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

Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Growing up I was always drawn to creative or artistic activities. I never really considered career options outside of the arts. As a child of immigrants I feel fortunate to not have had an imposed pathway in a more “financially secure” career. My family was supportive of my interest in the arts even at a young age; emphasizing working towards your goals and finding happiness in that pursuit.

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

Hello! I’m a mixed-media collage artist of Filipino descent from Tiohtià:ka/Montreal.  Artmaking has always been constant in my life but it’s been a winding pathwith stops and starts and shifts along the way. After my undergrad in Film Production my art practice was in large format digital collage, while being a styling assistant in the fashion world and costuming for film. I had explored everything i wanted to with the digital collage project and my art practice went into hibernation mode. The fashion styling came to its end at the same time as I began to work as a teaching artist in high school classrooms- you have to make space!

Working with youth was an exciting and surprisingly natural fit for me, it was at this juncture I began to reembark in my collage practice this time as mixed media works. As I made more room for art making really wonderful collaborations have come my way via editiorial illustration where my art can support incredible stories and visions. I have made work for publications such as the Guardian, the Marshall project, Ciele Athletics Journal, the Walrus as well as art work for albums and books.

I am constantly evaluating my practice, the message behind the work and how I can take steps to share it with an audience.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

That I’m still doing it is an act of resilience! This is not a straightforward path, I struggle with doubting myself and sometimes fantasize about a day job and a nine to five with a paycheque. But as someone once told me: nothing is guaranteed. I could have aimed for a more conventional career, but there are no guarantees of any joy, stability or satisfaction in any field. I cherish the flexibility of this lifestyle and the support of a creative community. I try to find comfort in discomfort when I’m in a phase of unpredictability. And going to the gym helps. ha.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

If there are artists whose work you admire, purchasing original artwork or prints via their chosen platforms is a very direct way to support. If you’re in a position to hire artists in the classroom, for a mural, for a magazine editorial, for an advertisement or creative consultation, do so! This is also a great way to share and encourage artwork in our every day visual landscape. Visit local galleries and artist-run centres to discover new work. Otherwise following an artist on their social platforms or signing up to a mailing list is a really easy way to engage with art you admire!

Contact Info:

• Website: melaniegarcia.ca
• Instagram: instagram.com/_melanie_garcia

Image Credits
personal photo image credit: Daniel Baylis