Today we’d like to introduce you to Molly Jenson.
Molly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 3 or 4 years old, I walked into the kitchen wearing my ballet leotard over a tutu, knee-high socks, roller skates, my hair in lopsided pigtails, and star stickers all over my eyelids and proudly declared to my mother “When I grow up, I want to be a mommy, a teacher, and a taxi driver”. I think that’s when she knew I was going to be an artist of some sort.
I was an expressive kid. I loved to sing and act and I was always into some new craft. I liked so many different creative things and tried them all out (bless my parents). And every time I’d try out something new, I’d wonder how I could turn it into a job. When I was six, I was already going door to door trying to sell stickers to my neighbors. I guess I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit. Whoa, quick interjection, I just typed out entrepreneurial without looking it up or using spell check! It’s clearly in my bones. Anyway, I knew back then that I would never have a “normal” job, and so far that has been the case.
In high school, I got into choir and that’s when I fell in love with singing. I sang all throughout high school and college and even dropped out of college to sing in a band. When I was 24, I got a call from my friend Greg Laswell. He asked if I wanted to write and possibly make an album. We met up, wrote a song and started working right away on my first full-length solo album. I released the album on my own, played a lot of shows, and hustled my butt off for five years.
I loved the hustle for a while but I was mostly on my own, booking my own tours and managing myself and that began to get very exhausting. After signing to a label and re-releasing my album in 2009 and playing Lilith Fair (which was incredible but I was too burnt out to enjoy it) in 2010, I took a much-needed break from music. I got married and started a videography company with my husband. I also started pursuing work as a voice-over actor, a job I’d always been interested in but had been too afraid to pursue until a friend pushed me. In 2012, a video I voiced went viral and that got me my first voice over agent. Around that same time, I joined a band as a backup singer/guitarist and started touring again. So, my jobs that year (all at the same time) were: voice over actor, singer, guitar player, tour manager, merch girl, videographer, editor, business manager, accountant, wife, dog mom. It was a lot. Too much. I did not have boundaries. I do now.
In 2017, I got divorced, left the videography business, left the band, and started drawing as a way to process all the loss and grief in my life. I hadn’t written any songs for myself in eight years. I wasn’t ready to do that since my life was so saturated with music. I needed something creative outside of music and voice-overs and videos that I could do to help me process and so I just started drawing these little cartoon characters. They were brightly colored and silly looking but they came from a very deep dark place. Of course, I imagined I would someday make a book of these drawings because that’s where my brain goes. But they really helped me get through that time.
At the end of 2017, I started writing songs for me again and in February 2019, I made my second full-length solo album. I feel like I’m starting from scratch as a solo artist. The music business has changed so much and it’s been 10 years since my last album came out. But I’m glad I got to make this album and I hope it’s the beginning of many more.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely NOT been a smooth road. I think my biggest struggle as an artist has been a lack of belief in myself. I haven’t trusted my own gut because I was insecure and thought the other people around me knew more than I did. I held myself back from pursuing certain things because I didn’t think I was good enough or smart enough or pretty enough. It’s taken me a long time but I have finally started believing in and loving myself. And now my gut/intuition is my best friend. This change in my thinking has made a world of difference. I still struggle with doubt and fear but now I see the fear as a tool that I’m headed in the right direction. It’s often the things that scare us the most that are the things we most need to do. The hardest part is pushing through the initial fear but once we see that fear as a clue, it makes pushing through feel like less of a chore and more of an adventure.
Aside from a general lack of self-confidence, my other main struggle throughout my life has been relationships. I didn’t value myself and therefore didn’t set good boundaries and in turn, allowed a lot of unhealthy toxic people into my life. If I was still critical of myself, I’d look back on my 20’s and 30’s and say I wasted most of those years on trying to make other people happy. But now, I can look back and see all the incredible lessons I learned along the way. I can truly say I’m grateful for every unhealthy relationship (romantic and non-romantic) for shaping me into who I am today. And that feels a lot better than holding onto anger and resentment.
In regards to advice, I would say – be kind. Remember that we are all the same. Every one of us has our own unique story, perspective, desires, fears. No one is better than anyone else. Treat people like you want to be treated. We are all in this together and we need to act like it.
Please tell us about your work.
I am a singer/songwriter, voice-over actor, artist, and writer. I think that’s the first time I’ve called myself a writer. Writing is something I’ve always done but only for myself, aside from music. I’ve just recently started toying with the idea of sharing my writing. So, this is me pushing that idea forward by saying “I’m a writer”. You all heard it here, now I can’t back out.
As a singer/songwriter, I am most proud of the solo album I JUST made with my friend/producer/co-writer Greg Laswell. I didn’t think I was going to make another solo album but it happened and I am so proud of it. It comes out early 2020 and I can’t wait to share it with the world. I’m also really proud of a project I write/sing/play for called For The Sender. It’s a collaborative project with a handful of San Diego musicians. People write in letters and we write songs about those letters. It’s a really special project and we have a Christmas show in San Diego every December.
As a voice-over actor, I am most proud of the viral video I voiced “Fotoshop by Adobé” because it was one of my first jobs and I think I nailed it. And I did a cartoon last year where I played a teenage mushroom. Voicing cartoons is my FAVORITE! And I hope I get to do that more.
As an artist, I’m most proud of the first book of drawings I did while I was going through my divorce. It ended up getting stolen, which was heartbreaking and also felt sort of perfect. I put so much raw feeling and emotions into those drawings. It was my way of grieving the loss of a marriage I really believed I would be in till death. Those pages soaked up pain and anger and it was so good to get it out. But when the book was stolen, it felt like it was the universes way of telling me to let go.
As a writer, I’m proud of how brutally honest I am. Actually, I’m proud of that in all my work. I’ve been told often that I am an oversharer. I have had many people, mostly men, in my life tell me to talk less or filter more of what I say. It’s taken me a long time but I have finally come to own and LOVE that I AM AN OVERSHARER. I think that is what sets me apart from others. I will say the thing that other people are thinking but might not feel comfortable saying. I am that way one on one, in a crowd of friends, with a perfect stranger, in my drawings, when I write, and onstage. Is that my brand? I’m cool with that.
Who have you been inspired by?
I’m inspired by:
My friend Anya Marina because she works really hard and also takes care of herself. She has taught me a lot about self-care and self-love.
My friend Emily Owen because she is the most patient person I know. She also runs her own business, mothers two kids, laughs at every single one of my jokes, and every time I text to see if I can spend the night (often), she responds with “duh”. I’ve never felt more unconditionally loved by a friend.
My friend Sara Watkins because she has seen fame and it hasn’t changed her. She started over as a solo artist after taking a break with her band, Nickel Creek, and she did everything herself. No ego. Just hard work and a smile.
My mom because she is 70 and just started taking Spanish classes. She isn’t afraid to try something new later in life and I love that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mollyjenson.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mollyjay
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mollyjenson
- Other: www.youtube.com/mols222
Image Credit:
Christian Rios, Erin Pechtel
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