We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melissa Pleckham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve learned that the most meaningful projects I undertake are the ones that most accurately reflect where I’m at in my life, and what my capabilities — and limitations — are. I’ve learned to work with those things, not against them. For instance, I’m very proud of the music and video (for our song “Crown Shyness,” under the band name Black Lullabies) that my husband Ken and I made early on in the pandemic, when we were still stuck at home all the time. Between the two of us we wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, filmed, and edited everything ourselves, and just made what we wanted to make, which was incredibly fun and freeing after years of putting pressure on ourselves to try and make everything “just right.” I’m currently attempting to bring that same energy of unvarnished experimentation and risk taking to my solo endeavors, including the novel I’m writing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a writer who specializes in crafting atmospheric, character-driven, slow-burn horror short stories and screenplays. I also contribute non-fiction articles about horror films, Halloween, and all things spooky to a variety of online and print outlets, and I’m currently finishing my debut novel.

In addition to writing, I’m also an actress, with a focus on horror, comedy, and voiceover work, and a musician (bass, drums, and vocals) in post-punk/garage-goth bands.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Value art. Don’t discourage children who are drawn to music, literature, and performance. Encourage them to play, to express themselves, and to share what they create with other people. Teach them that bringing something into the world is a sacred and beautiful act and that they don’t have to give it all up to “be practical.” Give them the security within themselves to deal with rejection, and help them understand that their identity is not tied to how their art is received or perceived by other people. A generation of happy, fulfilled, unblocked and unashamed artists would go a long way toward healing this world.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I’d known just how important self-care is — and I mean real self-care, not just the whole “Treat yo’ self!” mentality, which can admittedly be fun too. But I’m talking about meditation, exercise, nutrition, journaling and therapy. Figure out what your problems really are, name them, and learn how you can work with and transcend your own internal limitations. Also, if you feel even remotely blocked creatively or personally, I highly recommend two books: “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, and “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissapleckham.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpleckham/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRpM9pXoJceh-eFZRWx2iSA