insanely proud of me that I am both a nurse anesthetist and I have an art business. They are my personal PR people–handing out business cards at school, giving presentations on me to their classes at school, and displaying way more confidence in my skills than me! They also help with packaging, unloading pieces for art shows, and providing moral support when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

Website: https://www.mopalazzolo.com

Instagram: @mo_palazzolo_art

Image Credits
Stephanie Trowbridge Photography, ArtRooms