Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily McMullan.
Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Yes, absolutely.
I was born and raised here in San Diego. After high school, I moved to Maryland and later to Colorado. I returned to my roots however in 2012, with my husband in tow, and we started our own San Diego chapter of life. We’re extremely invested in our community, and we are here for the long run. We are raising our two daughters here surrounded by all that this region has to offer. Lots of full circle moments for me since I’ve returned home, and many new storylines for my husband, who grew up on the East Coast.
One of my favorite art-related memories from childhood was from first grade. Apparently, I was too sick to go to school… but rallied when I realized that it was a Tuesday. Tuesday was the day that the “art-cart” lady came to class and taught her mobile art lesson. Thankfully, my mom realized early on that creating was my safe place, and she encouraged me to attend the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Paradise Hills. I rode a bus every day there and back from 4th-12th grade and took every visual art class that was offered.
During my junior and senior years of high school, I chose to be a “peer counselor” as an elective, where you got to work with and help out peers within the moderate to severely handicapped classes. I got to help them with their schoolwork, mainstreaming, mobility around campus, etc. I fell in love with that population and had a very strong sense that I wanted to work within the field of Special Education in some capacity…but my first love was always art.
After high school, I went to a small college outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where I studied special education and visual arts. I ended up staying in Maryland and teaching for 5 years while earning my master’s degree in education in the evenings.
Teaching full-time, going to night school, being an adult, maintaining relationships, those elements became all-consuming. Before I knew it, the artistic and creative parts of me were packed up in a box, sitting on some symbolic shelf collecting dust, while life continued to happen…and lots of life happened…
Fast forward to me being 32 years old. I found myself having to return to work at an emotionally draining and unhealthy teaching position from a brutally short maternity leave with my first daughter. My husband and I had worked so hard, but now we were back in San Diego, where everything was more expensive, and our responsibilities were no joke. We had a baby, and then we had another baby. I was steamrolled by life…and I didn’t have the agency I felt like I had when I was younger. I loved my family, but I was going through the motions, and it frustrated and overwhelmed me that that had become my reality. I put on a good front, but I was just surviving. On paper, everything looked great…but the reality was that I was miserable and felt trapped. I had so much stress and no outlet to deal with it in a healthy way. I was eating crap and drinking way too much, just trying to get through the day. Then I would feel horrible about myself and just press repeat. I was in a downward spiral. Not surprisingly, I was soon diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
Gradually, over the course of two years, my husband and I started making some intentional and significant shifts in order to get to a better place. I started therapy and medication. I let go of drinking alcohol. I became (California) sober. I resigned from my teaching position and started a new one. I started reading books again. I took intentional breaks at work to look at artists on Instagram because it made me happy.
And then slowly, slowly, slowly…I started to remember. At 35 years old, I rekindled my first love, and I started painting again in the garage of my home. I literally shoved all of the junk into a corner and carved out a space for myself. Figuratively, I was doing the exact same thing, but I didn’t realize that until much later.
Now, more than ever, at 42 years old, I feel like I’m just getting started. Like I’ve been warming up for something for the last four decades. What exactly? I have no idea. I’m just excited about life, its potential, the possibilities it holds, and the work I’m doing right now. I feel like I am getting ready to step out onto the stage of my own life. And even though it still feels like the prelude, I’m pretty much in love with the whole vibe…
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Define “smooth.” Just kidding. Seriously though, it’s so perfect to be asked that question right now because I’m literally two paintings into a series I’m working on called “Taking the Long Road Home.” It’s inspired by the slow and deliberate continuation of pushing forward, step by step, just moving the needle one degree at a time…and embracing the journey. That’s the path I’m on. I often get asked by well-intentioned individuals in the art community if I’m going to do a certain show or festival have a booth at a place do this or that, or join this group, etc.
In these moments, I mentally return to the podcast The Jealous Curator, hosted by Danielle Krysa. There’s an interview she does with artist Ronald Jackson, out of Baltimore, Maryland. He explains how he slowly built his art career within the margins of life while in the military. He kept with it, was consistent, and by the time he retired from the military, he had built a very solid foundation as an artist, so he was able to open the door and walk right through. He supported himself. He was his own patron. That’s what I’m trying to build. For me, this slow-lane approach adds clarity to life.
