{"id":35901,"date":"2015-03-27T18:41:08","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T22:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.uncommongoods.pro\/?p=35901"},"modified":"2016-07-05T18:13:49","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T22:13:49","slug":"inside-the-artists-studio-with-molly-mcgrath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/2015\/inside-the-artists-studio-with-molly-mcgrath\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Artist’s Studio with Molly McGrath"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

Molly McGrath<\/a> is a laser-cutting artist who marries her architecture training with her love for geometric shapes and bright hues. Molly\u2019s statement art pieces are known for intricacy and precision, yet words like \u201clively\u201d and \u201dfun\u201d still come to mind when you see them. I visited Molly\u2019s lovely studio in the heart of The Mission in San Francisco and it wasn\u2019t a surprise that her open space mimicked her artwork\u2019s aesthetic \u2013 flashing lots of playfulness with even more color. Her studio held lots of character, from her personable knick-knacks to her hand painted geometric doors, I simply couldn\u2019t focus on just one thing. Natural light flooded in, her laser cut designs peeked out from drawers and vignettes, and her desktops were scattered with signs of production. I felt like I was standing in the middle of a real life Pinterest<\/a> board titled \u201cInterior Eye Candy.\u201d It was clear that Molly built a home away from home \u2013 a space that was truly hers to the very core.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

Creatives often try their best to limit distractions in order to stay focused on their craft. Yet it was procrastination for Molly that ignited the initial spark for her small business. As Molly told me, \u201cI used a laser cutter extensively in architecture school – making models mostly out of birch plywood. I have always made jewelry and one day, while procrastinating, I decided to make some earrings on the laser cutter. That was the beginning!\u201d Read about Molly\u2019s friends Larry and Lola, what quote keeps her inspired, and her current obsession to perfect her craft!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Atlas<\/a><\/p>\n

Atlas 1<\/a> by Molly McGrath.<\/em><\/p>\n

Where do you find inspiration within this space?<\/strong>
\nMy studio is definitely my laboratory. I have painted a wall with a sharpie, color blocked my doors, and constantly rearrange and review my collection of objects, textiles, furniture, and books for inspiration.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a>
\n\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

What are your most essential tools?<\/strong>
\nMy laser cutters (Larry and Lola) are definitely my most essential tools. Everything that comes out of my studio has been cut by one of them! I\u2019m also completely reliant on AutoCad <\/a>and the Adobe Creative suite to generate my designs.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

Where does down time fit into a day in the studio?<\/strong>
\nSince there are just two of us here, there isn\u2019t a lot of downtime. We run a pretty efficient shop. Daily trips to the post office accompanied by a coffee break are probably the closest thing to down time we have at our studio!<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

What was the toughest lesson you learned as a young designer starting a business?<\/strong>
\nThe most difficult part of my work has been figuring out how to grow and being strategic of the direction of the business.<\/p>\n

How did you come up with the concept of your product?<\/strong>
\nI used a laser cutter extensively in architecture school – making models mostly out of birch plywood. I have always made jewelry and one day while procrastinating I decided to make some earrings on the laser cutter. At that time in 2006, there was not a lot of laser cut jewelry, and people really responded to it. That was the beginning!<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a>\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

What advice would you offer the you of 5 years ago?<\/strong>
\nThe same advice as I offer myself now – hire more people to help with production to allow for more time for product development.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

How do you set goals for yourself?<\/strong>
\nMy goals are simple – to continue to evolve as a designer, and to grow as a business.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

How and when do you decide to celebrate a victory?<\/strong>
\nUsually when I get a new design opportunity that I couldn\u2019t have foreseen. For example, I am working on a collaboration with Chronicle Books<\/a>, which I have celebrated quite a bit!<\/p>\n

What quote keeps you motivated? What does that quote mean to you?<\/strong>
\n\u201cOnce in awhile you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right\u201d – Jerry Garcia<\/p>\n

This quote is from a song called “Scarlet Begonias” by the\u00a0Grateful Dead. I listened to this song incessantly starting around age of 16, a time when everything is exciting and the possibilities of life are endless. I love the sentiment, and it also is a great approach to design.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

What are some new skills you are trying to acquire to perfect your craft?<\/strong>
\nI am always on the hunt for a new material to use with the laser cutters. My current obsession is ceramics, so I am trying to learn everything I can about that medium at the moment.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a>
\n\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

How do you recharge your creativity?<\/strong>
\nTravel, reading Vogue<\/em>, hiking, and going to museums.<\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

Where does collaboration come into play with your craft?<\/strong>
\nOften! My employee Qiana has been an amazing collaborative partner, as have many of my wholesale accounts. I also love doing custom work. It often results in a completely different approach!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Molly<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Molly McGrath learned to use a laser cutter in architecture school. Now, she uses two of them (nicknamed Larry and Lola) to create her entrancing geometric art. Step inside her San Francisco studio!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":36197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[743],"tags":[1482,37,2042,910],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35901"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48798,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35901\/revisions\/48798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}