55: The Journey From Being Broke & Homeless To Becoming A Thriving Full-Time Artist & Muralist

Amy Malkan is a public artist, artrepreneur and community developer. Her family heritage from India and Africa and travels have influenced her artistic expression. She is best known for her community based public art projects. Malkan fundamentally believes that everyone deserves access and exposure to the arts, therefore she strives to engage the public in the design and production of most of her public art projects. Malkan uses art and creativity to bridge the relationships between the public and public places. Over the past 6 years Malkan has facilitated the design, coordination, and production of over 70 public art projects across the Houston area and has recently expanded outside of Texas. Some of these projects have been co-created with the involvement of over 3,000 area youth, artists and hundreds of community stakeholders. Through each public art project, everyone experiences a hands-on involvement and becomes an active participant in the creative process. At the end of each project the participant is left with a deep and meaningful feeling of stewardship and ownership of the final work. Each public space is unique and has its own culture, therefore the design, motifs, and imagery captured in her work, is a direct reflection of the community. This type of public art expands the style, social context and technique for the execution of her work into broad and diverse territory. Her intention with every public art installation is to transform the environment into a cultural and artistic destination to help showcase the beauty and uniqueness each community has to offer. In this episode, we discuss... How Amy got into art and mural work Her journey from leaving an abusive relationship and being homeless, to building a successful life and career How to balance being an full-time entrepreneur and single mom How to go about pricing your work Some of her biggest mistakes made in business How she gets her clients and projects And so much more! Social Media & Links: https://instagram.com/amymalkan https://tiktok.com/@amymalkan @devonastimpson devonastimpson.com artbydevona.com