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

Meca , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first painting I sold was a Nefertiti canvas to my friend from college. I was painting for fun at the time and when she saw the canvas she had to have it. I met up with her at her campus and sold it to her. It felt amazing to know that someone really liked my work and wanted to have it be apart of their home. At the time I had no idea how to price my work at the time so I probably sold it for super cheap.

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

I started painting in college. I needed to find an escape from the lifestyle. My art is all about taking dark emotions and finding a way to transmute them into something positive and beautiful. I suffer from mental health issues that sometimes cause me a lot of pain so I try to paint it out as much as possible.

I got into the industry just be simply jumping in and doing shows. I make original artwork and a multitude of resin pieces like ashtrays, rolling trays, containers, and decorative pieces.

I want people to know that I use color to communicate within my paintings. I use color to tell a story and expresses emotions.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

When you are a true creative it’s hard to live by societies standards. It used to be really hard for me to keep a job because I would have all this creative energy and I wanted to paint all day or wanted to leave work early to do a show. Keeping a job just wasn’t important to me, I would rather be creating. Now I have a much different mindset because I use my job to fuel my artwork and help me advance my career.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I just want to see all my art homies succeed. We have built such a beautiful, supportive community and I genuinely want to see us all flourish. I want to show my parents that all my hard work and silly art decisions paid off when we are visiting my gallery in New York or LA. I want to show my siblings they can do or pursue anything they set their mind to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/artbae
• Instagram: Instagram.com/ArtBaeAesthetic