Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Bean

Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

I started as an artist very young, I was always taking photographs and creating artwork. After graduating college with an art degree, I worked as a graphic designer and photographer. I worked for different companies. A few of the most fun jobs were at a professional sports factory where I cleaned up scanned-in logos in Photoshop to be printed onto golfballs (it was a funny job because I am not a golfer); a printing company – my first job there was a huge catalog with illustrations of spray nozzles (like the kind you find at a car wash hose or in a factory that sprays chocolate onto cookies). My Dad knew about this nozzle company because he was a farmer in his younger years, so told me not to mess up all the nozzle size charts… no pressure. I laid out 300 pages of a book that only had text of buried people’s names from a small town, it was for historical purposes, yet also a bit creepy. Business newspaper design was a beast, as I hated making sure every pica was accounted for, I only stayed in that job for a year. Then I worked as art director, designer and photographer of a pizzeria trade magazine. It was super fun traveling the country getting to know pizzeria operators and their staff. I learned how to make great pizza and did tons of fun food photography both on location and in the studio. During all of these industry jobs, I would also adjunct teach at local colleges and provide art workshops for kids. I love teaching and being in the industry while teaching kept me on my own toes, learning before I taught.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I would say the road has been… interesting… some of the places I have worked were less than ideal, whether the pay was crappy or the people were difficult… but I found the good in most of the places until I would move along. Work ethic is really important to me, but it can also be a hard thing to control not becoming a workaholic.

When I decided to fully commit to teaching and doing freelance design and photography, it was hard at the beginning. I worked on a magazine with some really difficult people who had no boundaries. So finding good clients that paid on time and also appreciated the work could be a challenge.

Having kids also has made me think long and hard about the positions I take and the clients that I would photograph. I had one guy text me saying he only wanted me to come to his backyard to photograph him with his competition bike. I was very much feeling icky about that so I just replied that he should get someone else to do that, because I offered for my husband to come along and he said no. Having a thick skin in the creative industry and a wise gut is so important. I let stuff go pretty easily now.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Mixed media has become my main passion now after years of photography and graphic design. These are combined in my pieces now but most things are “analog” and not digital in my work. I also teach art in a variety of ways, right now I am at a school of K-8 and it is fun to work with kids. I am probably known for my mixed media pieces that have meaningful text to my buyers. I find old books and recreate artwork with them, adding images and colors that draw the viewer into my work. There are always at least 8-10 layers in my work so there are fun things to find.

I am most proud of the work I have done helping clients get their stories told, I love the photography clients that supported me for all those years (I shut down my business in 2019) and now I am really enjoying teaching. One of my former college students started his own sports photography business and I am so proud that he has found success (go Adam!) and for all the other students I had that are still in the industry working their magic for clients. They are all so cool and it was a big honor to be with them while they were learning the tricks of the trade.

One thing that sets me apart is my flexibility and adaptability. I have a variety of qualities and years of experience in both digital and analog life, so I have learned to roll with many things. I do still have a paper calendar and I will never be on TikTok… but I also love a good Instagram reel and forward those to friends unashamed. : )

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

Being from the south and a small town, I was a quiet kid, then as I got older my personality grew and I became more extroverted. As I get older though, I realize that I am an introvert in extroverted roles. I loved making art alone, bike riding, exploring nature (especially searching for four leaf clovers), playing with dolls… my sister and I created so many adventures for our Barbies! And when I got my first Fisher Price film camera when I was around 10, I was hooked. Being behind the camera let me be introverted yet extroverted enough to get people to smile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissamannbeanartwork.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissamannbeanartwork/