Meet Maleah Galvan | Owner & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maleah Galvan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maleah, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always loved art. I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I’ve also dabbled in a little bit of everything—different forms of painting, sketching, digital art, knitting, working with clay, writing poems and stories, and of course now, resin. I also play guitar and dabbled with music production. When I was in middle school I was actually in an alternative band in a music school…the pictures are pretty embarrassing, but it is definitely a memory I never want to forget. I also took art all through middle and high school, but switched over to sports and started really focusing on academics.

Although I loved art, I grew up thinking there was no way I would ever be able to make money with art and that I needed to be more “practical”. I worked extremely hard and graduated top 10% of my class and now recently graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with honors! As a first generation graduate, I really am proud of myself, but sometimes I feel sad for my younger self and how constrained I was back then. I had almost no social life and I gave up on the things that I loved. In a way, allowing myself to explore art as a career has been an apology to my younger self.

With all that being said, this isn’t quite my main stream of income just yet. I still have another job outside of Rose & Resin and I am looking for a full-time position within my field. I also plan to use some of my profits to fund grad school! However, I plan on continuing Rose & Resin no matter what the future looks like because I love creating. My hope is that one day my business will become my main job!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Resin has definitely become a very popular medium, which is great because more people understand what I do and I even get to help others with making their own pieces! However, its popularity has also caused the market to become a bit oversaturated. I sometimes get a little discouraged whenever I feel like I thought of something new only to see someone else already thought of it. Unlike other forms of art, it can be a bit difficult to really put your own spin on resin.

However, I surprisingly haven’t come across other resin artists who really focus on body representation to the extent that Rose & Resin does. I genuinely chose to focus my brand on this concept before I knew anything about the industry, so I am super grateful that I am able to stand out in that way!

I am also always trying new ways to push myself artistically. As I mentioned before, I have always had a love for art. With that, I have a lot of random skills that I combine to make things! I have recently started drawing things to put in my resin pieces and I have even branched out to making other items like tumblers, tote bags, stickers, and canvases with my own art. Aside from that, I have also started trying new techniques and styles in my resin pieces.

I also feel that I am different from other resin artists in the fact that I not only take custom orders but that I offer custom orders for just about anything! To be fully transparent, custom orders can be a bit difficult and are much more time-consuming. However, I really love having the opportunity to connect with my customers and really bring their ideas to life. I also incorporate a lot of flowers into my pieces, which isn’t a new concept, but many of them are made with flowers that I preserved myself. These often come from bouquets that are no longer able to sell, so it limits waste and allows me to use flowers not often seen in floral resin pieces. I have also recently started making pieces with real preserved insects, which is something I have wanted to do for a while but was afraid would flop. I was really surprised at how quickly they sold!

Really early on I quit trying to make things I wanted to and tried to assimilate to the styles that seemed to sell for others out of fear of failure or dislike. In some ways, I feel like most artists do this, especially when they first start. I feel like I have finally broken free of that habit, so I am super excited about where I am headed. I definitely still look for inspiration from time to time, but I try to express myself and my own style through my art as much as possible now. I still also consider myself a newbie to resin and I have a lot of room left to grow.

Working with resin has also taught me so much. When I used to paint or draw often I was always so focused on making it as perfect as possible to the point I sometimes never started. As you become more skilled in working with resin, you have a little more control over how the end result looks, but it is almost never exactly as you planned it and it’s always a surprise when demolding-rather it’s a good or bad one. Over time, I have gradually learned how to accept that lack of control artistically and it has improved my art in other areas as well. Failure is sometimes just part of the process and it has helped me learn new techniques or to make one-of-a-kind pieces!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a Texas native so I have always felt like I have “been there, done that”. However, once I started doing markets I was introduced to the artist culture here in DFW. I have such a blast at every event getting to know my booth buddies and there is always something fun going on like live music, giveaways, yummy food, or sometimes even pop-up tattoo/piercing events! If you are looking for something new I definitely recommend checking out local markets. One of my childhood friends, Siobhan Linnane, is a music artist and they perform often at spots around Dallas. Through them, I have learned about places like the Ridglea Room, which is a really cool spot to see live music on the weekends.

As a UTA alumna, I also spend a lot of time in downtown Arlington. There are a ton of cool restaurants, a retro arcade, an art museum, occasional concerts, events, and markets there too! I also love going to K-town in Carrollton for yummy food. I really enjoy visiting the botanical gardens, going on hikes, and going to museums too. I haven’t been to the new Meow Wolf here in Grapevine, but I want to check it out soon for sure!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My biggest supporter through everything has been my partner. Aside from Rose & Resin, I was also in school and working. As such, I was always incredibly busy and that can lead to a lot of burnout and stress. He actually encouraged me to take time away from work for a little while to focus on school and my business and always serves as my reminder that it’s okay to take a break sometimes. I have never met someone so caring and understanding and I definitely couldn’t have kept up with my business without his support! I also want to thank my family members who have supported me through everything, and a special thanks to those who have helped me set up or kept me company at market events! Lastly, rather than one person, I am super thankful for the small business/artist community I have become a part of here in DFW. Thank you all for hanging out with me at markets, sharing advice, and inspiring me as well!

Website: https://msha.ke/rose_resin

Instagram: @rose.resincraft

Other: Tiktok: @rose.resincraft

Image Credits
Eddie (@tusolotuarte on IG)