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

Mel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I have always been a risk taker. Immediately after college, I moved to NYC on a whim where I worked as an architect at Handel Architects, designing high-rise residential buildings. After two years working in the field, I took the biggest risk of my career – moving to Philadelphia to start my own wood art business. I took all of the skills I learned in school and during my time in New York, namely digital fabrication and site model building, and created my own unique style using wood as my medium. Eventually I decided to move to San Diego where I didn’t know anyone and joined a wood shop making brand new connections and friends. When I first started creating my art, I had very minimal knowledge of woodworking as a craft. All of my knowledge at that time revolved around laser cutting and CNC design. With time and help from fellow wood shop colleagues, I developed my craft as a woodworker. After nearly five years running my business, I now have my process down and it continues to develop with each passing year.
I feel lucky for the path that my career has taken and it wouldn’t have been possible without taking risks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I create wooden wall-hung art, inspired by topography and architectural site models. My greatest pleasure in my work is seeing a client’s space come to life with one of my pieces being a highlight. When a client comes to me with a custom project or a space they need art for, I help them to figure out what colors and finishes will compliment their space best and work with them using sketches and renderings until we decide on a final design. I take a lot of pride in making sure my clients are completely happy with the work. This can sometimes mean reworking a design or providing options in order to make sure they will love their piece forever. My favorite thing to hear clients say is that my work is unique and something they have never seen done before. I feel that my style provides a new take on wooden wall-hung art and when people resonate with that idea, I feel such a connection with my clients and am thrilled that I get to share a piece of myself with them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having the flexibility to work for myself and be my own boss. I’m not going to lie, it’s not always easy having to maintain motivation. There is no one but you driving your progress and chasing new opportunities, but I find the challenge really exhilarating at times.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Back when I first started my business, I was about six months in when I realized I wasn’t quite making enough money to sustain the lifestyle I envisioned for myself. I decided to branch out and took a job working for Urban Outfitters on their design-build team, crafting furniture fixtures for their stores worldwide. It was a tough schedule because I was working for them from 8-5 and then going to my wood shop to fulfill orders until about 10pm. As grueling as it was, I learned many new woodworking skills, made some great friends and learned to hustle in a way that forced me to be extremely productive with the personal time that I had. Overall I think that experience really helped me to grow as a business owner and woodworker.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melsage.com
• Instagram: @melsagestudio

Image Credits
Photographer: Allison Davis Photography