We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ginna Tomalonis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ginna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I actually have had this thought come up in the last year or so. Last time I did an interview with you guys in 2018 I was very new and eager to pursue my art as a career and also just new in general to selling what I was create. Then not too long after, the pandemic happened. During the pandemic it was somewhat great for artists and creators since a lot of people were supporting online shops and purchasing artwork and things to decorate their space. Then of course now, with inflation and things it’s just been a bit harder to survive as a small business and creator.
I’m so happy to create and make art that connects with people but I also definitely struggle with the constant content creating that comes with it now days. It’s become harder to just share work without having to worry about engagement or it just being seen in general. I know as an artist there’s always going to be ups and downs, and also adapting, especially in the world we live in. But I have definitely questioned my happiness more recently with all the challenges that have come up along the way in the last few years. And I have also thought about how having a regular full time job would be the easier route in many ways, especially financially. But even though it can be a struggle at times, for me pursuing my passion has always been most important and what makes me happy, and I will always continue to create no matter what.

Ginna, 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?

I knew I wanted to be a creative as a career, and I was fortunate I was able to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design. I majored in Illustration since it was kind of a cross between painting and design. Prior, all through out high school I took traditional painting classes but knew I wanted to do more than just painting. Majoring in Illustration taught me one thing, that it’s hard to get a job as an illustrator (haha) but more importantly I learned so many design techniques, font use, and also incorporating digital media with my traditional painting techniques. Ultimately what I learned there helped me start my art business. From creating logos, web design, marketing materials, graphics, package design, to the art itself (created from ink, watercolors, and digital media) I was able to use all these skills to make my brand.

I moved to LA in 2016, almost immediately I discovered emo music scene events to attend and also that the Halloween industry was huge here. I was already creating art that was spooky and Tim Burton inspired prior to moving, so right away I found where I belong with the different vendor events and also the audience to sell to. I’ve now worked on events ranging from Warped Tour, to smaller music events, to halloween pop ups, Comic-Con LA, to halloween conventions like Midsummer Scream.

Currently of my artwork I sell mainly art prints, enamel pins, stickers, and some accessories (tote bags, keychains, etc). Last year I even expanded my art brand into a cosmetic line – Spooky Girl Cosmetics. Which I now sell eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, and more all inspired by the characters in my artwork. This was a huge goal of mine, as a previous makeup artist it was something I dreamed of doing and was to excited to make it happen.

Launching Spooky Girl Cosmetics brought me back into the make up industry, which now I coordinate photoshoots and work with different creatives to bring my spooky girl characters to life on camera. I’m actually so proud of what this project turned into and hope it continues to grow.

Aside from expanding my art into the cosmetics, I think what sets me apart from others is maybe the use of my materials. I still do traditional painting, I hand draw and watercolor and then scan into Photoshop and then work digitally on my image to finish it. I guess it can be considered an older technique, I learned it back in college, but it works for me and I feel like the pieces have different quality to them knowing its not full digital media.

With everything I’ve done since I started my brand I’m most proud of just putting myself out there. It can be scary as an artist to share your work with the world but it’s brought me so many exciting things. I’ve done events I never thought I would be apart of, worked on projects and collabs with talented people, and have made so many friends along the way. My art has connected me with so many amazing people, I just think that’s an awesome thing to think about.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As I stated earlier, besides my art career I also was interested in being a makeup artist. When I graduated college I was a little burnt out from creating and also needed a job. I ended up getting hired at MAC Cosmetics, worked there for about a year before I decided I wanted to make the move to LA. Moving to LA I wanted to pursue being a freelance makeup artist and see where that could possibly take me. I was working gigs and on different photoshoots here and there but kind of quickly discovered the competitive makeup industry in LA wasn’t for me. So I went back to focusing more on my art. In 2016 I created an Etsy shop and started selling some prints and stickers, eventually I began making pins and almost anything else I could turn my art into. I use to carry my pins and stickers around and go to different music/emo events and hand them out to people. This eventually leading me to discover vendor events and then also to expanding my online shop which essentially launched my art brand and career.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is meeting people at the events and connecting with them over art and spooky common interests. Sometimes I can’t believe the amount of amazing and talented people I’ve met from my work. I never thought that putting my artwork out there would bring this into my life. I occasionally get discouraged with social media engagement and just having self doubt in general like a lot of artists may go through. But the reminder I have people rooting for me, always pushes me to keep going.

I’ve also had other artists at events tell me they started vending and selling their own artwork because of me, and just anyone saying I have inspired them in some way is literally the most rewarding thing ever. I feel so grateful to do what I do for this reason. I hope people know if I can do it anyone can.

Contact Info:

• Website: ginnakae.com / spookygirlcosmetics.com
• Instagram: @ginnakaeillustration @spookygirlcosmetics
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ginnakaeillustration
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginnatomalonis/

Image Credits

Spooky Girl Cosmetics ‘BeetleBabe’ photo: Gio Canales @myfriendvanni