We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Molina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Marissa with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I feel like it would be an understatement to say that I am a determined person. As far back as I can remember, I always had this mentality to get things done or to make something work despite any obstacles or not having the ideal resources to do so. Especially as a visual artist, I carry that same sentiment today in everything that I do. My work ethic and sense of responsibility to other’s and to make things happen is definitely inherent in my personality, but I can also see how certain aspects of my life and the examples from my father have reinforced this trait.
My father is an immigrant from El Salvador who grew up in extreme poverty. He has been working since he was 5 and had to stop school completely in 3rd grade to work to help support his family. Growing up, I was always in awe of the stories my father told of all of his life adventures; from the hardships to the joyful tales like when he would use bamboo like a pole vault and launch himself in a field. I was always amazed by his ingenuity and his determination. None of the hardships stopped him, but simply helped to shape an amazing person who would not give up, and worked immensely hard to get what he wanted and needed. He came during the revolution in El Salvador, learned English while here, and made sure to bring the rest of his siblings, nieces, and nephews here safely. Throughout my life he also made sure to get his GED and even enrolled in college classes recently.
I always appreciated everything I had and never let anything be an excuse for why I wasn’t able to accomplish something. This definitely had a strong impact on my will to keep going and put in the effort to make things happen.
The other really notable factor that solidified my independence and desire to make things happen instead of waiting for them to was when I moved as a child and missed learning how to read. In my previous neighborhood you learned in first grade, and in my new neighborhood it was in kindergarten. Of course, we moved when I was going into first grade so I completely missed that critical step. I remember being in the classroom, and all of the students were reading an assignment we were meant to make a drawing about, and of course because I was so alarmed that I could not read, instead of listening to the kids speaking the prompt aloud, I panicked. I ended up just drawing the poster with instructions and just sat there while the teacher looked through all of the drawings while sitting next to me. I was immediately given a teacher to learn on the side and I learned quickly, so much so that i was annoyed by the simple book they had me read to the class. From then on, you could not stop me from reading. This carried with me in everything. Instead of waiting for other people to initiate something, I will always take matters into my own hand and solve whatever task is at hand.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a New York based Latina Muralist and Visual Artist specializing in vibrant large-scale paintings, murals, and wearable sculptures. I earned my BA in Departmental Art Honors and World History from the University at Albany, SUNY in 2010 along with my MFA in Studio Art at The City College of New York, CUNY in 2014.
Fueled by a profound interest in people, my art lives in a garishly playful and vibrant world filled with personalities and the objects, environments, and energies that embody them. I strive to create empowered, bold, and energetic portraits that illuminate the energy individuals possess while setting a general tone of positivity, brightness, and fun into the world. Hair is especially crucial in highlighting these features through a variety of stories and textures. Historically, hair holds so much depth and meaning. It is the physical manifestation of the passage of time, it reflects mood and health, and holds the freedom for style and color and ultimately self-expression. It is also often something attacked and repressed in society. My work celebrates the beauty and variety of texture and literally wearing our interests, thoughts, feelings and true essence at the forefront.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked extensively in public arts, primarily serving the youth and community through educational programs and public mural opportunities. I am currently the Mural Program Art Director for a Nonprofit called Thrive Collective as well as the Manager of Creative Cultural Operations at the Museum of Urban Arts. Outside of my nonprofit work, I have created numerous murals in and around New York City. Some of my murals can be seen at museums and cultural centers like The Clemente and the Loisaida Center in Lower Manhattan and the Museum of Urban Art in Queens and Long Island. Some of my public work can be found at Underhill Walls in Brooklyn, El Bohio Walls in Lower Manhattan, and the Grandscale Mural Project in Harlem. I’ve had the privilege to paint paint as a featured artist for the Homecoming Queens Concert and the Hip Hop 50 Summit. My artwork has been featured in the Universal Hip Hop Museum and a Stella McCartney’s fashion week showcase as well as commissioned for Prime Video’s Premier event for the show Harlem. Currently I’m preparing to show art the New York Art Expo this April with FameSpace.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills that were truly impactful on my journey as an Artist have been: embracing my voice and message, remaining playful/adventurous, and lastly, connecting with other people. I’ve always thought it was important to never try to emulate someone else, but to figure out what I am interested in, how I see everything, and what I want to present to the world. It is easy of get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing or creating, but the way people will you receive you the best is when you are truly remaining authentic to yourself. It becomes clear what is worth investing your energy into. What type of gigs, commissions, and overall job opportunities to take on and it is so much more fulfilling. For people who are still early on in their journey I would suggest taking the time to really contemplate what they want and how different situations or ideas make them feel. The more you are aware of yourself and the reasons you might be choosing to do something will make a world of difference.
Remaining playful and adventurous I think is super important especially in world with so much responsibility and pressure. Without being playful it will be a lot harder to discover things and make light of things that may not have worked out as you hoped. It also allows you to take more risk and feel freedom to attempt new and creative things that will help unlock your full potential. I think especially as my art emphasizes joy and life, this quality is really key to surpassing hardships and viewing life in a much more positive light. Taking time out each day or week to feed your soul and attempt things you enjoy or are drawn to are key. Realizing that time is critical and so the more you are purposeful with that time and enjoy as much out of life will refresh every other aspect.
Staying connected with the world and other people opens up so many doors for opportunity and fulfillment. On a basic level, finding other people in your field and supporting one another will only open up more doors for everyone. It is not about competing with others, but propelling your self forward without the expense of others. Allowing yourself to also go beyond communities you may be apart of and expanding those boarders will just expand your world immensely. Especially as a muralist, thats one thing I truly love about getting integrated into different areas. I am inspired by people and their personalities and want to reflect the energies and environments they are in. Widening the world and communities you are apart of allow you to have a life you may have never imagined. In the end with all of these qualities/ skills, people early on their journey need to try new things and hold space for that to expand their world.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My number one challenge is not over extending myself. Often, I take on too many tasks at a time. With my position in the Nonprofit, I’m overseeing all of the mural project designs and artists within the team. So the majority of the time I’m helping everyone else while trying to fit in time for my personal projects and goals. I’m trying to step back and be realistic about the workloads I can take on the quality I can give to each of those projects. I tend to make everyone’s dream happen and since I am confident in myself and ridiculously determined, I still get everything done but often at the expense of myself. I’ll barely sleep in those instances and over exert myself but just keep going. A big thing that has helped recently is talking to others while I’m deciding what is both realistic and necessary to take on. This helps me see how ridiculous I may be in considering certain things as well as help identify what is worth putting more effort into working into my schedule. I plan on taking more time to be thoughtful and more conscious of what is important to me and not only others. In the end I hope to put myself first more often than I have in the past and put energy in the right direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marissamolinaart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minhafofa
