Molly Johnson Doesn’t Expect it to be Easy

This is Roll Call, a digital highlight reel of creatives’ camera rolls.

When Molly Johnson first materialized in my world, she had pink hair and her bush printed on her business card. She’s only gotten cooler since then. She does it all: art-director-prop-stylist-photographer-recently-minted-musician. Posting under the moniker dreamgalllllll (that’s 7 L’s), Molly is undeniably a dream girl of her own. Her Instagram is scattered with scenes from a what can only be described as an epic life: models’ lipsticked faces backstage at Marc Jacobs, girls in matching striped sets doing ballet at the carnival, Molly herself playing bass on tour (she picked up the instrument to join her best friend’s band and was on the road with them mere months later).

They’re balanced by posts so earnest and honest, diaristic and unfiltered, that you can’t help but get sucked into her world: teeth shifting post-concussion, breaking up with boyfriends, sweating through shirts on stage, eating Taco Bell on the floor. She’s the kind of raw cool so rare to find in an era of polished media training, someone attuned to the delightful surprises of the universe and entirely unshy about sharing them.

She’s a serious contender for coolest girl in New York, if not the world, which made her perfect for our first edition of Roll Call. Without further ado, here’s a look into the camera roll of the Tennessee-born, NYC-based creative.

Intro by Ali Royals

I wanted a PlayStation 5 so fucking badly but didn’t have a job and just felt like it was so far from me. I manifested in my journal that I would get a free PlayStation 5. I forgot and 4 days later an old friend messaged me and was like, “I saw that you wanted to buy a playstation—I’m trying to get rid of mine, it’s taking up space. I’ll Uber it to you tonight.” I couldn’t believe it. I opened up the package and sobbed because I wanted it so badly and it fell into my lap.

The cuuuuuuuteee bodega chip bag holes hehehehehhehehehe. I love noticing little details and thinking about who decided to do them. Like who decided to cut them out in hearts…? Was it the bodega guy’s daughter? Wife? Who did it and what made them feel so much love that day that they’re cutting Cheez-It hearts?

My boyfriend took me to the nicest dinner I’ve ever been to. He ordered 50oz of tomahawk steak with sides and dessert. I was wearing a vintage Marc Jacobs dress and heels and drank 2 pints of beer. I was so happy. Oh, that night I found out he likes butter just as much as me. I’ve felt ashamed for how much butter I put on bread and steak. I was so impressed with the way he cuts his food. I’m learning how to have table manners. I said “fuck” and he was like “baby…no potty mouth here” and I was like damn this ain’t O’Charley’s huh…

I have been lucky enough to be on a few Marc Jacobs sets, but this last one was for Marc Jacobs Beauty. Marc was vaping around and seemed relaxed. I got him to do some vape tricks for me on my old iPhone. It’s my most treasured video I have right now.

One of my favorite photos. I was watching Johnny 316 outside in the fall weather with an outdoor fire and I was smoking a lot of weed at the time too. It was intense so I took a scary photo to remember it forever.

Came across this queen on eBay and gave her a follow. I love her photos and her style and her smile. Give her a follow.

I have genuinely 30,000 photos in my camera roll that are breast focused. I’ve been obsessed with them since I can remember. It’s not even like a erotic thing. I just genuinely can’t explain it.

I am the queen of Chronic UTI & bacterial infections. Like something is always going on with me. I have an IUD too, so I just have random symptoms and inexplicable things happen for one day then go away…being able to test from home changed my life and clearly I had a UTI lol. Random but such a big part of my life.

I’m actually a freak and anytime my boyfriend sends me a text or DM or photo, and it’s like my dream-come-true sentence or it makes me giggle, I screenshot it and put it in this folder. Like it’ll get away from me if I don’t screenshot it. When I miss him, I’ll read a few and giggle to myself and think about how awesome it is.

Me and my bffs feet hehehehe

My baby girl’s foot in the grass in Tennessee! My happy place and my favorite colors.

I look at this often and I have it written on a big piece of paper in my room. Anytime I find myself feeling stubborn or frustrated, I remember that it wouldn’t even make any sense for this shit to be easy!!! Everything magical in life is worth effort and intention and commitment.

I saw this on Pinterest and freaked out. It’s my dream shirt. It’s casual, sexy, beautiful, chill, effortless, and the little nipple c’mon…I spent MONTHS looking and I fucking found it IN MY SIZE and it fits perfect and of course it’s from Marc Jacobs.

My mommy’s tramp stamp…it’s dedicated to me. It’s a little fairy girl with my initials and it’s pink purple blue and green and so cute. I love it so much…I feel like it truly manifested a lot for me the day she got it. I just know it.

In 2010 I made these on NikeID.... still the hardest pair of shoes. I’m devastated I don’t have them anymore. “Molly moo,” on one shoe, which is what my family calls me, and then my basketball number on the other. I’m laughing thinking about how Instagram didn’t exist yet. It was created later that year, but I was taking, like, flex shoe pics for Facebook lol.

I went to the dentist recently and took this picture right after in the parking lot. I’ve never taken a photo like this before and i don’t know why I did it either but I did and I love it.

Real photo of me not getting my way

I’m back in a time of life where I’m out all the time socializing and I started drinking Guinness and I literally crave it and it’s fully making me bloated. I have a beer belly and I don’t care.

I have a folder in my phone called “doors” and it’s just walls and doors in New York that I want to take pictures of girls in front of…so let me know. I take submissions and I’ll give you a shoutout when I post it too.

I screenshotted this from my mom's Facebook from 2012. It’s so nostalgic and beautiful. It inspires me.

You’ve reached the end of Molly’s camera roll!

Need more of Molly? Find her on Instagram & Substack