“The longer I’m away, the more I see the creativity within growing up in a rural community.”
Like a broad lens on a small camera, Mollie Harne’s perspective was never limited by what surrounded her. Now a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design, she’s completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Textile Design with a minor in Furniture Design.
Harne, a Class of ‘22 graduate of Casey County High School, is on an academic path that perfectly mirrors her ambitions to become a textile designer, designing print and patterns for wallpaper, fabric for upholstery, and rugs.
The four walls of her wood shop and art class sparked her first inspiration to pursue a minor in Furniture Design.
“In class, I would make wood frames and then custom calligraphy the inside panel or canvas for customers.” Harne expressed. “I was working on building a portfolio to apply to SCAD. Having a space where I could work and focus my energy was so helpful.”
During Harne’s freshman year of college, she felt it was very important to come back to her high school art teacher, Tara Luster, and talk with her classes about SCAD and the SCAD Hometown Hero program.
Harne emphasized the importance of Luster’s role in her pursuing SCAD.
“She also had to be one of my biggest cheerleaders,” she said. “Mrs. Luster graciously let me substitute my portfolio pieces for class assignments in her art class.”
Harne also stood out to Luster because of her quick-witted approach to creativity and craftsmanship.
“As soon as I would give her a prompt for a project, she would immediately, calmly begin planning and then immersed herself right into the project until completion,” Luster commented. “Her work was always very neat, meticulous and detail-oriented, with thought behind it. Her work had meaning of things that were important to her.”
In high school, Harne “accidentally” started a business selling custom signs, building the wood frames and doing the calligraphy on the frames.
“I had more orders than I had hands for,” she said.
Harne stated that creativity opened a door to income opportunities.
Throughout Harne’s junior and senior years of high school, she was an intern at Goose Creek Candle Company, worked in Nashville as a production assistant on Tarter commercial sets, while also running her own business.
“This time in my life taught me balance, seeking out my own opportunities and learning to network from a young age,” she said. “I credit that to the skills I gained in high school.
“I’ve always dreamt big and knew I didn’t want high school to be the highlight of my life.”
Harne voiced that her dreams were never reduced to a standard.
“The expectation to follow a traditional path just made me want to go to SCAD even more,” she said.
However, it was not the easiest to jump into a competitive design school like SCAD.
“My first year at SCAD,” Harne said, “I struggled with feeling like I was ‘behind’ and not as knowledgeable as my peers when it comes to art and design.”
But Harne’s playing field leveled out when she and every other student at SCAD were required to take foundation classes, no matter what their major was.
“I found my lack of knowledge allowed me to better absorb my professor’s instructions,” Harne said.
When asked what she’d tell CCHS students who feel creative careers aren’t possible in a rural community, Harne didn’t hesitate.
“Make your own opportunities,” she said.
While CCHS laid the groundwork for Harne’s future, Luster said it was Harne’s initiative that propelled her to succeed at a higher level.
This vision set in for Luster when she spoke to Harne in her sophomore year of SCAD, where she saw how “super focused” she was.
“She is creative in all aspects of life, the way she dresses, speaks, lives,” Luster professed, “and in all, she remains humble, kind, and wants to make the world a better place through sustainability, functionality, compassion, and love through the lens of art.”
Leaving Kentucky for SCAD opened doors she never would’ve found at home — new people, new perspectives and a city full of creative paths.
“Welding is design,” Harne said. “Woodworking is design. Quilting is design. I just needed a different setting to become aware of this.”
Harne wants students to remember a truth many overlook.
“Everything in the world is designed,” she said.
From the pattern on a shirt to the graphic on a tissue box, creativity is everywhere. She said finding a place in the industry is entirely possible “if you’re willing to work hard and step outside the box.”
With that in mind, she offered one last message for anyone dreaming of a creative path.
“Reach out to me,” Harne said. “I’d love to talk about SCAD or any design career.”
