Daily Inspiration: Meet Missy Kulik

Today we’d like to introduce you to Missy Kulik

Missy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I started drawing when I was young, and I loved cartoons. When I was a teenager, I saw the video for Love Shack by the B-52’s and knew I found “my people.” I bought all their albums on cassette, read all the lyrics, and joined their fan club. They had a section called 52’s Pals where you sent in your interests and address so other B-52’s fans could write to you. it opened my world up to all sorts of music and pen pals. And then I got into the Riot Grrrl movement in high school, which further sparked my interest in making comics and zines, and really getting into the whole underground indie music scene. From there, I started designing record covers and merch for different record labels and bands. All that eventually led me to a career in graphic design and product development. Today, I design stationery and craft items for a living, but still manage to find time on the side to draw my “Tofu Baby” comic for Flagpole Magazine in Athens, Georgia; make t-shirt and pattern designs for Cotton Bureau and Spoonflower; make jewelry and other gifty items for Garage Door Studio in Avondale Estates and KA Artist shop in Athens; design merch and a record cover for 90’s indie pop band Mad Planets, who have a vinyl re-issue coming out on Daydream Records; and produce videos for my Cozy Time Sweets and Charlotte & Tubby channels on YouTube.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I struggle to feel like I fit in. But when I hear the B-52’s, I know I fit in on Planet Claire! My other biggest struggle is finding the time and energy to do all the things I want to accomplish. It is always a tricky balance between doing the things I need to do versus the things I want to do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am probably mostly known for my comics, most notably “Tofu Baby”. Tofu Baby appears in Flagpole Magazine, the free culture and events paper in Athens that is published weekly. This year marks 20 years of making comics (and the occasional cover) for Flagpole. It was always a dream of mine to have a comic strip each week in the paper, just like “Garfield” and “Peanuts”, and it still is.

In the past couple of years, I started two YouTube channels that I am pretty proud of. “Charlotte & Tubby” is a video channel for my two cats, Charlotte Sometimes and King Tubby. I make relaxing BGM videos of their lives together. They were adopted from Lifeline three years ago. I never had a bonded pair of cats before, I just find them so fun and heart warming, I love them so much! I love how they play together, cuddle, and just be themselves. I also make another channel called “Cozy Time Sweets”. which are relaxing cafe videos of local coffee shops, bakeries, and ice cream parlors that we visit whenever we get a chance. Making the Cozy Time videos help me in a few ways – I still feel fairly new to Atlanta, so it helps me get out and explore different areas of the city while checking out a lovely cafe or bakery and trying a new drink or pastry. I have come across many great establishments in areas of Atlanta that I might not have visited otherwise. “Cozy Time Sweets” has over 50 videos in the collection now, and recently celebrated its one-year anniversary this summer.

I have also been working all year with a band called Mad Planets. I have illustrated and designed merch for them including button badges, letter sets, and t-shirts. I have also illustrated and designed a record cover for them for the reissue of their popular album “Music Makes Me Think of You”. This was another “dream come true” project for me! At the start of the year I wrote in my Hobonichi notebook that one of my goals was to design merch for a band, and lo and behold, Tara of Mad Planets contacted me after seeing lockets I created – I make tiny illustrations of cute things that I put inside the lockets of necklaces I put together and sell at Garage Door Studio. I ended up designing custom locket necklaces for Mad Planets to sell on their Bandcamp page, along with other band merch.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I struggle with these things and think about this a lot. As an introvert, networking doesn’t come easily to me. I do not have a mentor, and know so few people here in Atlanta. I felt a little more connected to people when I lived in Athens, where it was smaller and close-knit. Everyone knew each other and just walking downtown you would see everyone you knew. Athens just has a really good art and music community that feels more accessible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.missykulik.com
• Instagram: @missykulikart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIiaEWMIC7Mn7QnAT2DsvVg and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UMI9JEWMQ67hRsIH_X4Xw
• Other: https://cottonbureau.com/people/missy-kulik