We were lucky to catch up with Molly Zakrajsek recently and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my most meaningful murals was at Cornerstone Community Center in Chicago in the Uptown Neighborhood in an area called the Clifton Alley. The building wall was very dirty and the parking lot where we painted was dismal. I designed a mural titled “Abundant Spirit.” Since Cornerstone Center provided many services, housing, food and resources to the community, I wanted to turn the wall into something hopeful, beautiful and inviting. There were a lot of challenges to the installation, and my crew were all first time mural painters, but they were so eager and hardworking. We also had lots of volunteers from the community come and paint on certain days, which added fun and a deeper connection. The experience of working together with so many wonderful people made it a meaningful project, and the final artwork epically transformed the space. Many things, which had fallen into disarray in the area were also repaired once the mural was finished. A new, healthier vibe was created all around. I believe beautiful murals inspire ownership, care and safety in the surrounding environment. I was told that the mural has become a hopeful symbol to many who come to Cornerstone when things in life have gotten very hard. I love the idea that my artwork makes a place feel safe and hopeful.

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?

Molly Z. is a Professional Artist with a passion for designing spaces and experiences that inspire creativity and connection. She consults with designers, architects, planners, government and cultural institutions to create large-scale public art installations. In every endeavor she seeks to awaken the creativity in others, to achieve aesthetic excellence and to restore public spaces by bringing people and communities together through artistic experiences.

Initially trained as a graphic designer and digital illustrator, she began her career contracting with agencies and designers. In 2009, she illustrated the Polar Play Zone Exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium and experienced the transformative power of art in a shared community space. Creating and collaborating with the Aquarium gave her work a sense of permanence and deeper purpose…to fill public spaces with thoughtful, energetic, lasting works of art.

Over the years her artwork has become a significant part of Chicago’s artistic tapestry, permanently installed at the Shedd Aquarium and on Michigan Avenue at the Flagship Starbucks Roastery. She has partnered with CTA, Metra, DCASE, neighborhood organizations, corporate and private businesses, educational and religious institutions to revitalize interior and exterior public areas. Her professional experience also includes a variety of designing, advising, brainstorming, presenting, collaborating, curating, hiring skilled teams, working with volunteers, developing community workshops and installing large works of art in unique and varied places.

As an educator, leader and consultant, she engages with people in a way that ignites curiosity and purpose through the art making process. She guides others to explore their world and implement their ideas. Understanding the process of creative development, collaboration and meeting deadlines in a professional manner, she enjoys working diligently to create opportunities that inspire a sense of respect, delight and ownership within communities.

As an artist, Molly Z. chooses imagery that speaks of growth, transformation and vitality in life. She often uses biomorphic forms, naturally occurring patterns and shapes reminiscent of living organisms combined with elaborate line work and vibrant colors. Inspired by different folk art traditions, she often incorporates a system of patterning referencing universal, primitive forms. These colorful agglomerations are a visual echo of the complexity and optimism in the human experience. Her hope is to share a brief moment of awe and joy with those who experience the work, causing them to smile. She believes this is one of the most powerful responses to creativity and enhances our daily lives beyond measure.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

These two quotes have inspired my mission and purpose as an artist.

The role of the artist in society is to lift the spirit, to somehow let us see the goodness in things.

~ Samuel Mockbee, Architect

You will be called repairer of broken walls, Restorer of streets with dwellings

~ Isaiah 58:12

Have you ever had to pivot?

I was a digital illustrator for many years and became discouraged with the advertising industry and also thought my style of illustration was “aging” out. I started feeling frustrated by client work. Around that time the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago hired me to illustrate and brand their children’s exhibit (The Polar Play Zone) which included aquatic characters, tons of activity signage and several murals. After working with an educational, cultural institution, creating large scale murals and seeing the effect it had on visitors in a space, I decided I wanted to learn more about becoming a muralist. I was an established illustrator and had no idea if this was even a viable job. Around the same time, I attended an event at the Women’s Business Development Center about mentors and realized I needed a mentor! Looking back, I wish I would have gotten a mentor or a coach earlier in my career. I reached out to a woman who I worked with as a freelancer, she was the owner of a design firm, and asked if she would mentor me and help me transition to becoming a muralist. Having a mentor helped push me forward and she kept me connected to both my creative goals and earning income. It took some time, but I transitioned out of advertising and have been a public artist since 2010. And I still talk with my mentor monthly!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MollyZ.net
• Instagram: @MollyZ.Art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MollyZ.Art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mollyz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MollyZArt

Image Credits
All images are my own