Written by Egor Alters
Digital artist Molly Soda needs no introduction: with over 65k Instagram followers, Soda has become the darling of a new generation of uber-connected millenials that has come of age alongside social media. Her projects—occasionally crude, always personal—speak of Soda’s self-awareness, but also of her desire to connect with her audience on a visceral level. Earlier this year, she debuted Should I Send This?, a digital project of self-leaked nudes. It went viral, of course. Amidst all the hype, we caught up with Soda about art, her message and her creative process.
You have described your work as “self-indulgent,” and shared that it originates from a desire to seek validation. How much do your insecurities, and the audience’s response, influence your work?
Insecurities dictate everything, so it makes sense that it would seep into my work. We are all insecure—it just manifests itself differently for each person. For me, I deal with my feelings online. Being vocal has led me to feel less ashamed and more comforted by the idea that other people feel the same. I’m not alone.
Who is your target audience?
Anyone who will listen, watch, read… whatever it may be. My audience changes depending on the platform I’m using—for example, my Tumblr followers are aware of whom I am, while someone who stumbles upon one of my YouTube videos may have no idea what’s going on. I welcome all of them.
What would you you like to have known 5 years ago that you know now?
It is pretty cool how much I’ve changed over even just the past year—and if you’re someone who puts everything online,
your progress and your evolution have been neatly charted and archived for you. 5 years ago I would have liked to know that “everything’s gonna be okay.” But you know, I think I’ve always known that deep down.
There have been some that have not taken to your work kindly. How do you compartmentalize “haters”?
At this point, I’m so past being upset by negative things people say to me online. I’ve been dealing with negativity online since I was a teenager, which has only made me more resilient. I’m not one to dwell on things. If anything, the “hate” is mildly amusing… I’m sort of fond of it in a weird way.
You are generally described as a feminist. Would you agree with that?
I do agree with that! I don’t think I’ve ever set out to make “feminist” work but it makes sense that people would want to label it… people want to label everything. Generally speaking, if you’re a woman making work using your body or strong feminine symbols—your work is going to be called feminist. Once you put a feminist lens over the work in question, people then feel free to project whatever their “feminism” means onto it—whether it’s feminist or not, etc. It happens to my work all of the time. I’ve watched huge comment threads arguing that my work isn’t feminist or that it’s too feminist. Of course I’m a feminist! But can we take a look at the work in question and take it for what it is?
Is there any medium that you have wanted to work in that you haven’t been able to yet?
I would love to work in 3D—I just haven’t had the patience or the time to teach myself. I honestly think it would take my work to a new level.
Your Should I Send This? series of “leaked” nudes alludes to the fact that you are comfortable with nudity, or at least as much as your work requires it. Is this true and, if so, what is your relationship to nudity?
I’m only interested in incorporating nudity when it seems fitting. Most of my work doesn’t involve it. “Should I Send This?” called for it and it made sense within that context.
