We were lucky to catch up with Frances Tomei recently and have shared our conversation below.

Frances , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I’m not at the office, I devote every second I can to my art. Having bipolar type 1, the act of creating art itself for me is a huge “F YOU” to what I battle with daily. Being on medication can be numbing and that causes trouble when you start to lose interest in everything. When I’m down, nothing is worth the energy – hobbies, friends, you name it. When it comes to my creative process, I’ve dealt with long periods of not getting any joy out of art. To me, nothing is worse than losing that sense of joy. The floodgates open, and you begin to question everything and it’s one existential crisis after another. I struggle a lot with intrusive thoughts like, “What’s the point” and “Why does it matter” and to be honest, it’s torture.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, I started experimenting with different things and fell into soft sculpture/mixed mediums, and I found out that I really love tying nostalgia into anything I create. Since then, I have devoted just about every day to creating one-of-a-kind, handmade art dolls. I named this art project “Slug Circus”. I like to imagine that I’m the ring leader of a circus, and all the dolls that are in this “circus” were either discarded, thrown away, or unwanted. I imagine that the dolls find their way to the circus and are met with other dolls who are also misunderstood and find a sense of community. Immersing myself in the world of “Slug Circus” has been such an amazing creative outlet for me. I am grateful for it every day and I push myself to make the most meaningful art that I can create. Every piece of art that I make is made with so much love and has given me so much purpose.

Frances , 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 Frances, I’m an artist, photographer, and model agent. I worked as a model for ten years and now work behind the scenes as an agent in San Francisco, CA. I started experimenting with film and analog cameras when I was 14 years old. For the last three years, I’ve been working on a project called Slug Circus where I make sentimental and nostalgic one-of-a-kind art dolls.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

One thing about the art world when it comes to social media is that there is so much support. I’ve never seen so much support in any other realm. Meeting other artists and supporting each other has been the best way to grow my audience. Also getting to know my audience has been really helpful, too. People tend to get lost in numbers, follower counts, likes, etc. and I found it to be really important to interact with whoever comes across my account. When you go to my Instagram, you won’t see any selfies or any pictures of me on my actual feed. I really like to have the focus be on the art – However, I do make it a point to share my creative process through Instagram stories and also let people in on different parts of my life so that I can connect with my audience on another level.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I create my art, my goal is to let people know that they should acknowledge and even have fun with their inner child. Every piece of art that I make has elements of nostalgia, and I want people to be able to fully embrace their childlike imagination. I want to create things that people can hold and daydream with. Bringing my ideas to life is so rewarding because they bring me so much joy, something that I cherish deeply and never take for granted. The art that I’ve created is so special not only because it’s 1 of 1. one-of-a-kind – it’s because it has kept my imagination alive and has done a wonderful job at keeping the negative effects of bipolar and depression at bay.

Contact Info:

• Website: francesflorence.com
• Instagram: slug.circus // holyslugs
• Other: theslugcircus.etsy.com