Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody McLaurin.
Hi Melody, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started drawing in 4th Grade. I initially wanted to be a photographer, but my family was too poor to get me a camera and with 5 siblings, I’m sure they were worried that one of us would break it or it would go missing. So instead, I shifted to pencil and paper. It was free and so were internet tutorials. The true catalyst of why I wanted to be creative was losing my mother at the age of 10. I wanted to remember her face and immortalize it. I wanted to draw how I felt.
Today, I’ve managed to get my art in the show, “Atlanta” and made art for a few other television shows and movies. I still carry the love of pencil in my work but transitioned to digital art because it’s convenient to travel with, less messy, and I could draw in my down-time during my regular 9-9 job in film. However, I feel that I am currently in a season of transition and within the new year, I want to start focusing on Christian art, painting scenes from the Bible and the feelings that they invoke.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Have you ever heard of the cheese-roll? There’s an annual event held in England where people chase a rolling circle of cheese down a massive hill where the initial slope is 60 degrees. The average slope is 45 degrees so I guess things do get better for those dare-devils, but I’ll liken the start of my journey to that.
In the beginning I overthought a lot and became my own worse critic. When my work was praised, I would compare myself to better and wonder how I could improve. I even went back to school where it nearly bankrupted me. All this to feel what? The thing that was supposed to be my outlet held me captive. I was scared of failure and success.
I still am, but God freed me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
This is a very hard question for me. As I am proud of how far I’ve come especially as a self-taught artist, Without selling myself too short, my previous works were fueled by drive and an insane level of perfectionism. I can’t say that I currently have anything that reflects what I specialize in, nor do I have a specialty. However, I’m shifting to what truly inspires me: my religion, my Creator, His words. That will be my specialty.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m in a weird boat. Digital artists aren’t respected as much as traditional artists and with the rise of AI, I’m interested to see where we go from here. I think that we’ll see a rise of more traditional artists for sure and digital artists may move into more 3D media like blender. I also project more textile art and collages are sure to come within the next 5-10 years as artists are becoming more and more conscious about paper, plastic and clothing waste.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.simplymel.art
- Instagram: simplymel.art
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-mclaurin-711067135/
