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

Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

This year has been the first year that I’ve been able to support myself with my creative work full-time! When I began rug tufting in 2021 I was a manager/bartender/server in a fine dining restaurant full time. I knew I loved being creative and was searching for that outlet, when I found rug tufting I was excited to have a side hustle but never imagined it could be more than that! Over the next year or so, I stepped down at the restaurant from full-time to part-time and started doing as many markets and events as I could. Then, the idea of workshops came up. I resisted the idea at first, I think out of fear, but then once I actually took a look and realized it was something I could do I fully committed to making it happen. I hosted my first rug tufting workshop in January and have been doing a couple a month consistently since then! I was still hesitant to let go of my restaurant job so I continued to work through Valentines Day before saying goodbye. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without going for the workshop idea and making it happen!

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

I began rug tufting in early 2021 after searching for a creative outlet and seeing tufting videos online. I’m primarily self-taught, at the time there were not many resources for learning how to tuft! Many hours of trial and error later I finally felt confident enough to make things for other people and try to sell my work! I have expanded this year into hosting rug tufting workshops and hope to continue to grow from there! My favorite part of what I do is how much I get to be involved with my community all over Northwest Arkansas. I’ve gotten to know so many amazing people and lifelong friends that I probably would have never met if I hadn’t started doing farmers markets, craft markets, pop ups and all kinds of events with my rugs! I hope to continue to share my love for tufting through my workshops and expand to bring tufting to more people!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

So far, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative has been the relationships and connections I’ve made along the way. I never realized there was an entire community of makers, creators, entrepreneurs and art lovers right here in Northwest Arkansas that have so much support to offer! I definitely would not have gotten this far without the people that I’ve found to surround myself with creatively!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly pivoting in all areas of my life! I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up or what career I wanted to pursue. I was always creative but was never amazing at anything in particular or had one major calling. I got a degree in Broadcast Journalism, which, in my head made the most sense at the time to be able to land a career. It worked, and I got a job out of college as a local TV news producer. I did that for about a year before coming to the conclusion that maybe this wasn’t the career path for me. I left Arkansas, traveled through Europe for two months until I ran out of money, and then landed in Chicago where I knew a friend from Arkansas had also relocated. I started serving tables at a local bar & grill where I would learn to bartend. I met the man I would later marry and we moved to Seattle where we both ended up bartending at local bars. We lived there for three years until covid hit and we made the decision to move back to Arkansas where we knew we could secure employment with my family. After about a year stint as a warehouse manager I got back into the restaurant industry once things began to open up again. This time my goal was management, I was good at hospitality so maybe this was the career path I’d been looking for! As soon as I started tufting I knew I was onto something. I quickly went from full-time to part-time at the restaurant and now am doing my events and workshops full time! I struggle with the idea that I probably cannot make rugs forever and will have to pivot once again but now I have the knowledge and confidence that I can support myself doing what I love! No one told me I could just make up my own career, but that’s what I did!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melspacecreative.com
• Instagram: melspace.creative
• Facebook: Melspace Creative
• Other: etsy: MelspaceCreativeLLC
  tiktok: Melspace_Creative

Image Credits

@millie._.cooper
@lissaclair