Marley Van Aken discovers path through art, kids and community
by Lynn Colburn
In the childcare room at the back of the Bob Freesen YMCA in Jacksonville, a mural has slowly been coming to life — layer by layer, detail by detail. But for the artist, Marley Van Aken, the painting signifies more than just an art project.
It is a reflection of the life that is emerging before her eyes. She is figuring out, in real time, what she wants her own life to look like.
“I started [working] here [at the Bob Freesen YMCA] in August, while going to school at Lincoln Land Community College,” she explains. “But I’m on a hiatus right now. My goal is to be an art teacher. I want to go back next semester and get an early education degree and maybe minor in art once I get out of Lincoln Land and get a bachelor’s degree from a college or university.”
Marley Van Aken didn’t arrive at that goal all at once, though. In fact, stepping away from school for a semester was part of how she discovered the goal.
“I’m taking this little break from school to finish this mural at the YMCA while working here,” she explains.
Laughing, she continues, “I’m a little bit all over the place, but I’m figuring things out.”
For Van Aken, pressing pause was deliberate, not falling behind. It was moving forward with intention.
“It is not that I didn’t like school. I hopped right into it right out of high school, and I just don’t think that is for everyone. I think some people need a little bit more time to figure themselves out and have to discover what they enjoy and are good at. Like, why do you need to make every life decision right after high school?”
Instead, she chose to test her path firsthand — working with the children at the YMCA and taking on a new art project.
Showing wisdom beyond her years, Van Aken says, “So, that is the game plan. Although I think I’m a very mature person, I also think it is important for me to save my money and to stay here where I have a consistent job that I really like.”
“I just wanted to try out this job and see if I really liked working with kids before I got fully involved in the educational part. And I have found I really, really do,” Van Aken shares excitedly.
Now her plans feel more grounded. “So,” Van Aken continues, “for now I’m going to work on my art project and then go back to school with a clear goal to combine my two favorite things and become an art teacher.”
WHERE ART BEGAN
Marley Van Aken’s love for art started at an early age — and she says art in general runs deep in her family.
“My grandma, Linda Van Aken, got me into painting when I was little. Her father was a painter, and he taught her how to paint. So, I’ve just loved it.”
Art supplies became a tradition.
“She and my other grandma, Gayle [Pollock], would always give me art supplies for Christmas,” Marley Van Aken beams, “And I’ve been painting canvases for a long time. When I was eight years old, I would make
everyone a painting for Christmas. It has always been my thing.”
That lifelong passion has evolved into something more technical over time. Working on a large-scale mural has pushed her to learn new skills.
“One thing I’ve learned doing this project is that all paints are different,” explains Van Aken. “I’ve never worked with wall paint before, and it takes a couple more coats.”
Van Aken relies on techniques passed down from both family and school.
She says, “Learning about different paints is very important. At Jacksonville High School, I learned a lot in Mr. [Dale] Homolka’s painting class. He taught us about tempera paints and the difference between them and acrylics, including how to water down acrylics. Art was definitely my favorite subject; I also took his photography class, a drawing class with Robyn Maher and intro to art.”
“My Grandma Van Aken taught me about graphing and how you can graph a sketch sometimes before you start. I do that on canvases,” says Marley Van Aken. “But, this project was a lot harder. I projected my sketch up on the wall and placed it where I wanted it. But, the sketch was too grainy to trace as I had planned. So, instead, I marked where the top, bottom and sides were for proportion, which is very important in art, and then proceeded to sketch the house on the wall myself.”
It is meticulous work — but Van Aken embraces it all.
“I love all of the tiny details. It takes a while, but you have to put certain things on top of others and make sure things are layered correctly. Angles add the feeling of depth to the art,” she explains.
FEELS LIKE HOME
Van Aken works at the Y as a day care worker and added lifeguard to her duties, too, while she works on the mural. But to her, it is more than just a job.
She describes daily interactions with her coworkers and Y members as something closer.
“What a wonderful place to start the adventure, right at your local YMCA. It is so fun to work here. You see lots of the same people here every day, and it is such a community!” Van Aken says. “ They will come into the childcare room and check out the painting progress and say, ‘Oh, it’s looking great.’ And when I’m down lifeguarding with the ladies in the aqua fitness classes, we will talk about the painting. It’s just so much fun!”
