Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Makaela Dokken. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Makaela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I have always been a creator and an artist. The biggest obstacle, creatively, was my immediate professional life post-college. Having obtained a degree in English/Journalism, then working in several different industries (sales, communications, legal, insurance, and hospitality) I realized at 25 I was deeply unsatisfied with my professional life and the toll it took on me mentally and emotionally. I knew I needed a change.
Fast forward 10 years later to my professional shift to the Maker Industry, I am surrounded by other makers, business owners, creatives, supplies, skills, machines, and tools that I never had before. This, in an of itself, has been one of the most essential parts of my journey. Inherently, artists often exist in a solitary space but they need support, access, and resources to learn in order to thrive – however that looks per the individual.
For the last 6 years, I have been commissioning all kinds of work from fine art, to murals, to clothing and it would not have been possible had I stayed on the sterile “cubicle” path. Once I merged my creative interests with my career, my obstacles have become surmountable and foreseeable. Now, in my 30s, my obstacles are within my control, such as building out a functional studio in my basement, making time on a weekly basis to creative, completing projects, and marketing myself. I still have to regularly work on those things, but I now have a community from which to draw inspiration, resources, and work if I need the money and exposure.
All in all, I would say the biggest obstacle is patience. Social media is deceptive, especially optically for artists. I am learning to have patience, and to not “burn out” by working 40 hours per week on art while holding a full time job. When I am burned out and no creative gas in the tank, I can’t move forward, have no capacity to try or learn new mediums or skills.
Makaela, 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?
Post college, I hated every job thereafter. An it affected me greatly. So, I quit. I quit everything – I quit my job, my relationship, sold everything I owned, and moved back home. and traveled throughout Central and South America for 9 months. With that delicious, endless freedom and positively disruptive flood of new experiences, I had the pleasure of time and space to draw, design, and paint murals in exchange for room and board at hostels I traveled through. I realized I could do something professionally that fed me in a way I had never allowed.
I had an interest in sewing since I was a child, and have a knack for teaching myself new mediums. When I returned to the States, I professionally started over and worked in production sewing, then at a screen sprinting shop, then found my current job in 2018 at a small printshop as an industrial embroiderer and sewing technician. Working with embroidery machines showed me how powerful and endless the creative possibilities are. If it wasn’t for current my job, I wouldn’t have found such a passion for machine embroidery and bought my own machine.
Rapidly and intensely, this opened my eyes to my intense love for multimedia working – incorporating machine embroidery, textiles, and applying garment decoration techniques to fine art. One thing I appreciate about myself is I’ve always been open and unafraid of trying new tools and enthusiastic about anyone who will show me their skills – from stamp carving, to wood working, printmaking, pattern making, metal smithing, anything!
I think all the skills that others have graciously shown me over the years is reflected in my work and my ability to use various mediums, materials, and techniques in an unconventional way that is reflected my work as whole since I do so many different things. Everything I make has some upcycled aspect to it, coming from a very low income upbringing, which means I save weird project scraps of all kinds and acquire the skills to utilize them in my craft – which is the most fun part for me.
My work varies – I paint from small canvases to vary large murals, I sew and embroider custom garments for clients, make small patches and stuffed animals, but I always return to my favorite elaborate multimedia collages of embroidery, magazine cutouts, textile scraps, and hand built shadow boxes to frame.
The greatest intrigue that people love about my work are my anthropomorphic characters at the center of most everything I make. Most often, people will request either their pet to be personified or themselves to be anthropomorphized in my style. The characters are fun (usually a little hedonistic) and placed in a “world” that further defines the character individually. When possible, I like to interview the person(s) or meet the animal to accurately capture the vibe and personalities.
I think what sets my work apart from other work is the abilities for viewers to see themselves in my characters. I’m inspired by color, textures, summer or tropical vibes, and nostalgic photographs and settings. And this seems to really resonate with people – specifically I fell like I know a lot about a person based on that pieces they are interested in. So, in a way, I’m proud of the connection I make with friends and strangers alike through the personalized affect of art, because that feeling is what stays with both me and the customer long after I never see a piece again.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
My entire journey has been about gathering resources. Not single tangible resources like a book or a tool library (although completely awesome if you have one near you), but the resources that a community can provide.
With a community you have access to those who know more than you, to those who know you enough to give you real feedback, advice, and critiques about your work, and, honestly, access to their tools, studios, and supplies. Artists and art enthusiasts love to help and love to participate. That said, a community doesn’t show up at your doorstep on day one. Attend art events, hang out with other artists and help them, or just go see their space and show that you are interested and dedicated.
Over the years I’ve hosted no-booth-fee markets by asking friends “Hey can I put on an art market at your bar?” “Do you need help? I have this tool,” etc. The amount of support and excitement and community I’ve made from collaborating on events is extremely significant in my art career. If you can’t find an art event or show that you would like to go to, put one on yourself. There is always a little bar or bistro or cafe that would benefit from an event. It might be a bit of work, but it’s free and there are few things in this world that free and freeing in that way.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the endless curiosity that I have the privilege and space to act upon. There is a specific freedom in standing at my work bench, digging through tangled fabric craps, flipping through fringed magazines, wetting paint brushes, and listening to taps and whirs of the embroidery machine while I scratch out a new character.
Uninhibited freedom to indulge in textures, colors, and story-telling is one of the few times that I am focused and without fear of judgement. I have severe ADHD and my studio is one of few places where this neuro-divergence works to my advantage and is embraced. Art and creating is a place where all those distractions and “Ooo like that this thing”s are embraced. There are few places where ADHD doesn’t feel like hindrance, so my studio is a tiny utopia. I believe that is why creating and art-making is such a freedom to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @m.dokken
