Meet Allison Molloy | Muralist, Sign Painter, Illustrator, Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Molloy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk. A game of chance and trial and error. The way I see it, you either take a risk, or you play it safe. It can be a scary feeling knowing that the risks you take may not pay off, but if you don’t take risks, you may not get to where you want to be in life. Summoning up the courage to do something that scares you will always be rewarding regardless of the outcome because you know that in the end, you tried. You went for it.

Risk has always played an important role in my life. I overthink a lot of things, but not when it comes to achieving my goals. The risks I’ve taken over the years have helped me get to where I am today.

I took a big risk by moving away from home at 20 years old. Broadening my horizons and learning to depend on myself at a young age has taught me so much about becoming an independent and self-sustaining adult.

From there, I took a risk by going to college knowing that I may or may not utilize my degree in a career setting. Funnily enough, I haven’t really. There are aspects of my time in college that I apply to daily life, but in hindsight, and if I had to do it over again, I would have skipped college and just taken a select handful of classes that would have sufficiently prepared me for my career.

After I graduated, I struggled for a few years not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a successful artist, but I wasn’t quite sure how I would do it. I was tough on myself (still am) and knew that I wasn’t happy. I worked hard at whatever I was doing, however, and kept creating and building a portfolio. I knew that if I wanted to prove to myself that I could succeed as an artist, that I could never quit. I had to keep my eye on the prize and prove to myself that I could achieve my goals.

Ultimately, it was hands on experience in the mural world that truly prepared me to eventually take the leap into buying my business license and fully leaning into making my dreams come true of becoming an entrepreneur.

Leaving my full time job working for a mural company and venturing out to start my own business has undoubtedly been the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, but I don’t regret a second of it. I’ve never been happier and more proud of myself for becoming the hero of my own story.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art. These questions always make me laugh because, candidly, I’m not great about talking about my own work. I’m an artist, but I’m certainly not a wordsmith lol.

What I can say is that bold design, striking saturated colors, geometry, and nature have always been what I’m most drawn to visually, and my work is representative of those things.

What sets me apart? It could be my attention to detail. I am very particular about what I present to the world. Maybe too particular.

Something else that sets me apart is that I really don’t stick to one particular subject matter or medium. I like to try all kinds of things and paint or draw what inspires me. And what inspires me is ever changing. The best way I can describe it is the way in which a musician will change their sound or style or genre over time. I like to mix it up.

The journey of how I got to where I am today was certainly not easy. I’ve worked very hard and have put in a great deal of time honing my skills.

Over the years, simply not knowing for the longest time exactly what I wanted to do, but knowing that I wanted to be a professional artist has been challenging. That state of mental purgatory can be exhausting, but not defeating. I’ve always appreciated graffiti, street art and murals, and knew that I love to paint large scale, so it just made sense to me one day that I should try my hand at murals. Narrowing down what I wanted to do was an obstacle I was able to tackle. Additionally, being a woman in a male-dominated industry has presented its own set of challenges. I have often felt that people don’t take me seriously because I’m a woman, but again, I was and still am determined to break down those barriers. My work ethic, determination and art speaks volumes.

I had the privilege of working for two different mural companies over the past six or seven years. I will never take for granted what I learned while working for these companies. I’m forever grateful for the opportunities and experience I garnered because it truly helped me prepare for my own journey as a professional artist.

Along the way, I’ve learned that if you really want something bad enough, you just have to go for it, sacrificing time and sometimes relationships along the way. Determination paves the way for success, and success can be defined in many ways.

I want the world to know that despite what society tells you about being an artist, it is possible to achieve your goals and to make your dreams come true. I was told growing up that while I was supported as an artist, I should also think about something practical as a profession that would pay the bills, because we all know the term “starving artist” too well. But practicality and artistry are not mutually exclusive. It sounds so cliché, but working hard and keeping your head in the game will pay off. You have to stay determined and hungry and prove to yourself that you can do it even if others scoff at you or try to keep you down. Never stop telling yourself that “I can do that too.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Nashville is a really fun city with a lot to do and see. When people think of Nashville, they often think of the honkey tonk Broadway scene downtown, but this city has so much more to offer than that.

I think a great Nashville trip would include the following:

A micro brewery tour. Nashville is loaded with micro breweries that produce fabulous craft beers and handcrafted food. My favorite is East Nashville Beer Works. It’s family and dog friendly and they serve delicious pizza along with their crisp refreshing beers.

A hike around Radnor or Percy Priest Lake. One of my favorite spots is the Day Loop Trail at Longhunter State Park. There are amazing views of the lake and the rolling Hills in the background. And if you go in the summertime, you’ll witness people having a blast on their jet skis and pontoon boats in Party Cove

The five spot in East Nashville is a great music venue. They have rotating nightly musical acts that are sure to please everyone.

A trip to Nashville wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the only full-scale replica of the Parthenon located in Centennial Park. You can walk around the pond and people watch all day.

Nashville is definitely a food city. There are countless places to wine and dine. I would say the most unique experience you could have would be at Tiger Bar. It is a circus/sideshow themed bar with some of the best cocktails and food in town. It’s unlike anything you’ve encountered before.

If you like to bowl, I recommend East side bowl. It’s a retro step back in time with two music venues and a large bar.

I love to take people to Dukes in East Nashville. It is a simple dive bar, free of pretension. They also have the best sandwiches in my opinion.

The Belcourt Theatre in Hillsborough Village is privately owned and quaint, showing independent films at a reasonable price. I have a recommend this place for anyone who loves movies and loves to support small businesses.

There is live music all over the city with several venues small and large. If Downtown does appeal to you, I recommendRobert’s Western World. It’s one of the only bars downtown that locals frequent.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Let me count the ways!

I have truly always felt supported as an artist by my family, my friends, my coworkers and my mentors. I started drawing when I was very young, and I remember my parents always encouraging me to draw more and more. Their reactions to my work always made me feel unstoppable. On top of the world. They enrolled me in art classes and submitted my art to contests and galleries in my hometown.

My classmates in every level of my schooling recognized my love for art, often encouraging me to pursue art in college and beyond.

It’s been an incredible journey, and I honestly couldn’t be happier that I have so much support for what I do. So this shoutout goes to every single person in my life who has told me to never give up my dream of becoming a full-time artist, for championing me even in times of struggle, and for letting me know that what I do matters.

My mom, dad and sisters have been especially supportive. Thank you all. My heart is forever full knowing I have so many people advocating for me to continue creating and to succeed.

Website: https://Behance.net/amolloy

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/doodle_meister

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/allison33molloy

Other: Email: [email protected]

Google: Molloy Murals & Design

Image Credits
All image credits are to myself Allison Molloy