We recently connected with Jill Malek and have shared our conversation below.

Jill, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

About 5 million years ago, I graduated from college with a Visual Arts degree. With an emphasis in painting, it was clear that it would be a long haul to reach a sustainable lifestyle, so I took a stab at different paths that led to a multitude of career snafus. I was all over the place. I tried entry-level marketing jobs, admin jobs, waitressing (I was charming but not the most skilled wine opener), temping, and anything that could help me earn a living in the working world. Finally, I got a job as a glorified secretary for a well-known art recruiting agency. I was a terrible secretary. Now, I would rock that roll, but my 23 year old self had much to learn about organization and phone etiquette. While I was miserable in this job, it became a very pivotal career choice—not because I found my calling in scheduling lunch dates, but because I realized that I wanted to be on the other side of the fence…I wanted to embody the roll of the artist that was coming in to be interviewed, not the person scheduling the interview. I realized that I needed to use my hands, be visually creative, invent, express myself, emote. From that point on, I gradually found my way. As a starting point, I learned graphic design, worked my way up to art direction, and then, in time, jumped into the exciting abyss of entrepreneurship.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In a nutshell, I design wallcoverings, rugs and textiles for the interior design and architecture community. I am inspired by moving forms in nature and try to capture those movements in my work. After years of working as a graphic design/art director for print, I became interested in wallpaper because I wanted to work on a larger scale and bridge the world of graphics and interiors. I use the wallpaper I create as a vehicle to help bring a sense of calm into a space as I am inspired by the natural world.

I am most proud of a recent job completed last year for St. Judes Hospital. The hospital chose 5 Jill Malek patterns throughout the common spaces, and the concept of work I create that could help shift the energy in a room where children are healing is incredibly powerful to me.

My clients/fans know me for my abstract interpretations of nature and for my ability to create custom wall art pieces primarily for commercial spaces. Also, many of my wallcoverings now come with optional dimensional felt that is sewn by hand into the mural. It brings a new level of depth and texture to the surface.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My desire is to make an impact on interior spaces and how they affect the people who inhabit them by inspiring a sense of calm and transformation. I use poetic expressions in nature to foster an emotional connection to my work.

Growing up in a family committed to serving to others – a mother who was a child therapist, a father who was the head pharmacist of a psychiatric institution, a sister who would eventually become a nurse – I could not suppress my own need to channel my creativity in a way that would help others by improving the spaces they saw around them.

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

There is nothing more powerful than creating something from nothing and allowing that something to fuel others (and myself). It’s the greatest gift an artist has and can share.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jillmalek.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillmalekwallpaper/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-malek-4891a28/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/93144016/admin/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jillmalek
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/jillmalek/

Image Credits
Aurelien Couput Ryan Lahiff Rachel Kuzma Brie Williams Megan Oldenburger