We recently connected with Molly Jean and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Molly, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I did not realize my artistic potential until I was around 19. Up until that point, I had channeled all my creative skills into makeup artistry. I discovered drag in high school, and was preforming around town by the time i graduated. At that same time, I was interning at the Denver Zoo, one of the youngest intern hires to date. I was 5 years into volunteer programs, and getting firsthand experience for my perceived future as an animal behaviorist. At the time I wasn’t sure if it was due to my creative problem solving skills, or my drag carreer flourishing at night- but everywhere I went- work, school, the zoo, everyone started referring to me as “the artist”. Que the existential crisis. I had only just started noticing and experimenting with my artistic talents on paper. It was consuming every free moment I had. Was it that obvious? Has my brain been changing that much?
At age 20 I switched my minor from biology to studio arts. I had come to the realization that I would have a hard time thriving in the animal field for what it is today. So I decided to hone in on my newfound artistic abilities- and see what I’m capable of.
From there my artistic skills exploded. I could not stop creating- nothing got in my way. No matter how tired I was from my labor intensive job at whole foods, I would come home and find myself getting lost on a painting for 10 hours at a time. This went on for well over a year, I was so exaughsted- but my art was becoming everything to me. It was the reason I woke up in the morning and the reason I never went to bed at night. I was wearing myself thin. Then the pandemic hit. The stress i experinced as an essential worker those first 6 months still cripples me to this day. At this point my creative projects were the only thing keeping me sane, but at the same time, the only thing keeping me from getting any rest. I had to make a choice.
By that time I had come to understand why my nickname always became “the artist”. I view the world differently, I express myself creatively, I solve problems with abstract thinking. And now, I know what I’m capable of creating. I certainly wasn’t going to drop this momentum so I could keep my sanity at the bakery counter. So I quit my full time job in September of 2020, age 21, and committed myself to being an artist full time. I have never looked back- I work for myself now and I could not be more proud. This is the scariest decision I’ve made to date, and the journey along the way has been even harder. But untimely I chose to commit myself to something I know I can do my entire life. Something that will always push me to grow into something even more beautiful.
Molly, 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 am an artist and painter full time. It would be much easier to express what I do if I did just one thing, one medium, one style, but alas- I cannot limit myself in these ways. I am a creator, after all. I paint in many different styles and mediums. This diversifies my work day in the studio, and inventory as well! As I work on my more detailed and intricate peices, I’ll have a few “flow style” paintings on the side to ease the tension. These are just linework paintings, a style i created myself for myself to relive preassure and stress. I’ll also have a few “small inventory” items going such as bedazzled lighters, hand painted magnets, bookmarks, buttons ect- not only are these fun to work on but they provide cost effective merchandise for my art shows and online store.
Overall, my style is whimsical, surreal, and other wordly. I draw all my inspiration from myself in some way shape or form. One of my most popular pieces to date is my unicorn self portrait, a black and white ink collage made in reference to a drag look I created and paraded around in for Halloween 2019.
I like creating art on all levels. This has brought me nothing but success as it allows me to carry inventory for all levels of people! I hope that each of my pieces of art brings just as much joy and inspiration to others as it does for me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Money = guilt. Society programs us all to feel guilty, instead of happy, when receiving large sums, or even small sums of money. There’s an inherent shame around having money others perhaps don’t, or the feeling of “taking” someone’s money when you’re making a sale. It takes a long time to shed those negative feelings, to turn them into gratitude and joy. The more I shed the guilt and replaced it with gratitude, the easier it became to make sales. It’s hard to be a good salesman when, deep down, you’d feel ashamed about “taking” that money from that person. You ask for less money without realizing it. You’re more likely to bargain when it isn’t nessisary to do so….. Be patient with yourself. Always remember your art is valuable. Reducing your prices doesn’t make people connect with your creations. People who appreciate your work will always be willing to pay the price. Those are the customers you need to focus on. Never under sell yourself.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Absolutely. Other artists are your #1 resource. You can be a part of 1000 online forums, groups, email lists and the like but that does not mean you will recieve that artists call on time, or know about that venue before its booked. Having strong connections with other artists is the only way I have been able to keep up to date on gallery openings, art festivals, shows, spotlights ect! Nothing is more efficient than tapping into our comminuty on a person to person basis. Its impossible to keep your eye on all platforms at all times. So, I will send artists calls as I see them post to my peers, and they do the same for me. Simple- and when I follow through I can book up to 2 art shows a week, solely off of resources shared peer to peer.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.missmollyjean.com
- Instagram: @missmollyqueen
- Twitter: Missmollyqueen
Image Credits
Molly Jean