Emory O’Malley

Sometimes your creative corporate job can stifle your creativity. This was the case for artist and writer Emory O’Malley, who decided to leave marketing behind to focus on his own creative practice, where he brings together writing, quiltmaking and visual art. Alongside this, he’s training to become a substance abuse counsellor. It’s a reminder that all creative journeys look different. Emory shares with CLIP the importance of always following your passions, backing yourself and finding creativity and support in the queer community.

About my work

My creative practice
I recently left my career in marketing to pursue both my creative passions and a career in substance abuse counseling. I found that having a creative marketing role was paradoxically stifling my creativity, so I wanted to find a day job that engages other aspects of my life – like a passion for helping others – and then use my free time on my creative side hustles. Alongside my husband, I make commissioned quilts; I paint and have had one of my pieces included in an art exhibition; and I am a writer, publishing poetry and two regular newsletters while working on a novel.

Influences and inspiration
I spend a lot of time at my local art museum, which is one of my greatest sources of creative inspiration. I love to wander the galleries, grab a coffee and a pastry at the cafe and sit down to write. One of the best gifts I’ve given myself is an annual membership to the museum – trust me, it pays off!

I also love to spend time in nature: I have a garden that I tend to, I go to the botanical gardens (yes, I’m a member there, too), and I love to take walks at different parks, nature preserves or along the Niagara River. I always bring my digital camera, a simple point-and-shoot, with me to capture glimpses of the world.

My training
I studied English and creative writing in college. There’s so much I could say about what I learned there, but the most important thing was training my attention. All of my creative practices – writing, painting, quilting, collaging, sketching – require attention to detail. I think my strongest writing – whether that’s fiction, poetry, a newsletter, or a marketing project – draws out the details that give shape to our daily lives.

And, more than just attention, my practices require curiosity. My liberal arts education taught me to be curious about the world around me; that curiosity leads me to constant experimentation and invention. I have never felt limited in my creative practice – I go where my heart and my attention lead me and see what emerges.

Favourite recent project
Oh, gosh, this is hard! How can I choose just one? My husband and I are currently finishing up a piece for Transmissions Quilts, which is a project that makes quilts for trans people around the country. This one is extra special to me because it’s for a personal friend of ours. I love any project where I get to collaborate with my husband, and to make a quilt for someone we love just makes my heart sing.

If I’m allowed to mention a second recent project, I co-edited a collection of essays on time travel in recent film and television that is in the final stages of the publishing process. Our publisher, McFarland, already has the collection available for preorder, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. There’s still a little way to go before it’s out in the world, but it’s so close!

A day in the life
My days have some flexibility since I’m not currently working regular hours and I’m on summer break, but I maintain a consistent rhythm. I wake up and have breakfast with my husband before he goes to work, then I spend my morning writing. Sometimes I work on my novel, other times I write for one of my newsletters, like my pop culture essays on Spill the T. I take a break to walk my dog, Marmalade, eat lunch, and then I shift my attention to any non-personal projects I have going on. That can mean quilting for a commission, editorial work, project management for a mutual aid group – all sorts of stuff. In the evenings, I spend time outside in my garden or going for walks; then, some sort of art project for fun. Oh, and the whole day is interspersed with chores since I manage the household.

Emory's workspace

A starter pack for my job:

How I got here

Starting my creative journey
Starting my career in marketing, you could say I found my feet quickly. I was offered the second job I interviewed for and I accepted the role. At the time, I felt really lucky. But my advice to anyone who’s starting out now: you’re not lucky when you land a role. There are a lot of factors that go into hiring, and it can be hard to know why you did (or didn’t) get a job, but don’t attribute it to luck – know your worth! Confidence is essential to ensuring you’re treated well in the workplace.

Outside of marketing, I’ve always felt like I’m charting my own path. Nothing has come quickly – or everything has, maybe? I jump on any opportunity that comes my way, even when it feels disconnected from the project before it. One day, I’m submitting poetry for publication and the next I’m preparing a painting to be sent out.

'Transchool', an essay collection Emory contributed to

Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
In my early days of freelance editing, I used Upwork to find jobs and wrote lengthy cover letters about my passion for the particular project. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a cover letter; especially now that we’re in an AI-saturated work environment, an earnestly written cover letter goes a long way. I have a template I start with for all of my cover letters, but I do a lot of modification based on the role to which I’m applying. I also lean on my network a lot. I don’t think of networking in the tech bro sense; it’s really just making friends who do interesting work, then finding ways to work together!

Biggest challenges along the way
One of my biggest challenges has been knowing my worth and advocating for myself. I’ve been in some toxic workplaces in the past, and as a junior teammate, I was expected to just grin and bear everything that was dumped on me. My mental health and my confidence both took a huge hit. I had to find ways to speak up for my needs, both as an employee and as a human. And even though I didn’t necessarily get the support I needed in that particular environment, I did find the confidence to leave to find a place where I would be treated better.

Nowadays, promoting my work is the biggest challenge. Finding ways to balance my creative work – and the visibility required to continue in a creative career – with the privacy needed once I begin counseling as a day job is a huge task. It’s also why my husband and I collaborate under pleasure studio versus self-promoting under my own name.

