Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Morgan Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Morgan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

Before I pursued art as a career, it was a creative outlet that often left me frustrated and discouraged. I wasn’t loving my finished pieces and wanted to give up. A friend and fellow artist took note and encouraged me to continue creating as much art as I could. He told me I wasn’t going to love every piece I created, but in every piece I could find something I loved. The key was to bring together the elements I loved to create authentic pieces that felt like me.

During a time I wasn’t creating he said, “When you get to heaven God is going to ask you why you did not use the talent you were given.” I laughed it off at first but his words replayed in my mind. I began to realize God doesn’t bless us with talents to further bless ourselves, but to bless others. That really opened my eyes to realize that the finished pieces aren’t always for me. I put a lot of time, attention, and love into my pieces–so I always enjoy the process of creating them. But a finished piece isn’t always mine to love or hate–it’s purpose may be to resonate with someone else. The more art I’ve put out into the world, the more I hear back from people of how this piece or that really spoke to them, or meant something to them, or reminds them of something special. I love that I can be a part of that story with them.

I’m so thankful my friend respected my abilities enough to set me straight and help me see that my art is mine, but it isn’t always about me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Morgan Elvington Walker, but I am known as Melvin G. in the art world. The name comes from when I studied art in Italy, and my email address was my first initial and part of my maiden name. Everyone in my class began to call me Melvin G, and it became the signature on all my work going forward.

I create collage and abstract work. All of my work focuses on control. It began while observing the stark contrast of my young daughter’s oblivion to her lack of control with my late father’s awareness of his declining penmanship due to Parkinson’s Disease. I began to emulate the intentionality of his tiny marks with the freeness of her large chaotic scribbles into my abstract work. There was a beautiful and natural balance in the two forming a unique paper background, which I then cut and formed into collages allowing me to apply a fresh form of control into each piece. With my current collage work the painted paper is a solid color, but I bring in the idea of control by the precision and careful movement I use when cutting and measuring all while keeping the collages colorful and childlike in their subject matter.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

With gratitude. More than anything I want people to know how much I do not take for granted getting to do this for a living. I always try to include a small token of appreciation in each order I ship. And any chance I get to personally deliver a piece, I do.

There are some people who have never bought any of my work, but support me by sharing my content, telling their friends about me, or giving me a place to showcase my work. I try to thank them as often as I can. It means so much to be supported in that way.

Of course I want clients to return–I love that I am able to create art as a means of income for my family. However, I always want purchases to be because they connect with my work and it brings them happiness.

Occasionally, I feel nudged to give my work away—maybe to bring comfort, maybe to celebrate. Sometimes it’s just an intuitive, unknown feeling, but later on a recipient will reach out and tell me how much it meant to them or how they found deeper meaning in a piece. Just a further reminder that my art isn’t always about me.

I love the idea that my artwork can continue to connect to different people in different situations long after I’ve released it out into the world. I hope there is always a great sense of appreciation and gratitude in my messaging with those who help me keep this dream going.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I hope authenticity is the cornerstone of my reputation. I have always tried to be true to myself and create with a process that comes natural for me. As an artist, I don’t think of myself as a brand—that feels so structured and binding. But I do think my creative process produces a consistent style that’s distinct. My aunt and I used to have a jewelry line, and I remember my grandmother asking us why we were doing that when everything has already been done. It is the same with any creation, a lot has been done, but there’s always a way to weave in your own style and create something unique. Whether it’s my abstracts or doodles or collages, I hope people consistently see hints or even broad strokes of my style in my pieces.

I’m probably best known for my collages. I started by creating abstracts on canvas, and then went to paper due to lack of space. One day I created a piece I did not like as a whole, but I loved certain parts of it. Remembering the words of my artist friend, I decided to cut it up and use the parts I liked to create abstracted cut out feathers. That is where my love of collage started. I still enjoy creating abstract work, but I feel like I have so much more control over my collage pieces. Not just physically while creating them, but also of the uniqueness of the end product.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melving.com
• Instagram: @bymelving