Alumni Spotlight: Molly Arbuthnott
We recently sat down with esteemed alumna and accomplished children’s author, Molly Arbuthnott, to celebrate the release of her upcoming book Oscar the Ferry Cat. The American celebration of the release will be on 14th May at 6:30pm on a ferry ride from Jersey City to Manhattan. We invite you to this event and to read on to learn more about Molly and her new book!
Molly Arbuthnott, Class of 2010, will soon be landing stateside to celebrate the release. During our chat, Molly shared her career path from St Andrews to the present, the importance of storytelling in her life, and the wisdom she’s learned through creating her twelve award-winning picture books.
The upcoming release of Oscar the Ferry Cat was born out of Molly’s travels across the Outer Hebrides. The story follows the true events of Molly’s family cat, Oscar, escaping from a car while on a ferry, with the only evidence being paw prints on the car window button and the car bonnet. Oscar was seen by many on the ferry, but sadly never to be seen again by his family. The writing of the book provided Molly with an outlet to capture her family’s upsetting experience.
“I just woke up one day and knew that I had to write a book. You know you often have these moments of realising that you just have to do something. This was one of those moments,” Molly explained.
Though many of the materials are kept to herself, Molly believes that writing provides her with the freedom to travel and share experiences. Feeling “unbalanced” without it, Molly’s love for writing stemmed from a way to process her thoughts and events from her life.
Molly’s love for adventure was a staple of her experience at St Andrews where she majored in Art History. Alongside memories of Raisin weekend and eating fudge doughnuts, Molly passionately recalled her love for pier jumps. The love still stands as she continues to swim in rivers in her spare time, and chooses to always live near water.
The award-winning author did not set out to write full time. Though her time at St Andrews was certainly influential - from editing the art history magazine to acting in local performances - her path to writing was motivated by a brief hiatus in her career. Following a few years in teaching, Molly’s sabbatical allowed her to focus on herself and explore what truly made her happy: writing. Ultimately, this time allowed her to begin creatively capturing her mind and putting down on paper.
For alumni keen to follow this creative path, Molly shared two pieces of advice:
Firstly, not to be driven by money. While acknowledging its importance, Molly believes that money only creates immediate gratification, and that a focus on what you’re passionate about is the true process to finding long-term fulfillment and happiness.
Secondly, not to be afraid to work hard. With reference to her time at St Andrews, Molly acknowledged the hardworking student experience we all shared. However, she insisted that working hard is not a process that can be compared to others. Rather, working hard should be an individualistic way to prove to yourself that the effort you put in is what you receive.
With that, Molly is inviting all St Andrews alumni, family and friends to join her event in New York on the 14th of May for the American launch of her book, Oscar the Ferry Cat. The event takes place on a ferry and departs from Jersey City at 6:30 pm, sailing towards Manhattan. This is a unique opportunity to bring young children and celebrate the accomplishments of our alumna.
As for what the greater future holds, Molly is working on an animation that she hopes to see develop into something tangible. She also hopes to continue sharing happiness through her stories.
