Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Garcia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Kim and I met during the height of Covid and it was already scary enough to talk to some one new in person. I was doing thirty minutes a day, which is art I posted on a whim every day to my Instagram but to my knowledge was not doing anything for my “career”, just posting to the void. Kim came over one day and was looking at my online application for public art and wanted to help make me format those digital files, but she never told me she did art herself. Eventually I got a gig for the mural and took a risk on this new friend to help me and then we really took off from there.
Honestly, it’s a story about two isolated moms who didn’t know all they needed was a partner to make this dream happen.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
MuthaGoose is a pair of working multidisciplinary artists and mothers with close ties to the Austin community. The collective’s work runs the gambit from large format murals with retro, modern, and pop perspectives; to abstract sculptural exhibitions; to interactive digital media installations and web design.
Jill Garcia has a fine art background and began working on large-scale (+10,000 sq ft) residential interior installations including faux stone work, murals, and three-dimensional plasterwork. Later, she worked at an events company in Austin creating set pieces for SXSW, Austin City Limits, and COTA.
Kim Phu has an advertising background and has worked at agencies all over the world. During her seven years in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, she worked for a Dutch company that specialized in interactive exhibits for the museum sector (Joods Museum, Nationaal Historische Museum) and new technology space (Picnic).
The pair met in 2020 at the height of the pandemic when Kim moved to Texas and became Jill’s neighbor. Their work started with a 20 sq. ft. mural for Paz Veterinary (“Herding Cats”) and most recently finished a 360 bus wrap for CapMetro to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month.
Jill Garcia and Kim Phu are currently working on their May 2024 gallery show at Dougherty Arts Center in Austin, Texas. The exhibition will feature mixed-media installations depicting the female experience from birth to death.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
When you find something that you love, you have to go 120% and without doubt. This isn’t just a “creative” or “art” thing. You have to figure out what you are a natural talent for.
You have to be able to get into that flow state. A lot people even haven’t even experienced it, so they don’t even know what they are talking about. It’s almost like a hypnosis state.
And then when you meet another person, it becomes a team sport. There’s no questioning, “Why am I wasting my time on this?” because there’s another person saying, “That’s great, what if we also added this?” and then it grows.
Some days Kim and I don’t see each other in the studio but we leave each other notes or call when we’re doing a carpool drop or at a sporting event with our kids. Ideas come when you’re not ready for them. Some days we do work along side each other in the studio and she’s rolling out clay and I’m sewing or painting and we are just toiling over the backbones of our ideas. We just start and things flesh out into a body of work. It’s a hive mind that feels like twin intuition. We have to have each other for things to balance out. Do the work separately but always come together and critique and brainstorm and revise. The “Luck” is the magic you make. You have to be prepared for opportunities to drop in.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Thirty minutes a day got me ready to meet Kim and get ready to go. My youngest was 3 and my oldest was 7. I could have just given up the third bedroom but I fought to keep it as my studio and kept creating even though nothing was shown or sold. That’s the hardest thing to do, especially when you’re sleep deprived. Trust that something will come out of it without immediate gratification.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.muthagoose.art
- Instagram: muthagoose.art
Image Credits
Laura Monsman Photography