We recently connected with Melissa Turner Drumm and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Growing up in New Orleans with an Architect as a father there was always an ongoing discussion about past and present building styles, craftsmanship and pride in all details. I aspired to be an Architect from an early age and would draw house plans during class time. Teachers didn’t mind because I wasn’t talking or being disruptive. Over time I realized how functional a building had to be, whether mathematically or through Engineering to sustain weather. This led me to realize that Painting could be immediate and without restrictions. Ironically, now making outdoor sculpture the sustainability for weather conditions is a factor and the use of Engineers is required.
Melissa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
A large part of my expression is through exploring different mediums and their combinations. This can create a rabbit hole and lead to long periods of experimentation which is sometimes a lesson as a dead end. However, the joy in winding through processes that do lead to a finished work as it has been imagined has a feeling like no other. This is why I continue to seek and make new paintings and sculpture. As much as I love 3d space and the challenge I have a deep love of color and moving around oil paint. I return to drawing and painting when I need a reset or to find a new direction envisioning 360 degrees and its’ positive and negative spaces.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
There is not an ABC path that leads to a career point, such as Law or Medical school. If you are adventurous and love exploring the unknown then being creative is a great choice. I have continued to choose the life as an Artist at almost every fork in the road. Life, family and daily practicalities are all apart of this life as a creator. If expressing yourself through art, music, dance or writing lights you up then you can be rest assured to have a life fully lived with no boundaries. If you love looking, buying, listening and/or reading art that is also a way to feel alive and free!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Grants are a wonderful way to have periods of time to explore and delve into new bodies of work. I would like to have found them earlier or had a confidence in writing proposals for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melissaturnerdrumm.com
- Instagram: @melissaturnerdrumm
- Linkedin: Melissa Turner Drumm