Everyday skills I’ve found helpful for my creative work:
For starters, ‘kindergarten skills’ are a must: saying please and thank you, sharing gracefully, being kind. I hate the idea that you need any sort of cutthroat edge to succeed in a career — it just isn’t true! I’ve come across some cruel people, and I’m sure you have too, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only path to success. I believe that long-term, kindness will always win out.

Time management is also essential. If that doesn’t come naturally to you, find a tool that works for you. There are so many options out there, and the sooner you find one, the sooner you’ll really be able to scale your work – especially if you’re like me, working on so many projects simultaneously.

And lastly, I’d say patience. Even when I’m busy with projects, I carve out time to be in nature, whether I’m hiking, gardening, walking my dog or just hanging out on my porch. I always feel refreshed and inspired afterward. You’re never too busy to tend to yourself.

My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
Post what you want, when you want! Honestly, I should have a better strategy, but I don’t. Because I spent so much time working on social media in my previous day jobs, I didn’t have any desire to be on social media outside of work. Now, I’m renegotiating that, even as I add the complicating factor of becoming a counselor and needing to maintain some privacy.

Mostly, I share snapshots of my work and of anything I’ve found beautiful or inspiring lately. I don’t just post major work, I share doodles and playful exercises too. Occasionally, someone will really love a piece I’ve posted (even the doodles!) and ask to buy it. For the less serious work, I use a pay-what-you-wish approach.

One of Emory's newsletters

Three things I've found useful in my career:
It’s cliché, but The Artist’s Way was major for me. I didn’t always follow everything in the book, but it helped me consider how I could rearrange my life to center creativity.

I’m a print subscriber to New York magazine. Vulture has always been one of my favorite outlets for pop culture reporting and criticism, which was my entry point to the magazine. I love receiving a magazine in the mail every couple of weeks, and there’s such a breadth of coverage in there that I always find at least a couple of articles I enjoy. The broad topics inspire me to think differently about my own areas of interest, even when the articles themselves don’t directly relate to my work.

As previously mentioned, my annual membership at my local art museum. I love being able to go there whenever I want. Sometimes I just wander the galleries and look at art, but it’s also nice to have a place to go to work that isn’t my house. I highly recommend finding somewhere local where you can support the local creative scene and support your own work.

Poem 'The Tollund Man' published in the Oroboro Literary Journal

My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
Follow your passions wherever they lead. I’ve done a lot of different work: marketing, editing an academic collection, quilting, painting, writing across a range of genres. Don’t box yourself in; life is full of surprises, and nothing is a given. If there’s something that excites you, go for it, even if it doesn’t seem like it fits in your “career trajectory.”

Also, never be afraid to start over. Marketing wasn’t making me happy, so I decided to go back to school. Now, I’m working toward a career in a helping profession as my day job while balancing my creative pursuits. I love having this time to focus on my art and writing, and I know that even when I’m working in a non-creative career, I’ll still be spending time on my own projects. I know there’s a real possibility that my art will always have side hustle status, and that’s okay. Under late-stage capitalism, we all have to find ways to pay the bills.

Advice

My most useful career tips
Always back yourself, even when it’s scary. I’ve been in some toxic workplaces where my older colleagues (including millennials) told me to grin and bear it because “that’s just the way it is.” I disagree. Demand what you deserve. I’m not talking about a paycheck – though you should advocate for proper compensation, too – but about fair treatment, respect and dignity in the workplace.

Sometimes, that looks like walking away. I left a job because I was miserable, even though I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find anything else. I ended up starting another job just a couple weeks later! It doesn’t always work out that way; my husband went almost a year between full-time jobs, but we always found ways to make it work because we were betting on ourselves. Investing in yourself is essential to success. There isn’t a single path to success and there are no guarantees, so follow whatever threads make you happy, then find a way to weave them together into a fulfilling career.

Where I go to feel connected as a creative
Spending time with other queer people is how I feel most connected as a creative. I’m trans, and that’s the biggest aspect of creativity in my life: I’ve had to create new ways to exist in a world that doesn’t want me to be here. Queer people are truly the most artistic, inventive people I know; my queer friends inspire me to be bolder, braver, and more myself.

My husband and I host a monthly craft club, and it’s so nice to have friends come to our house and share art projects, food and company. Local art shows and events are also a go-to. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a big city or a small town, creative people are out there doing incredible work! A lot of people aspire to huge networks of metropolitan connections, but I can’t emphasize enough the importance of not overlooking where you are.

What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
If you’re looking for a full-time or part-time role, focus on finding places that align with your values and interests (to the extent that it’s possible: as an anti-capitalist myself, finding work under capitalism inherently requires a bit of compromise on my values). Always write a thorough, honest cover letter that explains why exactly the role resonates with you.

If you’re looking for a fast-and-loose freelance or independent artistic career, start with your friends! I’ve made quilts for people I love; my friend from college asked me to co-edit an essay collection with her; I ask friends to read early drafts of my writing. Paid or unpaid, it can all be added to your portfolio. And don’t be afraid to share your work. As an introvert, that can be challenging, but it’s easier to start by sharing with my friends. Then, they share your work with their friends, and on and on. That’s how you network and find local clients to get started with your career.