(Photo Credit: Chicago Magazine)
As the owner and curator behind Chicago’s Three Peas Art Lounge, Maya-Camille Broussard made viewing and collecting art less intimidating. She has been featured by national and local publications and television programs, including NBC’s LXTV, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Journal Chicago Magazine, Chicago Social, N’Digo, and WGN’s People to People. Broussard currently teaches dance at a local college. She sits on the board for Streetfood Artistry, a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting standout creatives in the fields of culinary, art and cultural entrepreneurship. She writes the Art Cart column for Today’s Chicago Woman (TCW) magazine and the Afrobella Art column for Afrobella.com.
In 2013, Broussard opened her online lifestyle and home wares boutique The MCB Shop (www.theMCBshop.com) with designs inspired by artwork. A Chicago native, Broussard is a graduate of Howard University (B.F.A.) and Northwestern University (M.A.).
How did the idea for The MCB Project come about?
The MCB Project was created after a couple decided not to purchase a work of art from my Chicago gallery, Three Peas Art Lounge, simple because it didn’t match their couch. I began The MCB Project as a web series documenting interior design projects inspired by pieces of art. Since launching The MCB Project in 2012, the blog has expanded to include additional genres in the arts and culture including film, literature, culinary arts, fashion, product design, travel and more. I focus on a lifestyle richly embedded in the arts and culture.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by Claudia Gordon. She lost her hearing suddenly when she was 8 years-old and living in Jamaica. She moved to the US when she was eleven. After attending Howard University and American University Law School, she became the first Black deaf female attorney in the U.S. She has been an advocate for people with disabilities for years. She currently serves as the Public Engagement Advisor to the Disability Community for the White House Office of Public Engagement. Claudia is essentially a liaison between the disability community and the Obama Administration. As a person living with a hearing-impairment, – she inspires me to work harder and do better than anyone ever expected me to. I feel that she is truly one of the few people that understands me and my journey. She offers me sage advice just when I need it.
What accomplishment are you most proud?
To be honest, I am very proud of everything I do. There is not one single thing that trumps the other. I put my entire being into anything I’m working on. I’m proud of the fact that I owned a successful gallery for three years, I’m proud that I attended Howard University and Northwestern University and I’m proud that I continue to do well with my blog, The MCB Project and most recently my online boutique, The MCB Shop. I proud that my family knows me to be extremely reliable and they trust me to take care of business. I am proud to be able to surround myself with such loving and caring people who support everything I do.
Any favorite affirmations?
I don’t have a favorite affirmation, but I do like the final stanza of my Dad’s favorite poem- Invictus (by William Ernest Henley),
“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”
What do you do to unwind?
I unwind with a bottle of wine and my favorite BYOB restaurants with a small group of friends.
Any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs?
There will be a point in your entrepreneurial career where you will experience doubt, fatigue, frustration and even and a sense of failure. The key is to believe in yourself, stick to the program, and persevere. Being a entrepreneur is no easy feat- it’s much easier to get up and go work for someone. However, being an entrepreneur is empowering. Its invigorating to know that what you do today will determine your future successes. The reward in working for yourself is not immediate, but once it arrives its such a validation for who you are and how wonderfully talented you are.
What’s next for The MCB Project?
The MCB Project will continue to grow in its readership and with its creative partnerships. Unlike having an actual brick-and-mortar storefront (such as my gallery), The MCB Project allows me to share my curation globally. I will continue to find ways to integrate the arts into our lifestyles and I will continue to share my cultural musings.
For more info on The MCB Project please log onto www.TheMCBProject.com.
