Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly McDougall.
Hi Molly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began painting murals and creating custom illustrations as the result of a winding creative path that I’ve been exploring for years. The short story is that six years ago, while working a day job as a server in a local restaurant, I took a calligraphy class and fell in love with hand lettering. From there I began exploring custom signage in addition to calligraphy, and that eventually morphed into murals which started to include a lot of illustration alongside my hand lettering. The long story involves working odd jobs, moving to France, and hitting that point in life where everyone around you starts getting engaged and married.
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with creative parents who have both made their living as independent artists, so from a very young age, I was able to see that it is possible to turn creative passions into a career. As I made my way through college not knowing what I wanted to focus on career-wise, I simply made sure to always follow what sparked my curiosity and work hard along the way. I took classes that ranged from astronomy to screen printing, eventually landing on a degree in French. I lived abroad for a couple of years, taught English, worked as a server, nannied, moved to LA, and continued traveling between jobs. Always on the side and in my free time, I found joy in exploring various artistic mediums. This continued exploration is what eventually led to me taking a calligraphy class through LAB Minneapolis.
Despite being objectively terrible at calligraphy when I took the class, I found that I really enjoyed the process and I kept at it. This class coincided with a season of my life when many friends were getting married, and friends asking for calligraphy turned into friends of friends asking for calligraphy which turned into the first seed of my creative business offering hand lettering for bridal clients. Envelope calligraphy and and place card orders pretty quickly expanded to include custom chalkboards and welcome signs, and eventually, the signage portion of my business spilled over into other industries outside of the wedding market. I found that I really enjoyed being able to work for myself and provide others with a creative service that they need, and I was able to take my side hustle full time just over three years ago.
As I began working outside of the wedding industry with more commercial clients like liquor stores and boutiques, I started to offer larger and more custom creative displays like chalk installations and window artwork. The progression to murals came pretty naturally from there, and I’ve found great joy and creative inspiration in shifting my focus that direction. Murals can completely transform a space, and I love helping clients create a piece that tells the story they want to share in a beautiful and unique way. Illustrations have begun to help me tap into that market as well, and I really enjoy creating custom pieces for branding and marketing campaigns. As Made by Molly Jo continues to grow I look forward to working with bigger mural clients and discovering new ways to integrate my illustrations with brands across various industries.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m an optimist so it feels much easier for me to see how lucky I’ve been than to assess where I’ve struggled. That being said, transitioning from being a creative person who enjoys making art to a creative business who is a professional in their field has definitely had some steep learning curves. A few of the biggest things I struggled with in the beginning were pricing my services, narrowing down what I offer, and figuring out what industry standards are for simple business logistics like invoicing and file formats.
Pricing was a doozy for me. Getting started in the wedding industry was its own whirlwind experience that I can speak to separately for anyone interested, but as I began offering custom signage and murals, I eventually found a few resources that really helped me. I took some online classes from creative professionals in my field on topics like contracts and client management and that helped me understand more about tracking my time with jobs and what all I’m actually charging for (spoiler alert, it’s more than just a mural; think healthcare, liability insurance, design software, etc.). I’ve also found amazing support by simply reaching out to fellow creatives in my community, which is how I discovered the Graphic Artists Pricing and Ethics Handbook. This book is a must-have for any creative selling their work and covers industry standards and averages for just about any and every type of graphic design or illustration.
Narrowing down my services was another huge lesson learned. When I first started charging for creative work, I was so flattered to have anyone willing to pay me that I would just say “I’ll make whatever you want!” when someone reached out to inquire about my services. This method puts the client in charge of what you are willing offer, which is a flawed system from the start. It leads to working on jobs that you don’t really want and it also puts the client in charge of making creative choices when that is supposed to be your job as the professional. I learned that clients much prefer being told “here’s what I’m great at and this is what it costs” vs. “tell me what you want and I’ll figure out how to charge you for it”.
Lastly, figuring out industry standards basically meant learning a lesson in humility and how to navigate imposter syndrome. When I was getting started I felt like I was a million miles behind because I didn’t go to art school or business school and here I was claiming to be a creative business. But you know what? You can learn just about anything from Google, YouTube, and just starting. I submitted files that were the wrong format, missed information on invoices, and overworked myself for lack of establishing things like a set number of revisions or when I am available for calls. If I would have waited to start my business until I figured out how to get everything right, I would have never started. I learned to be okay with saying “I don’t know” and asking what I felt like were stupid, basic questions. But you know what? I only had to ask them once, and now I’ve got years of knowing those answers under my belt and continuing to learn.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Minneapolis based artist specializing in murals and illustration. I work with clients locally and beyond to captivate their target market by telling their story in a beautiful and unique way. I love bold colors and compositions that overlap and blend abstract forms with distinct imagery. Storytelling through imagery is so powerful, and I love helping bring narratives to life in spaces ranging from corporate headquarters to home offices, local restaurants to national retailers and more.
I believe strongly in the power of art in everyday life, and I strive to help make good art more accessible to individuals and brands alike by creating pieces that bring joy, make a statement, and leave an impression. Art possesses the unique duality to both unite people and celebrate diversity, and if I can help bring a little bit more of that into people’s lives then I will have done my job right.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have been lucky in countless ways, from growing up in a family that encouraged creative expression to simply living in a place and age that makes pursuing a creative career possible. But, I also believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get. I was lucky to attend a university with so many creative electives to explore, and I also worked incredibly hard in high school to get scholarships that allowed me to attend that school. I’ve been lucky to meet people who I look up to in my industry and learn from them, and I’ve also worked hard to establish myself in my industry and be open to learning from everyone I meet. At the end of the day, I am incredibly grateful for where I am at in life and business, and only so much of that is in my control.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.madebymollyjo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebymollyjo/