“Everyone is so kind and asks about your life and what you are doing. It is a true family here,” she adds.
That sense of belonging has made the mural event more meaningful.
“So, to be able to do this for the Y, and where I love, is just so special to me,” exclaims Van Aken.
PATIENCE, KIDS AND PERSPECTIVE
That same attention to detail in painting her mural carries over to her obvious love and caring for the children she leads in daycare.
“I have great patience. Which helps with both art and with kids,” says Van Aken matter-of-factly. “When you have a little sister, Stella, six years younger than you, who is attached at the hip your entire life, you learn patience. She is great!”
The experiences with her sister show in the way Van Aken truly connects with the kids under her care.
“Their little minds work all the time,” she says, smiling. “That is one of the most interesting things about this job. Really figuring out how kids’ brains work. Each kid is different. So, you have to figure out their individual reactions to things. What calms each down and the different stressors that set them off.”
“It can be challenging, but also deeply rewarding,” says Van Aken, “but when you get it right, it can be soooo rewarding because they are happy!”
She goes on about things she loves about the kids, “They are always asking so many little funny questions! Like, I have little notes on the mural, and they ask, ‘What does this say?’ ‘Why does it say that?’ ‘What is a thumb cluster?’ They are very observant. Well, they notice all the little things, and they don’t at the same time,” laughs Van Aken. “They won’t notice the table in front before they walk into it, but they are going to ask me what the thumb cluster is.”
“It is so important the influence we have on these kids,” she continues. “That is why you have to try your best, even when it is a bad day, to put a smile on your face and be there for them. Just talk to them about how their day is. Sometimes a kid is sitting alone at a table, and you don’t have to go up and talk to him, but you just do it. Because it makes their day a lot better.”
“And sometimes they will act like, ‘Oh, Miss Marley, you are so annoying.’ But you see the smile on their face and they are giggling. You just have to put the effort in, even if you look like a fool, just make them laugh. I will go around and dance all wonky; I don’t care who sees me out there. It makes the kids laugh, and that is what is really important to me.”
Kinsey, one of the Springfield YMCA directors who is currently assisting the Y in Jacksonville, came in while Van Aken was talking so enthusiastically. She started clapping and said, “She is wise beyond her years, isn’t she?”
Van Aken continues to give examples of what she loves, “Each kid has their own interest in things that you do, and you have to figure out how to get them all to work together. Sometimes they don’t all love crafts, which, of course, I love, so sometimes that hurts me,” she laughs. “We did an activity yesterday, which was just putting cotton balls on a table and seeing who could blow the cotton ball the farthest, and they loved it! They thought it was so fun. And they made paper fans to do it, one at a time, then they would get in groups and do it.”
It was an activity that combined science, art, motion and teamwork all in one simple activity that brought all the kids so much joy that afternoon. Van Aken explains that you have to connect to your inner child in childcare. That means being a little silly, which she doesn’t mind, because she said that connection with them through laughter is so important to her.
LEAVING A MARK
The mural itself will soon carry a piece of every child who walks through the room this year.
“Once the painting is finished,” Van Aken says, “I want to get the kids to put their thumbs in different colors of paint and make a cluster of balloons out of thumb prints up in the corner that are flying away. Then they will have their mark on the mural as part of their lives also.”
Like everything else Van Aken does, it is thoughtful, personal and rooted in connection.
Van Aken says with a loving smile, “I will never forget this mural in my lifetime, or the kids that helped me make such a big decision.”
If there’s one thing Van Aken has learned through all of this, it is that life doesn’t need to be rushed.
“Life isn’t a rush,” she says. “I’m also very lucky to have a family (including her dad, Ryan, and mom, Sarah) that is very supportive of me and is happy to have me figure it out on my own.”
That support — and her willingness to pause and reflect — has given her the confidence in her path ahead.
“I’m lucky to have found what I love to do so early in life and know I’m heading in the direction that will bring me such joy,” Van Aken finishes.
And maybe that is what stands out most about Marley Van Aken — not just that she has found her direction, but that she took the time to make sure it was truly hers.
