Meet PJ Holliday | Author, Painter, and Singer-Songwriter

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

Hi PJ, why did you pursue a creative career?
I often feel a burden to create, a longing to answer questions through art and writing. Questions about my inner world and mental health or how to understand hard things about life. I knew pretty quickly in college that i wanted to pursue writing. Poetry, painting, and music have felt like a calling. Im a problem solver by nature, and art is always presented in my mind as a question or image that leads to personal discovery. I’m not a full-time artist, but working a regular job and raising a family doesn’t make me want to stop pursuing the arts. I just have to balance my time in order to complete the projects Im working on.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started painting in high school, writing around age 5, and playing music at 19. Each medium has such a unique story and Im only now seeing a convergence of the 3 where I can work on them at the same time without slowing down. I used to work on art/music/writing separately, at different seasons in life. It was like I had to master them individually before I could work on them in congruence. All of my art focuses on my Christian faith and mental health. Though not overtly. I love metaphor. I’ve struggled for many years with depression and social anxiety that deeply effected my life. I struggled in various work environments and quit jobs a lot in my 20’s. I also struggled relationally as well. Often feeling easily rejected. Art always gave me relief so I kept pushing into that until one day I felt this questions inside me. “Can poetry heal me?” I knew this was about mental healing and up to that point i was working on art without much intention. Paintings and poetry would bubble up within me and I’d create out of randomness. As I pursued healing through writing my book, “To Clear a Static Field,” I discovered that anxiety isn’t just anxiety. There are memories enforcing these responses and in order to “Clear the Static” I had to go to old sources of pain and feel what I could not previously face. Poetry came up about my father abandoning me, the death and trauma of losing my siblings in a car accident. We don’t just move on from the incidents we face in life. We will stay in places of pain if it’s not addressed. And slowly, as I pushed into the poems in the book, I began to overcome the debilitating mental health struggles I had suffered with for so long. I think what sets me apart is my connection to multiple art forms and my faith. Faith is so enriching and mysterious so there’s a lot to work with there. It’s a light to my path, and art it how I’ve experienced the leading.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Kemah, by the coast and there is a small beach nearby called “El Jardin.” It’s not as crowded as Galveston and the view is spectacular. Any friend coming in on vacation deserves peace and rest and I’d definitely want to accommodate that during a trip. I’d also go to the Menil Collection downtown which has the most beautiful art pieces there. The Rothko’s are incredible and there is seating in front of the art for you to sit and reflect. And that’s what you’ll want to do in front of a Rothko! There used to be a bar on Main street downtown that I loved going to called Notsuoh’s. It’s Houston spelled backwards lol. If I had a choice, Notsuah’s would be opened again for drinks and poetry readings.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband definitely deserves credit for any success I’ve achieved. He is mostly very accepting of all I want to do, except for singing my songs live. Lol, that makes him nervous. He’s a huge supporter of me and even gives me feedback! You can’t create good art without editors. And he has made some great suggestions for me to keep pushing myself. Also, my creative writing professors at the University of Houston. Laurie Clements Lambeth and Martha Serpas. If it wasn’t for Laurie, I wouldn’t have written a thesis during my undergrad degree. My thesis was pivotal in me writing my first book. My sessions with Martha were like counseling for me, and Im just so grateful to them both for their encouragement and guidance. Lastly, my close friend Alyssa who helps me edit my books and was a gift to me when I went to Regis University. I knew no one there and she and I connected instantly as friends. She’s brilliant and I cherish her thoughts.

Website: https://pjholliday.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pj.holliday.982

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pjholliday2

Other: TikTok @pjholliday4