Q+A with Musician, Artist, and Storyteller Hollie Col
As a gay artist and musician, Hollie redefines representation. Get the full Q+A.
Our spring collection, Gamer, was inspired by our fight on and off the field for progress through creativity and art. It’s dedicated to those leading the fight for gender and racial equity in ways that reimagine the status quo.
Our definition of Gamer: anybody who uses their crafts and specialties to boldly disrupt oppressive structures.
Meet Hollie—musician, artist, and storyteller.
We asked Hollie a few questions...
Q: Our Spring 2021 collection, Gamer, stems from our fight for pay equity as members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. It’s about breaking norms and barriers—how do you defy norms in your life?
A: Being a musician, I’m extremely passionate about expressing myself in a way that is open and honest in my music and videos. Often that means exploring my sexuality and wlw love stories which, by nature, tend to break the norms of an industry with a heavy heteronormative representation.
I’m at a point in my life where I’ve become really passionate about, and comfortable with, my self-expression and want to show my audience they deserve to be too.
Growing up I always had a really complex relationship with my femininity. As a kid I always gravitated more naturally towards comfy shorts and a tee, and fought against being put in a dress (how am I meant to play rugby league in a dress?!). As I grew up and explored my sexuality, this only amplified.
Now, in my 20’s, I think it’s so important to express yourself and allow yourself to be playful in that, it’s a beautiful thing! I make a conscious effort in my music videos to express myself naturally so that I can encourage other people to do that too.
"I’m at a point in my life where I’ve become really passionate about, and comfortable with, my self-expression and want to show my audience they deserve to be too."
Q: One of the themes from our collection is “Level the playing field”- what obstacles have you had to overcome in your field?
A: As a gay, female musician, I work in an industry where women and LGBTQ+ people are extremely underrepresented and queer stories still exist on the periphery.
Women make up 21.7% of artists and 12.5% of songwriters, and being a part of the LGBTQ+ community only amplifies that underrepresentation. I’m extremely conscious of these barriers, and I am aware that they’re magnified by my choice to be so open in my self-expression and self-identity, but I know that by being visible and pushing through them, I can change the narrative, the norm, and be the representation that I needed growing up.
Q: Games can cultivate a creative and/or competitive spark—how do you keep your creative and/or competitive spark alive?
A: Telling stories is the one thing in life I have always been driven to do and I don’t think that will ever change. I don’t know for sure why I’ve always had a passion for it, but I think storytelling is and has always been a part of humanity.
There is always a story that needs to be told and I love finding beautiful and interesting ways to tell it. And there are always going to be barriers that exist in creating art from a different angle or perspective than what is considered ‘norm’, but those are the most important ones to tell.
"There are always going to be barriers that exist in creating art from a different angle or perspective than what is considered ‘norm’, but those are the most important ones to tell."
Q: Gamer Collection was inspired by the games of our childhood—what was your favorite game growing up? Is there a character, figure, or person from gaming (or any playing field) that you identify with?
A: Growing up, I was in every single sports team possible. If it was outdoors, on a big open field, I signed up. I particularly loved rugby league. I played it every day in the street until the street lights came on, and every night I could at the local rugby clubhouse. My dad managed a team, so he spent a lot of time down there, and every chance I got I was with him, playing with the boys twice my age and twice my size.
Follow Hollie's journey on instagram @holliecol, and check out her work at https://linktr.ee/holliecol. How are you using your craft to boldly disrupt?
