Nashvoix Interview : Nashville Calligrapher aka me!

One of my favorite things about living in Nashville is all of the passionately creative folks you meet on a regular basis. A friend of mine recently started a photography blog to feature these individuals. I’ve enjoyed reading it and when she asked if I’d like to be interviewed I jumped at the opportunity to share my calligraphy. We had such a blast taking the photos and I think you can tell by the result. Below you will find the interview and photos. Thank you Mary-Beth for all the lovely images and for sharing your passion for photography and people will all of us. You are a true gem.

Be sure to check out Mary-Beth’s other interviews on Nashvoix!

MOLLY MARGARET POVOLNY- CALLIGRAPHER

My next interview is with local calligrapher, and jill of all trades, Molly Margaret Povolny. She is one of those people who are so incredibly driven and talented, that you just hope a little of their excellence will rub off on you during your time together. She has a knack for being incredibly gifted at whatever she puts her hand to, and is great at inspiring those around her to do the same! Her most recent venture is in the art of calligraphy, and she has become a sensational presence in that community in such a short time. Today she is going to share with us a little about what brought her here on her journey, and how excited she is to continue to grow in her craft.

First of all, can you give us a little personal history? what made you decide to make Nashville your home?

Well, I moved to Nashville 10 years ago to attend Belmont University. I interned and worked in the music industry before transitioning to graduate with a degree in Entrepreneurship. Both of my parents are entrepreneurs. My mother has a successful fine art and vintage greeting card business and my dad is a jack of all trades. He can build anything and problem solve like no one I’ve ever seen! I was raised surrounded by art and creativity so it seems only natural that I ended up with my own art business. Nashville is such a great city for creatives. Lots of like-minded people and inspiration. I fell in love with the small town feel but bigger city varieties.

I’ve loved fonts and design for as long as I can remember. When I graduated from college I started working for a small business that sells markers of all types online. As my job evolved I became our product specialist and marketing director. We carry markers for industrial purposes (like nuclear power plants and oil rigs) as well as arts and crafts applications (like scrapbooking and painting). So I spent a lot of time working with the products to be able to better serve our customers and answer their questions. When we started doing trade shows four years ago we would hire local artists to come and show off the markers. All of these artists were calligraphers. One of them told me about an organization called IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting) that they belonged to and the yearly conference they attended. It sounded amazing. After spending time with these artists and witnessing their talent I wanted to learn more! So I joined the organization and within a few months I was off to my first convention. It was SO intimidating to be surrounded by such professionals for a whole week. I mean come on, the White House calligraphers were there! On the plane ride back to Nashville I sat next to a fellow calligrapher whom I had met. She asked to see my work from the week. I almost didn’t show her, I was a beginner and still pretty shy about sharing my work but I did. Her encouragement and push to pursue my calligraphy further was just what I needed. I arrived back in Nashville with a mission…. work my tail off and become a professional calligrapher.

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