Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Mallery.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I used to live in Illinois which was nice, but I really took to Boston when I went to school here. Plus, all of my 5 friends live here so there’s that!!!! Anyway, I graduated in 2015 from Lesley University’s College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. While I learned a LOT in college, it wasn’t until afterwards that I started to feel more confident in my craft and voice. College is great, but it really, really doesn’t end there – I think something that kick-started my confidence in myself was when I was somehow selected to be included in the American Illustration 34 annual my senior year of college (I found out on my birthday week which makes it more magical!) This was a big deal for me because I used to browse previous AI annuals daydreaming about being in them one day. Also they are always filled with artists I admire so much! To have my work considered as something good enough to like, be in the same book as them is just…ugh, it blew my mind. I mean, it’s not like the jobs started to roll in, but it validated me in a time when I felt like I had a lack of direction, which is really all I was asking for at that point in my life.
As far as how I got my start…I think every artist says this, but I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. As a child I’ve flip-flopped with my dream jobs, like when I was 4 I wanted to be a horse, and when I was 10 I wanted to live on Mars. I ended up settling with illustration because while I don’t want to be a horse anymore, I still think it’d be cool to go to space so I think the next best thing is DRAWING myself in space…or that’s what I’m tellin myself at least.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, but it also hasn’t necessarily been a struggle. My school was a little (a lot) out of my price range so naturally, of course, as is the way, I ended up taking on a lot of loans. When I graduated I knew I’d probably have to take a day job in order to support myself, which, contrary to popular belief, is common practice amongst people in creative fields. I’ve kept a standard day job since graduation to stay on top of my loans and other bills and then I have my freelance work. It can be tiring, especially if I happen to end up with multiple, overlapping projects, but I’ve gotten pretty good at staggering my deadlines while also taking care of myself as a human being. I think for the most part, my biggest struggles involve taxes and networking. Taxes because I’m just now starting to keep a log of expenses and it’s so easy to get behind on that, and networking because I’m shy as hell! On a side note, if anyone has any accountants with affordable rates they can refer me to, I’m all ears. Also, if anyone wants to be my friend, I’m open to that, too.
Tiffany Mallery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a freelance illustrator and comics artist. I mainly do editorial work, with clients including Everytown, NPR, and Thrillist. I’ve recently started tabling at comic expos, such as this past June at CAKE in Chicago and MICE in Cambridge this upcoming October. Comics is a recent focus in my practice, which has me so excited because I’ve always loved storytelling!
I think if you were to survey people who are familiar with my art, they’d probably describe it as being mostly moody brown girls. Or moody brown girls with bangs, maybe surrounded by flowers or plants or something. A lot of my personal work focuses on introspection, the body, self-doubt, etc. Honestly, they mostly tend to be portraits of myself in some aspect! I’m the subject I know best, after all. But something that gives me great joy is when someone reaches out to me to tell me something that I consider deeply personal or specific to me resonated with them! It reminds me that art is impactful and has a reach farther than I could ever imagine – especially in the age of social media! Something I’ve started doing, at least for the past couple years is putting out a call on Instagram every Valentines season. I’d ask my followers for their address and then send a hand-drawn valentine to them! This past year I sent over 75 within the US and also internationally and even received a few in return, which I LOVE getting mail, so it was pretty amazing, I’m hoping to continue the tradition until the end of times.
As a person and also an artist, something I’m very proud of is my work being used as the cover art for two of my favorite poets’ (and friends) chapbooks: The Magic My Body Becomes by Jess Rizkallah and Peluda by Melissa Lozada-Oliva! They’re such inspiring people and create such vital and important work, so it’s really cool to be able to complement their poetry with my art!!! I also just love them as people. Look them up, they’re great.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I mean, I think naturally the first marker of success is financial, no? That’s the ideal at least, and it’s certainly not unattainable! However, it’s not the ONLY marker of success for me. It’s one of them, for sure. But I also want to make work I’m proud of, for people that I admire and respect. I have a lot of dream clients, one of them being NPR, and I was able to cross them off my list a couple months ago! It was a standard editorial job, but because it was NPR, an organization that puts out work that matters to me, it created a meaningful moment in my career’s timeline. I think, if it ever came to it, if I ever won an Eisner for a comic I worked on or if I ever did a Google Doodle…I don’t know where’d I go from there. I’d be completely beside myself! Those are definitely my top markers for success – my Dream Peaks if you will.
Also, as someone who loves social media…I hate to say it but I really love to see that follower count climb. It’s making me cringe as I type this out. I can’t help it. I love attention. I keep reminding myself: its quality, not quantity! But I’m weak! I guess the one thing that would really top the Eisner and/or Google Doodle is having a drawing go viral on Twitter and being invited onto the Ellen Show.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiffanyillustrating.com
- Email: tiffyillustrating@gmail.com
- Instagram: notiffanyno
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