Meet Mynecia Steele

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mynecia Steele.

Mynecia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the small town of Eutaw, Alabama. Some of my favorite childhood memories include drawing with my older sister and my parents. As the daughter of a baker and barber, creativity is in my bones. My parents noticed my love for art early on, and never ceased to encourage me. Giving me a sheet of paper and a pencil was also a way to keep an active child with a big imagination, busy. Unfortunately, the grade schools that I attended didn’t offer art classes. So, when my parents discovered someone in the community that taught art lessons, they signed me up right away. I visited Mrs. Danny Blanton weekly for about three years. We would spend afternoons drawing, painting, crafting and further developing my skills.

I took my first shot at starting a business as a senior in high school. I started charging $5 for hand-drawn portraits of my classmates. After I started my first college art class, I started to brand myself on social media with the name Drawings By Mya, now known as This Is Myne Designs. In my spare time, I continued to draw portraits but began to experience an increase in demand for artwork, which is now my specialty.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life is always going to hit you with some challenges. Imposter syndrome is real. I constantly have to remind myself that I have grown and accomplished things that were my childhood dreams. Maintaining a strong relationship with God and surrounding myself with a positive support system has been key.

I also had to learn how to set boundaries with customers. It can become overwhelming when customers are constantly messaging on each of your social media platforms, email and text messages. It’s easy to feel like you can’t escape work. I had to start unapologetically taking “me time.”

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from others?
I am mostly known for my digital portraits and logo designs. I pride myself on creating clean content. I want kids to be able to follow my creative journey, without their parents worrying about nudity and sexual content on my pages. I also work with children often. From hosting summer art camps to teaching for after school programs, and organizing art and crafts tents at local festivals I’ve grown very close to the local children.

My main subject matter is black women. I aim to uplift and inspire women to love themselves and appreciate their God-given beauty. Most of my drawings are available as posters, notebooks, and T-shirts.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Hopefully, my business will grow outside of my home to a brick and mortar business, where I can help train young artist and designers.

I also plan to continue networking. I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing women. I am an ambassador for The Black Doll affair based in Atlanta. Their focus is to change the way black women and girl see themselves. They were inspired by the doll test which proved that most black girls relate their dark skin with negative traits.

I also illustrate for Divine Legacy Publishing, started by Amanda Chambers. I have started many projects with Amanda and other authors at Divine. I am excited about all of these upcoming book releases.

Pricing:

• Digital Portraits start at $45
• Logo designs start at $100
• Book Illustrations are $50 per page

Contact Info:

• Website: thisismyne.com 
• Email: myneciads@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/this.is.myne?igshid=2xuckwttvzxe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myne.bymya/

Image Credit:
Kourtney Jones, Marcus Steele, Artwork by Mynecia Steele

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