In 2016, while working her 9-to-5 graphic design job, Nicaraguan-American artist Jessica Molina came across something on Instagram that would reshape the trajectory of her career: a brush lettering challenge.
What started as a fun side project became the spark that ignited Molina’s passion for lettering, offering her a fresh creative outlet and a new way to express herself artistically. Since then, lettering has evolved into more than just a hobby for Molina—it has become a powerful vehicle for self-expression and storytelling. Today, she works as a lettering artist and illustrator, collaborating with major brands like Target, Snapchat, and Toyota. Known for her bold, vibrant designs, Molina combines playful lettering with vivid illustrations to craft pieces that speak to themes of identity, culture, and personal growth. Her work doesn’t just appeal visually; it carries an empowering message that resonates deeply with her audience.
In a world where creativity can often feel stifled by the demands of daily life, Molina’s journey stands as a testament to the transformative power of art. We recently caught up with her to dive deeper into her creative process—how she balances her work, navigates the inevitable creative blocks, and the story behind her delightfully cheeky “Petty Postcards” series.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your artistic practice!
Hi there! My name is Jessica Molina, and I’m a Nicaraguan-American lettering artist and illustrator based in Dallas, Texas. Back in 2016, I was working a 9-to-5 graphic design job and feeling creatively stifled. One day, I stumbled upon an Instagram brush lettering challenge. It was a lifeline. Lettering became my escape, and I poured all my pent up creativity into it.
As I shared more of myself through my work, I started to connect with people who resonated with my style and story. It was like a snowball effect—the more authentic I was, the more my work spoke to others. Today, I’ve been fortunate enough to create work with big-name brands like Target, Snapchat, Toyota, Sol de Janeiro, Adobe, and many more!
How would you describe your creative voice, and how did you discover it?
I would describe my voice as bold, vibrant, and empowering. I’m fiercely feminine and unapologetic about who I am, and I celebrate those things in my work. Like many artists, I struggled in the early days of my business. It was hard to make ends meet, and I was constantly comparing myself to others. I looked at the artists who had careers I wanted to have, and I noticed that they all had something in common—they had a very clear creative voice. Their work stood out because it was unmistakably theirs, and they had the career and the success to match. That was kind of a light bulb moment for me in terms of what my work might be missing.
From there, I made a concerted effort to develop my voice. I did a deep dive on my personal identities, my creative influences, and my past work. Upon reflecting on these various influences, I started to notice certain patterns. There were things that kept showing up again and again—like the techniques I used, the color palettes I used, and the overall mood of my pieces. I started to create work with intention from then on.
Your lettering fits so well into your drawings — do you think of lettering and illustrating as two separate disciplines, or as part of one whole?
There is definitely a lot of overlap between lettering and illustration! I like to think that lettering is the art of drawing letters. I learned lettering first, focusing on learning the rules and how to break them. Once I felt pretty comfortable with my skills as a lettering artist, I started to experiment with adding illustrations to my pieces to make them more powerful.
When I’m creating a piece that incorporates both disciplines, I very much think of them as one cohesive piece. I strive to make sure the lettering and the illustrations work together, speak to each other, and ultimately both reinforce the message that I’m trying to convey.
Since you’re a lettering expert: serif or sans serif?
I’m going to be a contrarian here and say neither; script is where it’s at!
Do you often notice lettering out in the world? Do you have any favorite places from which to draw inspiration?
I definitely notice all the lettering and type around me! I have plenty of pictures on my phone of lettering on random things like storefront signs, murals, advertisements, and book covers, especially from when I travel.
My favorite places to draw inspiration are most often other creative practices besides my own—movies, dance, music, fine art, and more. I think looking outside of my own disciplines for inspiration really gives my work something unique and special, without it feeling like it looks like everybody else’s work.
Tell me about the origin of “Petty Postcards”!
Oh boy, that’s a really fun project! Long story short, I went through a bad break-up. We lived in different states and were in sort of a long-distance situationship. One day when I was stewing about what happened, I thought how funny it would be to send him a mean hand lettered postcard. The thought made me chuckle, and a project idea was born! Petty Postcards was a way for me to express my negative feelings in a relatable and cheeky way while also practicing my lettering and illustration skills. A few years later, the project went on to be featured on well-known design blog Abduzeedo.
You’ve worked on Latinx identity campaigns for brands like Target and Toyota. What excites you about creating culturally specific art?
I love the quote “you can’t be what you can’t see.” That’s what I think about whenever I do a piece of work or a campaign about my cultural background. I strive to create work for all the Latinx people out there who feel like they’re lacking representation in art and media. I especially feel that as a Nicaraguan-American, a severely underrepresented Latin American country with an incredibly rich culture and history. I love to share what I can to teach people about my culture and to connect with others in the Latinx community.
Every piece is also an homage to my family and especially my parents, who overcame so much immigrating from Nicaragua to the United States in order to give me the life that I have, living my dream as an artist. Their sacrifices shaped who I am in a very profound way, and that pours itself out into my work.
How do you deal with burnout and creative blocks?
Rest, rest, and more rest. I think a lot of us solo creatives have this idea in our head that if we aren’t spending enough time working, we’re missing out on something, whether it’s simply making money or coming up with our next big idea. The truth is, though, you need to take breaks, especially as a creative person. So I make it a priority to plan all sorts of regular breaks from work, on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Right now I’m working on being more present in the moment during the work day. I’m definitely a slave to the sound of a notification and get distracted super easily. I found that this practice of constantly checking in on my notifications throughout the day—whether it be Instagram or Slack or email or my task list—is a habit I’ve formed that leaves me feeling a low level of anxiety all day. And being anxious all the time is exhausting, while the key to preventing burnout and block is rest. So I’ve put some parameters in place recently to make sure my brain is resting as much as my body.
What’s the best thing a client can say to you when they hire you?
“Just do your thing.” I have been so incredibly lucky that the vast majority of my clients, from Target to Toyota to Sol de Janeiro, put an immense amount of trust in me and my work, and just let me create. Of course there’s always some back-and-forth and input from clients, and I love collaborating with creative directors, but ultimately, I’ve very often gotten free reign to just create art the way that I want. I really credit the work that I did on honing my creative voice for the amount of creative freedom most of my clients have allowed me.
Photography by Amber Shumake