Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melanie Farris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.
I’m a self taught painter, so all of my knowledge has come through thousands of hours of practice and research. I believe the best way to learn how to paint is to just do it! All you need is the tools to paint and patience with yourself. Before I discovered hard edge, optical illusions, I had to go through the process of discovering my niche. I played with many fluid painting techniques, heavy textured paintings, and various styles of abstract art. Good quality acrylics are expensive, and it didn’t make sense for me to buy a tube of paint in every single color available. So I decided I was going to learn how to mix my own colors from the primary and secondary colors. Pushing myself to do this, led me to combining gradients with geometry and my vision evolved from there. I believe the most essential skill in my process is patience. It takes a lot of time and discipline to learn a new skill and I constantly have to remind myself to be patient with the process, because I’m always learning.
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 specialize in acrylic paintings that involve optical illusions and geometric patterns. I use vivid gradients of color to give my work depth and movement. The majority of my work is designed to be displayed in multiple orientations. This gives the owner more freedom and versatility in how they display the painting. By simply turning a piece 90 degrees, it has an entirely new feel. My work is also meant to be shown with color shift LED lights. When the lights change colors, so does the painting. The shift in the gradients make the art move and dance! These features definitely set me apart from the rest. I strive to constantly work with new color combinations so my work is versatile enough to live in any space.
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?
If I want to continue on the path of success, I cannot spend all my time painting. I have to be a jack-of-all-trades in order to run this business! Since becoming a full time painter, I have had to learn bookkeeping, photography & photoshop, marketing, social media, how to run a website, packing and shipping, and so much more. As my career progresses, more skills are needed to stay on the right path. I am constantly juggling tasks and learning new things. All of this has taught me that strong discipline will get you a long way in life!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Instagram has played a huge role in my career! Even though I only sell work from my website, 90% of my website traffic comes from my Instagram presence. I’ve gained my following organically by being super mindful about the content I post. This is the face of my brand, so I strive to keep my page fresh and interesting. High quality photos and videos encourage people to interact with my content and connect with me and my work. Above all else, consistency is key! Anyone can get lost in the ever expanding art scene on social media. So it’s important to let folks know I’m still on the grind and churning out work. Social media can be a lot of work, but the hard work pays off! My social media presence has led me to many clients, gallery exhibitions, collaborations, and friendships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melaniefarris.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniefarris.art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniefarris.art
Image Credits
All photos by Melanie Farris