The Art of Staying Home, with Molly Mahon
Firstly how are you feeling today?
It’s a surreal day as my hand block printed fabrics launched with Schumacher in the US today. It’s hugely exciting and something I never imagined, but hard to digest at this unsettling time.
Tell us about your art and your studio.
Our showroom and office is a short walk from our house and is the heart of all things MM. Then I have the studio in my garden which is my messy space. I have paints, blocks, books, no technology (except the radio). It’s where it all begins and it’s where I can spend time peacefully dreaming up new designs, considering colour, playing with my craft. While the showroom is neat and tidy and ready for passing trade, my studio is messy and the walls are covered in tracings, sketches, tear sheets….
Do you normally work from home?
My days vary so much and I have no set time table other than getting the children to school on time. My time is usually spent divided between my studio at home, my workshop/office nearby, meetings in London and travelling with my workshops. And of course my trips to India.
How has your day to day life changed since COVID-19?
Like everybody else, we as a family have had huge changes to our daily life and as a business we have had huge changes too. I am mainly based at home with the children, working when I can and printing when I can in my studio. My husband Rollo is holding the fort at the office and our staff are working safely from home.
What are you doing creatively to stay calm and mindful?
We are lucky enough to live in the heart of the Ashdown Forest and seek great comfort in long walks and having the time to take in the surrounding natural beauty which is a huge source of inspiration to me.
I have also made a conscious decision to channel my positive energy by sharing my love of block printing, colour and pattern with my followers and loyal clients by creating potato tutorial videos. I can pop in to my studio and create ideas and then get filming! Seeing people’s art work and enthusiasm has been so rewarding and massively uplifting and I love the printing community that has been created as a result, all thanks to Instagram.
Do you have any creative ideas for people to do at home?
My tutorial videos give everyone the chance to try their hand at block printing, with their kids or by finding a quiet creative time by themselves. I think it is so important to find a space within your home that you can escape to and get creative in. The rhythmical process of block printing can be very calming and meditative and we all need to help quieten our minds right now.
What do you think the world will have learned from this?
I think we have learnt to be a little politer and kinder to one another – I have never smiled at so many people as we pass with a safe distance between us. I am finding a smile says so much. I also feel the pressure is off from this constant feeling of now now now….all our clients have been wonderfully understanding about delivery times etc and to be honest it all they feels so much more do-able than the ‘sure I will get that to you now’ time frame we normally work under.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for taking th So many people have taken to creative pursuits to pass the time. Please don’t let this disappear when we are all back to ‘normal’, it really is essential for the mind and soul to be creatively fed, so keep a regular potato printing slot in your diary!!!!
Potato Print 1 by Molly Mahon