Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Kruse
Hi Molly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I founded MollyBird Studio as a home for my creative passions: painting, illustration, and writing, to name a few.
Before I came to be in my current life of illustration and motherhood, I spent a handful of years in corporate graphic design. It was during this time, when I was putting in very long hours for the grand visions held by V.I.P.s at the very top, that I started to realize how disconnected I felt from the work I was doing.
In turn, I started playing with different art mediums in the evenings. I started paying attention to the artists on Instagram, having fun choosing a new favorite artist to obsess over every 6 months or so. I started going to printmaking classes and taking online art courses through various channels. I started honing my brand, building my website, and researching taxes and LLCs. Somewhere in there I had a baby and decided to stay home with him. It’s been quite a journey.
Through all of this trial and error, I still hadn’t found my “why.” One thing all of this taught me was that I needed a solid reason behind my desire to become an artist and illustrator, or I would never have the motivation to keep coming back to it day after day.
After I had my son is when it really clicked. We started reading to him and I found that this was my favorite part of the day in those early, hazy, postpartum days. I loved marveling at the beautiful illustrations, and I loved that bonding time with him. I began to see a very specific type of magic in the mixture of my two passions of art and parenthood. That excitement made me want to delve deeper and share that magic with others. For that reason, my “why” is to help people connect. Whether it is children and parents who will read the books that I will illustrate, or a young, want-to-be illustrator, looking for her next step (i.e. me, 5 years ago)—my way of giving back to my community is through sharing art, stories, and the knowledge of the industry I gain along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have found that I am someone who needs to feel connected to my work and for it to be serving a greater purpose, for me to feel accomplished and like I am on the right path. For this reason, I have stopped and started quite a bit in my journey to a self-sustaining art business. Up until recently, I hadn’t found the reason behind my desire quite yet. After I had found my reason, I then had to move on to figuring out the right services to offer, outreach, and follow-through. It is a lot for any one person to figure out.
I am self-taught, business & marketing-wise, so even once I felt good about the finished product, an entirely different set of skills must be learned and tapped into. It’s difficult to wear all of the hats that are needed in order to launch an art business, especially if those skills are self taught, and it’s difficult to know if you’re wearing the right hat at the right time. My best advice for anyone else going through this, is to work on what feels good, be creative with your service offerings, listen and learn from your community, and build your business around what you like to do.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint, illustrate, and write with the goal of using art and talking about the creative process as a way to foster connections in my audience. My current projects include:
1. A fine art Big Bend National Park painted canvas series in honor of our public lands and national parks, with a portion of proceeds to be donated to that national park
2. An illustrated children’s book, “Appa Wants to Help”, about my too-large dog and how his size gets him into trouble, when he really just wants be helpful
3. I have recently been painting people’s pets, some recently having crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, some are still here with us. Either way, I have a lot of pride and pleasure in bringing these majestic creatures to life on the canvas
4. I have also recently started a blog where I talk about the process of becoming a full-time illustrator.
The beauty and frustration of being an artist is that your taste evolves along with your skills, so that gap between where you are and where you want to be is constantly shifting and moving. You may reach your highest self that you had envisioned 5 years ago, but because your taste is also evolving, your next highest self is still out there on the horizon, waiting for you to reach her. All of that to say, I look forward to expanding my service offerings and evolving my business to suit the needs of my customer.
How do you think about happiness?
My family makes me happy. My husband and young son, who is growing into a confident little person, and my dog and cats. My mom, my dad, my sister, and my friends. I am grateful for my entire support system, and would not be here without them.
Freedom with my time and choices makes me happy. I wouldn’t be here creating this art business if I could be happy with a 9–5 standard job, working for “the man”. I’ve tried it, and it did not do well for my life balance or mental health.
Painting and creating makes me happy. Long walks and exercise make me happy. My hobbies and interests shape who I am. A slow and intentional life makes me happy, where I can build a business around what I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mollybirdstudio.com
- Instagram: mollybird.studio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollybird.studio
