Molly E. S. Kellam - artist's bio & background

Have you ever met someone who regularly falls down "research rabbit holes" or maybe you remember meeting someone who could be described as a "fountain of seemingly useless information?" That may have been me.

My academic career involved a lot of "change major" forms, as, unfortunately, it's apparently not possible to major in everything. Still, no matter what combination of majors, minors, classes, or internships, I never stopped drawing and "crafting." Eventually, at a slightly younger age than my classmates, I graduated in 2007 from Converse College with a double major in Studio Art and Computer Science. 

Drawing, painting, printmaking, and graphic design are where I've honed my skills the sharpest. Still, I relish experimenting with new mediums, trying new  materials and techniques, and while I'm creating I'm probably listening to a podcast, audiobook, or a documentary about outer space, animals, true crime, cryptids, philosophy, political theory, product design, psychology, self-improvement, mythology, or whatever fictional universe has captured my imagination for the moment. I've been excited in recent years to be gaining experience creating in 3D and photography. The collection of factoids I horde like a nearsighted dragon often weave their way into my creations, making my subjects as broad as the methods with which I tackle them.

The common threads through my life are a desire to create, connecting with other people through the joy of stories, and seeking to improve my corner of the universe by making life better for the humans and animals I encounter. I'm a bit of a polymath with no reservations about jumping headfirst into a new area of interest through classes or autodidactic means. Nothing makes me happier than when I can blend my passions, whether that is making something that expresses the unique way I see the world in a way that words alone fail, helping people learn to express themselves, or working together to solve problems in new ways.

As a recovering perfectionist, I have an eye for detail and internal drive to keep improving my skills as an artist and all-around-human. The "recovering" part means too that while I still enjoy debate around the Big Existential Questions, I'm more inclined to approach even serious work with humor, or at least honesty. Life is difficult enough, being honest and able to embrace humor are some of the only tools we have.

Growing up and continuing to live in the Southeastern U.S., I've grateful to have called cities like Nashville, Savannah, and Atlanta "home." Simultaneously, I love the opportunity to camp and reconnect with the woods and nature, like when I would roam the undeveloped acres near my childhood subdivision. While for a time I purposefully tried to purge the my Southern accent from my voice, having lived for over a decade now in the stretch of suburbia between Atlanta and Macon, I can't deny that the Georgia drawl has crept back in to stay, alongside a hint of my original "Tennessee twang."

While my background and current career as a teacher might read as sheltered to some, a call to serve my community over the years has educated me through experience on how, and when, to be quiet, listen, and learn from the diverse people around me, and to remember that experiences can be radically different. The King Leopold the First quote of, "The dealings with artists, for instance, require great prudence; they are acquainted with all classes of society, and for that very reason dangerous," rings quite true to me (if you consider knowledge to be dangerous that is). I've been privileged to work and make friends with an astonishing number of people from different backgrounds who have each given me precious insight into their lives and their experience of the world, and I hope I in turn use that knowledge for the benefit of the world as a whole.

If you have come to this website to get some more information about me and my work, I hope this is enough to start you off. You can discover more via the various links or reach out via social media or my email listed above.