Today we’d like to introduce you to Miriam O’Brien.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always loved drawing since I can remember. That led me to want to become an architect when I was 14 and I went through a long journey to finally get my B.A. in Architecture in 2009. But that’s when I realized I didn’t enjoy designing buildings, just the drawing part of construction documents. I loved the technical part of it and some people have said it shows in my art.
I was born and raised in Panama City, Panama. My parents are Chinese and I grew up with both Chinese and Panamanian cultures, but I consider myself Panamanian all the way. Growing up, I didn’t appreciate Panamanian culture as I should have. Not sure the reason why and I regret that very much now. My family and I moved to the United States in 1999, specifically to Sacramento, CA. This move made me realize how rich Panamanian culture is and how much I took it for granted. I didn’t know of any other Panamanians in Sacramento and social media wasn’t a thing yet. I felt very disconnected to my culture for many years. One of the most iconic items in Panama are molas, a textile art form from the Guna Indians from the San Blas Islands in Panama and some parts of Colombia. While I never owned one because they were “too expensive” and I really had no use for them, I loved their unique designs.
Fast forward to early 2015, I was going through some hardships but had the loving support of very close friends that were there for me. I wanted to show them my appreciation and thought a gift would do the trick. But nothing I found felt unique and special, so I decided to make it myself, whatever that was going to be. I had purchased a cutting machine a while ago and thought I could maybe make molas out of paper. I had no idea how to do that, so I had to do some research. I read up on how a mola was made but that wasn’t really helping me much, as I could not apply sewing techniques to paper. I found a couple of very helpful video tutorials (mostly from middle school teachers) that got me started. It took me about three months, but I finished three molas made out of paper on canvas, each with unique attributes that pertained to my friends. When they saw their gifts, they were very amazed at how they looked. While we were at an art gallery that was looking for local artists, one of my friends said that I could have my paper molas there. I thought that was the craziest idea and wondered who would want to buy these, so I put that idea in the back of my mind for a while. A year later, an opportunity to sign up at a local craft fair in late October showed up and I decided to go for it. I made 4 paper molas on canvas and about 80 handmade greeting cards. It was a very successful event, mainly because of the support of family and friends. I continued signing up for local fairs until my husband and I moved to Houston in the Fall of 2018.
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?
When I started this art journey, it was just a hobby, a thing to do on the side, as I had a full-time job. But after moving to Houston, this hobby became my job. I have a shop on Etsy and didn’t start selling at Houston markets until December 2021. My struggle has been finding my audience outside of Etsy. My mission is to share Panamanian culture with the world by making mola-inspired art relatable to people who don’t know about molas. That’s the reason why I’m incorporating Texas designs and landmarks that may connect with locals. Selling my art at market events is my way of getting to know people and to find out who my audience is.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I design art inspired by molas, which are pretty colorful and bold. Some might consider them a bit maximalist. My art is definitely not for everyone and I’m ok with that.
I start by doing some rough sketches with pencil on my sketchbook but sometimes I use my tablet. Once I have the main subject figured out, I use a graphic software to fine-tune it and do my preliminary grid to help me figure out the “labyrinth”. I used to print that grid and draw the labyrinth using tracing paper and a pencil, but now that I have the tablet, it saves me the step of scanning and saving to my computer. I just email the drawing to myself and open it in my software to complete the artwork. To finish, I choose the colors and put my signature in the corner. Some designs may take a few hours from concept to finish, and there are others than can take days, depending on the complexity of the subject I’m drawing.
I offer prints and greeting cards, but I also print my designs on coasters, magnets, keychains, and similar practical items in my home office. I’ve been thinking about expanding and making original art again, not with paper but with wood.
Many have said that they’ve never seen anything like my art and I love it when they leave my booth with the knowledge of what molas are. That’s the moment I’m most proud of.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice would be to not let fear stop you from doing what you need to do to get started and to take any losses or negative experiences as an opportunity to grow and be better. Don’t dwell on those bad experiences for too long, just enough to learn from them and move on.
Contact Info:
- Website: papermolas.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papermolas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/papermolas/
- Other: https://papermolas.wordpress.com/2022/06/28/my-papermolas-story-in-a-poster/