Allowing art into the driver’s seat of my life has veered it into a direction which is open-ended and expansive. It’s bright, shimmery, and inclusive. It beats to a rhythm that’s aligned with my truth and helps me navigate carefully through each day. “Taking the Long Road Home” represents the unique journey each of us take to find and rediscover who we are again. There’s no shortcuts. And everyone’s road is their own to travel. I can look back into the rearview mirror for reflection and gratitude, but my trajectory is forward. Or inward. However, you look at it.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It’s been three and a half years since I founded my LLC, Practices In Art. The people, community, and experiences that have become part of my life since then are more than I could have ever imagined.
My impressionistic paintings are born through the cracks and crevices of everyday life. Each piece has an underlying vibe of honoring the unexplainable call of creation again and again. I work mostly in acrylics, oils, and mixed media.
I tend to paint in categories. I have the “Whatever inspires me” category. This is just me painting for me. Like my “Long Road Home” series, for example. I have my collaborative/inspiration series, like my “Catrina” series I am creating with my friend and local San Diego photographer, Manny Lopez. Artists inspire artists to create more art…it’s just the best. Then I have my commissions. This is the consistent, steady income producing work-which I absolutely love doing. I learn so much from creating and painting things I would never think of on my own. Commissions elevate my painting skills, push me technically, and I love the feeling of being scared for a bit, like “don’t fuck up this person’s anniversary gift!” Then getting to see their reaction…nothing beats it. Pure joy. And since I’m not (yet) a full-time artist, I can be choosy about the commissions I do. If I start getting a high-maintenance client vibe, I can just politely decline. Saying “no” to projects, jobs, or events is a powerful way to harness and direct your energy into what really matters to you. You get to be the curator because it’s your life.
What sets me apart from others? That’s an interesting question because I’m nothing without others. That’s the thing with art. It’s all about context, connections, relationships, and community. Like me doing this interview, for example. It’s because of another person. Every single opportunity I’ve had is because someone invited me or included me in it. Art done right breeds inclusivity, curiosity, and connections. I’m just right there-in it with everyone who’s showing up day in and day out.
The words “Joy,” “Wonder,” and “Awe” are words I carry with me at all times. Like literally-I have them tattooed on my body. Seriously…I do. But also, seriously, these words are the pulse, the heartbeat of the work I create, and they emerge in every piece I make. I often find myself struck by the awe of it all. I’m always leaning into joy…and when I fall…art is always there. And then I’m just left with wonder.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Well, after living in other states for a total of eleven years, I came home. And I’m never leaving. There’s something about traveling or going away, then getting to come home to San Diego. It’s just the best. Flying into the airport, over Balboa Park. Seeing the Coronado Bridge. It’s so special. People come from all over the world to visit our city, and here we are, living right here in it. I love the diversity, the people, the vastness of cultures, the weather, the terrain, the mountains, oceans, the city, and all of the unique neighborhoods. And the food.
To see my work in real life, you can head to the Cobalt Gallery in South Park, Expressive Arts at 32nd and Thorn in North Park, Sew Loka’s in Barrio Logan, or the Esco Art Alley in Escondido. You are also welcome to visit my home studio by appointment. I typically price my work at $1.00 per square inch. This helps collectors and clients make informed decisions, and it also helps with transparency when completing commissions, and often allows individuals to obtain original art within their price range.
I have a website, www.practicesinart.com, where you can also purchase some originals and order fine art prints. I’m mostly on Instagram, but I also share my art on Facebook.
What do I like least about San Diego?
Well, one thing would have to be rush hour traffic on the 5. We were stuck in it while I was in labor with my first daughter, and we barely made it to the hospital…but that’s another story for another day.
Pricing:
- $1.00 per square inch for original work
- Fine art prints start at $40 on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.practicesinart.com
- Instagram: @practices_in_art
- Facebook: Practices In Art-Emily McMullan
Image Credits
Jolene Redfern
