We were lucky to catch up with Marcy Mahoney recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marcy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve been writing and drawing since I was little. If we rented a movie and I loved it, I would watch it over and over and then draw/write the story out after my parents returned it to the video store so I would be able to revisit it. (This was in the days before on-demand-all-the-things!) My sisters and I made up epic sagas with our Barbies, using household items and fabrics to build the sets and costumes. I was very influenced by the shows and movies that I loved (Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, Muppets, Willow, Labyrinth, Sleeping Beauty—anything that had fantasy, imagination and whimsy) and I always knew that whatever my future brought, it would involve those sorts of things. I started writing books in earnest when I was a teenager. My first few were teen dramas, but I abandoned that to write more fantastical stories. I started writing my novel “Archwilde” when I was fifteen and finished the first draft in college. During my 20s and 30s it was sidelined, though I wrote as often as I could outside of work. When I quit my animation production job in my 40s, I decided to re-write the whole book from scratch and focus on being a full-time novelist and artist instead. I also started drawing and painting again, and finally brought my career fully onto the path I am meant to be on.

Marcy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an author and artist based in Los Angeles, CA. I have four published books—my debut novel, “Archwilde,” and three creative writing prompt journals: “Words of Whimsy,” “Words of the Odd & Eerie,” and “Words of Wonderment.” I also paint portals to other worlds on thrifted or upcycled frames, trays and objects, and embellish them to look as if you could step through into dreamy places. My work, both written and painted, speaks to the whimsy and wonder inherent in all of us, and I strive to use my creativity to bring a little magic, hope and inclusivity into this very jaded world.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Cinema & Photography/Art Minor from Ithaca College, and I spent two decades working in print publications and television animation. My TV credits include “Hey Arnold!,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Regular Show,” “Ben 10,” “Long Live The Royals” and the pilot episodes of “Steven Universe,” “Over the Garden Wall,” “Clarence,” and “Uncle Grandpa.”

I’ve also hosted free creative writing workshops for over a decade with The Quill & Pint. Our workshops are in-class prompt-based 20-minute writing exercises that will get you started on a story or help break you out of your writers’ block if you’re stuck. We work with all levels of writers, from newbies to published authors.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn was that I didn’t need outside validation to be considered a creative professional, and I wasn’t a failure if I didn’t achieve my “dreams” by a certain age. The time it took to get to where I am was full of valuable lessons – both personal and professional – and they were necessary for my craft and my confidence to evolve. It’s given me a better perspective on what success means to me, versus a definition of success as dictated by some lofty industry ideal. It’s also helped me keep my head while promoting my work – in this age of social media it can be difficult to feel like your work isn’t valid if you don’t get enough likes, or if you don’t have thousands of followers, or if your book/art/short film/whatever doesn’t sell enough copies or get enough views. It’s good to remember that everything is subjective, and people’s opinions aren’t a reflection on our personal worth or the value of our work. I’ve learned to just keep making, keep sharing, and enjoy the process. The wins will come. And when I feel the doubts creeping in, I turn to my creative inspirations to get myself going again.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

For starters, buy art from artists! Go to art shows, or street fairs, or festivals and find art that speaks to you. Or go to the websites of artists you follow on social media and buy pieces or prints of their work. And when you see the price tag, don’t cringe—that is someone’s time, effort, materials and skills you’re looking at, not just an object. It’s absolutely worth the price they put on it.

The same thing goes for books. Indie, hybrid and traditional authors alike all benefit from you buying their work, or even just requesting their work at the library and reading it. You don’t know the impact a single “I read your book” can have for an author! And taking the extra step to leave a review of the book or sharing a post about it can do wonders for helping them out.

As for creatives supporting other creatives—we are not in competition with one another. That’s a big illusion. If someone reads one author’s book or buys one artist’s work, that doesn’t mean it’s the only book or piece of art they’ll ever purchase. It’s not a one-and-done kind of market. We can only benefit by supporting one another and sharing each other’s work.

And also—very important in this day and age—hire artists and writers, not AI. Employ the heart and talent and skills of real people with real souls who make real time and investments in their work. Support human beings who need to pay rent and put food on their tables. Losing our human connection to art is not worth saving a few bucks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marcymahoney.com
• Instagram: @Marcy_Mahoney / @ArchwildeBookSeries
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArchwildeBookSeries
• Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21673658.Marcy_Dewey_MahoneyAmazon Author Page: https://bit.ly/4eLPabn

  Archwilde Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AjvzJ

  Threads: https://www.threads.net/@marcy_mahoney

  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormarcymahoney

Image Credits

Photo MarcyMahoney3 taken by Bryan Mahoney

All other photos taken by Marcy Mahoney