Meet Pearl Fontaine | Writer, Musician, Artist

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

Hi Pearl, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Most, if not all, of the best things I’ve done in my life, have involved some element of the unknown—the risk of rejection or failure. Many of the risks I’ve taken have led me on to the next pivotal experience in my life, even though I couldn’t have possibly known what would come at the time. Traveling alone and doing some travel blogging as a teenager led me to work in journalism, which led me to move to New York, and so on.

In summary, if the possible win is worth it to you and it’s something you’re passionate and excited about, take the risk. The worst outcomes usually become a bank of knowledge that will leave you better prepared for when the next opportunity arises.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My creative practice and career have revealed themselves to me, bit by bit, as I make new mistakes and discoveries through my experiences. If you had asked me as a child, I would have said I wanted to be an actor. My interests, however, are much broader than that. I love fashion, aesthetics, and visual art. Sometimes I like to express myself through writing and music. Slowly, it became apparent that I love it all and don’t have to pick just one way to label myself. Early in my adult life, one of the most important things I had to learn was that, especially in a non-traditional creative career path, progress is NOT linear. There is hardly ever one finite end goal that says, “I’ve made it,” and that is okay.

A rejection from the North Carolina School of the Arts live-in high school acting program about a decade ago led me to take a gap year and backpack through Europe alone after graduating high school. After that, I studied voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year. Unable to afford tuition after the first year, I lived in the Chicago area, where I began freelance modeling. A chance encounter through a mutual friend with an editor at Whitewall magazine led me to a five-year stint in the editorial world, writing about contemporary art and fashion.

Today, I work as the manager of marketing at Arts of the Albemarle, a nonprofit in my hometown of Elizabeth City, NC. That pays my bills and fulfills me by being involved in and giving back to the community and the younger generation of creative minds. My main creative focus, however, has circled back to music—most specifically my band, Post-American Gothic.

Moving back to my hometown during the pandemic from New York City seemed a negative blow in many ways, but it turned out to be one of the most important changes in my life that I didn’t know I needed. Aside from reconnecting with my former high school boyfriend (now husband), Brandyn, I was able to recenter myself as a creative. After months of telling anyone who would listen, “I want to start a band,” the right moment came to be when Brandyn and I found ourselves at a bonfire together one evening. In short, Post-American Gothic was born that night.

This project has become an outlet for many of my creative interests—music and performing most obviously, but also through aspects like making visual art, content creation, and expressing myself through fashion. Today, we’re in the process of releasing new original music and have begun to play shows outside our local bubble, in cities from Richmond, VA, to Wilmington, NC—which we hope is only the beginning of something bigger. Through the project and our music, I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams—even when (or maybe especially when) those dreams might make you feel like you don’t fit in or that others around you don’t quite get it.

Thus far, I’ve proven to myself that the power of believing that something can be is the key to making it happen. And when you’ve given it your all but it doesn’t work out? You’re just around the corner from uncovering something even better.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m not in Raleigh, so I’m going to give an itinerary for my hometown, Elizabeth City. Over my lifetime, I’ve seen this town slowly transform from a nothing blip on the map to an up-and-coming small-town destination.

A few “musts” are:
-Muddy Waters Coffee House – they roast their own beans and truly have some of the best coffee in the game! Also a prime spot for people-watching.
-Arts of the Albemarle gallery and performing arts center – see the art on view by regional artists and maybe catch a performance if you’re lucky
-Toyama Japanese restaurant – some of my favorite sushi ever
-Museum of the Albemarle for some local history
-Stop for baked goods from The SweetEasy
-Pop into all three of the local breweries for craft beer and live music or a spot like Juniper (cocktail bar) or 2 Souls Wine bar
-Plan to spend a day on the river—rent a boat and pack a picnic, it’s the perfect summer day.
-Head to the Outer Banks for a day that includes a stop by the Manteo Aquarium

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who deserve a piece of the credit in my story that I could go on forever if I tried to name them all. My parents were my first biggest supporters, who allowed me to be exactly who I was from the start, down to wearing period costumes as everyday clothing during my childhood. The Arts of the Albemarle’s children’s theatre group, The Center Players, was the next place I truly felt at home during my adolescence, and met the people who I still consider some of my best friends as an adult. And my husband, Brandyn—he is my absolute best friend, supporter, and creative partner. I didn’t know I could write music that was worth hearing before we started working together and since, I have created some of the best music of my career thus far, thanks to him.

Website: www.postamericangothic.com

Instagram: @pearl_fontaine, @postamericangothic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/postamericangothic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@post-americangothic1351

Image Credits
Black and white headshot: photo by Justin Patterson. All other images courtesy of Pearl Fontaine and Post-American Gothic.