Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charlie J. Meyers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Charlie J. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
I currently work as a full-time contemporary painter and private art mentor running my community called “The Moon Cheese Curator”. Prior to the pandemic, I was a fashion production manager and clutch artisan for the fashion designer Jeffrey Levinson. I would not be doing what I am today without having had this experience. I met Jeffrey while working as a front desk registrar at a local gallery. He called explaining that he was looking for someone capable of. making high-end fashion. On the phone, I exclaimed, “oh me, I could”! After interviewing with him, I immediately knew that the job would require me to step up, learn, and actively participate in a growing business. Beyond the draw of working in fashion, came an opportunity to learn from an entrepreneur who had grown his business from his home basement to the red carpets of Hollywood. As a working artist, I knew this was no easy feat, and I was eager to learn from him.
Let’s get real, everyone knows fashion is a bonkers business. It’s extremely stressful, has long hours, and everything is high stakes. Like the contemporary art world, only the passionate survive and this job took passion. Beyond that, it demanded that I wrap my head around the idea that failure was not an option. It taught me to take that word out of my vocabulary. Whether it was having half as much time to build a purse because an extra one was needed in Art Basel Miami or parts arriving incorrectly and needing alteration, giving up and walking away was never the answer. Every part we had, every tool we bought, and every penny spent on raw materials were used or altered to be used. Ultimately, the job taught me to work through problems, innovate when something wasn’t working, and stand behind my work when it was done. Do not waste your time, your materials, or your creativity. Work with confidence, take criticism, and lead from start to finish.
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?
Hello! My name is Charlie. I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the age of 7, my family moved to the US and I fell in love with painting. I attended weekend and summer courses with merit scholarships at Moore College of Art and Design and graduated early from high school. I received my BFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University. At 21, I received an invitation to attend Concordia University in Montreal, Canada through a fully-funded faculty fellowship. I received my MFA in Studio Arts in 2014. I have a background in teaching, mentoring, and working in Haute Couture fashion design as a Master Clutch Artisan. My work has been exhibited throughout the UK, Canada, and the USA. I have been featured in multiple media outlets and publications as an artist, curator, and writer including Create Magazine, Alien Literary Magazine, and NPR Radio/WHYY.
In 2021, I left fashion and returned to working full-time as a contemporary painter and educator. I have a passion for mentoring neurodivergent artists and artists living with disabilities. As a trans curator & disabled community arts leader, it is my mission to help disabled & neurodivergent artists access the necessary tools to develop a unique mindset that will allow them to return home to their studios and continue building their careers. I believe that transformative dark + adverse experiences can become our greatest gifts in the studio. My website will soon be expanded to include group workshops, 1:1 appointment scheduling, and other offerings for any artist looking for a mentor to walk alongside them in their quest for creativity. I bring a deep history of lived experience, education, and compassion to my students and in the studio. I look forward to working together! If you’d like to hear more about Moon Cheese Community mentorship offerings, please send me an email at mooncheesecurator@gmail.com. I am currently offering 1:1 a la carte support sessions around multiple arts and career topics. I live and work in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
You can follow my personal work on Instagram: @charliejmeyers
Currently, you can join the Moon Cheese community via Instagram @mooncheesecurator
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2014, I graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Painting. A month later I was hit by a truck while riding my bike home. I sustained a brain bleed, major spinal cord injuries, whiplash, and other long-term injuries. Over the next year, I watched a lot of my functions disintegrate, leaving me unable to paint, walking at times with a cane, and in severe pain. It was extremely hard to navigate the medical system with a traumatic head injury, and many did people not understand how many symptoms could arrive much later on. You would be surprised to know how little many medical professionals know about the brain. I spent the next 8 years in full-time physical therapy while working, supporting myself, and slowly returning to my painting practice. I had to completely rehaul and rehab my entire life, including relearning many of the things I had learned in school. I started my business to mentor and support other artists because I know what it means to enter hell and have to find your way out. I live proudly today with multiple disabilities, working on my art, and having success in my field. I am no longer just a survivor, I’m a thriver. I am proud to live in the body I do. I want every artist living with disabilities to know there is no shame in who you are and that you do not need to be cured in order to create.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
“Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things” by the philosopher Jane Bennett.
Contact Info:
- Website: charliejmeyers.com
- Instagram: @charliejmeyers ; @mooncheesecurator
- Twitter: @charliejmeyers