Life & Work with Marhiah Montoya of Durham

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marhiah Montoya

Hi Marhiah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a Mexican Native American from the Kickapoo Tribe that was born and raised in Texas. I am from a humble background and was raised to value hard work and innately had a desire to have a positive impact on others. During high school and college I was trained and worked as an EMT-Basic and Medical Assistant in a rural family healthcare office and it was during this time that I began crocheting. First it started small with scarves and hats for others, a blanket for myself, and in college I actually made a giant beanie and scarf for the Baylor University statue of Judge Baylor as well as smaller scarves for the other statues on campus for Christmas each year I attended. I honestly thought that I would have been in trouble for doing such a thing so I kept my identity secret from most people except for those who helped me dress the statues each year. To my surprise, the Christmas attire actually became a hit and Baylor University released an ornament of Judge Baylor wearing that same scarf and hat. Unfortunately, I was never able to purchase one…it would have been a nice addition to my tree during the holidays. After graduating, I went on to work at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a lab manager and technician doing cancer research which I found exciting so, I went on to get my PhD in Translational Biomedical Science doing research studying how to utilize a translational approach to improve clinical outcomes of invasive fungal infections through disease surveillance with the CDC and antifungal drug discovery at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry where it snows like crazy. There I learned to knit and kept improving my crochet technique by making baby blankets for my peers and co-workers. I loved seeing them smile and so happy to have something handmade. I mean, to this day, when someone lights up when they see something I’ve made, their happiness makes me happy. The happiness is infectious. After obtaining my PhD, I moved to Durham, NC in June of 2020 (right in the middle of the pandemic shut down) to begin my postdoctoral position at Duke University in the School of Medicine. I continued working on studying ways to improve health outcomes by studying the 30-year epidemiology of cryptococcal diseases at DUHS. The stress of the pandemic and experiencing so many deaths in my family led me to seek refuge in my art. So, everyday after work, I would come home and crochet or knit. My skills really improved and my partner encouraged me to start a small business so that I could share my art with the community. Business was and currently is slow, but the one thing that has been consistent over the past few years that has kept me going is the Durty Bull Brewery Third Saturdays Local Maker & Vintage Market. Durty Bull has created a space that allows local small businesses an opportunity to get their products and art out there without the financial hurdles of a booth fee that honestly can be prohibitive for some small businesses…including my own. The folks there are awesome and through them I was finally able to start sharing my art with others. So now, my daily life is doing fungal research, coming home and crocheting/knitting, going to markets on the weekends, repeat. I have no idea where life will take me but, for now, I am happy with where I am today.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing has ever quite gone to plan, but I work with what I have and try to make the best out of things. Struggles with running my small business really have to do with actually making a profit and being able to afford the local market booth fees so that I can sell my art. The economy and inflation has really taken a toll on the price of raw materials to make items and it has surely impacted the cost of living for folks. I totally understand that $50 for a handmade crochet top and $60-$70 for a handmade sweater seems like a lot of money to spend on one item, but honestly these prices do not even compensate me for my time or reflect a living wage for time it takes to create these items. Nevertheless, I will continue to create and design textile and digital art and hope that others see the beauty and value of the items I create.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in creating handmade knit and crochet items that are meant to be used. The items I make include stuffed animals, baby blankets, clothing, household items, and more. I am also a digital artist that specializes in making science themed designs for clothing, accessories, and glassware. I take pride in everything I create and I think it is the quality of what I make that really sets me apart from others. My fiber art is more diverse with regard to what yarn I use compared to other similar local artists I have seen and the variety of what I can knit or crochet is also quite different. On the digital art side, I do not know of anyone that creates science art that specializes on fungi that are not solely mushrooms. I think that makes me stand out as well.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is making sure I do my best in whatever I do and leaving a positive impact on everyone I encounter. At the end of the day, despite all the ups and downs, successes and failures, all I have to know to be at peace with myself is that I gave it (whatever “it” is) my best and in doing my best, I hope to leave a positive impact on everyone I encounter because it is how you make people feel that they will remember.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CastorenaCreations.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/castorenacreations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CastorenaCreations