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

Melana, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Before I picked up any other skills, I was the family nuisance when it came to singing as a kid. There wasn’t a time when we wouldn’t be in the car or house and I wasn’t singing a record from top to bottom. I’m still like that to this day. All of that singing eventually led me to pick up an instrument.

I started playing the violin when I was eight and continued to play throughout high school. I picked up clarinet briefly for two years when I was nine. However, the school I transferred to didn’t offer band so I stopped playing the clarinet altogether and only continued with my violin studies. I took violin lessons and played in different youth orchestras from elementary through high school. I attended an art high school where I majored in violin performance and minored in film and creative writing. During that time, I took a visual arts class, joined a women’s show choir group for two years, and took dance classes for five years. For college, I decided to study journalism and only applied to schools with broadcast journalism programs.

Once I got to college, I knew early in my first semester that I had no plans of becoming a journalist. Luckily my school had a Film & Television track in the Communication school I was in, so I switched to that program and studied screenwriting. I picked up photography during this time and interned at a photography studio in Atlanta for the summer while working with my clients. I later interned at two production companies in London and Los Angeles before graduating. These experiences helped me solidify the direction I wanted to work towards in my field. I moved to Los Angeles after graduating to pursue my film career. As I applied for positions in my field, I worked with a predominantly black youth orchestra on and off for three years and at a couple of different management companies in the entertainment industry as well.

Once Covid hit, I started painting since I had more time at home. I later expanded my range to other mediums like pastels, charcoal, and markers. Around this time, I left my job in management and landed a position as a storyboard artist and video editor for an MCAT & LSAT test prep company. I began writing scripts again and took some freelance work as a book and script editor for clients during this period.

While freelancing, I started planning on a docu-series I wanted to produce and direct. As I was working on my shot deck and sitting down with the companies I planned to interview, I noticed an element was missing from the project. Design played a heavy role in the visual narrative of this series, and we were missing a ceramic design for this project. Thus I dived head-first into learning how to throw pottery to create pieces that would highlight the quality of the products we were shooting. Since I’ve taken the time to work on wheel throwing and hand-building ceramic pieces, I’m making headway on my original plan for this docu-series.

I plan on creating some mini sculptures next. But for now, I am working on my home-good ceramics collection and finalizing the original concept art for the docu-series.

My creative ventures have flown from one project to the next very organically, making each new skill a worthwhile learning experience. Before I start, I select the medium that I think is best to execute each idea I want to passionately explore. With each skill I learn, I gain transferable knowledge that I can use in another medium. I’ve been able to sharpen my skills in a well-rounded way since I can look at my work with different lenses to improve the final product. And with each challenge I face, I can always view it from another perspective to find the solution.

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 am a mixed-medium artist with a background in writing, music, film, photography, and visual arts. I have learned many of the skills I have now over the past two and a half decades of my life. I am the Founder and CEO of Lucky Koi Entertainment. An art studio that creates and sells ceramics, paintings, prints, and digital artwork.

At Lucky Koi, we make it our mission to blend art with function by elevating your home with tastefully crafted pieces and keeping you engaged with thoughtfully crafted stories.

All of our products are handcrafted by us. Our prints are from various series we have done over the years. They feature work from our photography collection and pieces from our digital and visual arts collection. We rotate our prints seasonally, so there is always something new to look forward to. Original ceramics and paintings are also available for purchase on our website and are produced monthly.

My goal is to bring people together through art. I have found so many intersections where my love for one medium organically flows into the next one, keeping me constantly on my toes with new work and developing new skills. That is why I created Lucky Koi. It is the bridge between the digital and physical works we offer, all conveniently housed on our digital storefront. I use my writing and film background to create engaging stories and content that highlight our visual art pieces.

We just released our latest ceramic collection which is currently for sale on our website (www.luckykoi.art). There’s a limited number of pieces in this collection so if you see something you like, we recommend buying it, because once it’s gone it’s gone! If you miss purchasing a piece from this collection, you can subscribe to our newsletter on our site to be notified of the next drop.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The reason I pursued a career in film specifically as a screenwriter was due to the lack of stories I saw about people from underrepresented communities like myself. Even when I worked in entertainment management, every project being pushed felt like a recycled and revamped blockbuster movie from 20 years ago.

I decided instead of working my way up to becoming a producer at a major studio that I would rather start my own business and produce the projects I wanted to see. I wanted to create a film studio and art house that was both diverse and inclusive.

The stories I want to tell and the communities I want to engage with are the sole motivating factors behind my work as an artist. I want to create pieces in which we can see ourselves reflected in the art. I want children from communities like mine to see themselves represented in my work, in a way they’ve never seen before.

With both my artwork and writing, I want to capture everyday experiences that are relatable to my community and rarely documented in art. I am working on a few written projects that feature characters from diverse backgrounds, who are neurodivergent, are part of the LGBT community, and have disabilities. I want to show that even though we all have different backgrounds, we are all experiencing life together.

I’m working on a painting that captures the nostalgia of my youth and working on a ceramic project that highlights elements of my culture. My goal is for viewers to see themselves in my work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding parts of creating is taking something you see in your head and turning it into a tangible product to share with the world. I don’t think there’s much more to it than that.

When I first get an idea I try to flesh it out as much as possible when it’s on my mind. I’ve even woken up in the middle of the night and started writing or drawing whatever popped into my mind. I don’t want to lose that idea so I jot down everything I’m seeing then and there. Even when it comes to dreams, I’ll write down what I remember the next morning or what stood out to me and why. Then I’ll go back and read what I wrote and workshop it until I get a story that I like.

Once it’s on paper, I now have a reference I can come back and use later. I then try to visualize as much of the piece as I can. This helps to give it form. Whether that’s through the story I’m writing or the art piece I’m creating. I try to capture the image in my head and the emotions I want you to feel. I keep all those feelings in mind when I’m working on the final piece. Once I feel like I’ve captured the emotions I’m trying to achieve, I prepare to put my work out to the world. And once it’s out for the world to see, I savor the moment and then dive into the next project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.luckykoi.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckykoi.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090263625707
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanabyars
• Twitter: https://x.com/luckykoiart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@luckykoiart
• Other: Email us at [email protected] to join our newsletter or inquire about a piece.