We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danielle O’Malley . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danielle below.

Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

I’ve recently been entering the more industry aspect of the art and illustration world. I’ve been learning all the things the Artist brain does not enjoy, like copyright law and licensing contracts. I’d say what I’ve done different is really try to ignore industry trends to create a style new and specific to me. I think it’s hard being an artist or illustrator, to want instant satisfaction with every piece and to go off on a tandem, following hallow trends or comparing yourself to other people’s success and work. Sometimes you just have to step away (especially from technology) to sit with yourself and your unique voice and find your very own specific creativity.

Danielle , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Danielle Arden O’Malley. I’m an independent illustrator, Artist and designer based between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Inspired by folklore, 90’s cartoon’s, femininity and the supernatural, my work weaves camp sensibilities, sugarcoated kitsch, and the odd & surreal into a weird and whimsical world of pastels, fairytales and otherworldly creatures. My illustrations have been used to create fabric designs & accessories, art prints, greeting cards, home decor, jewelry and clothing.

I’ve been drawing and crafting since I was a child, and graduated from the California College of the Arts in 2011. Since then, I’ve painted murals and exhibited artwork throughout the globe. I’ve slowly developed a line of products over the past 15 years that I sell at markets, as wholesale and on e-commerce sites. I also get commissions for illustrative work, from clients ranging from tiny bakeries in San Francisco to the Oakland A’s.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn what success is and that when it comes, it’s usually a lot simpler and more mundane that you’ve imagined. It also comes in very unexpected places, so you have to be really open and willing to grow in all sorts of directions. I think there’s a perception of a timeline when it comes to business or careers. Like you go to college, then maybe get a masters or internship, and climb the ladder. In reality, business and an art career is wild with constant ups and downs and you’re never actually following a set path.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

It’s a constant process, keeping up with manufacturing, vendors and whatnot. Right now, I design and manufacture all of my own products in my studio, while sourcing materials like fine art paper, raw materials and printed fabric from other manufacturers. Since I’m a small independent artist and designer, it’s important to me to have my hand in each product. However, it is hard and takes a lot of time and sometimes the price point isn’t enough. As a designer, whenever I create a new product there are so many things to think about beyond the product. The packaging of it, how it will look on a store shelf, how to ship it through e-commerce, it’s price point versus wholesale and retail. Sometime’s I’ll roll out too many products at once without thinking through all those minute details, and that will cost you in the end!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.danielleardenomalley.net
• Instagram: Instagram.com/danielleomalleeey