We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa J Merritt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa J below.

Melissa J , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I stretch watercolor paper on frames. I wet the paper and wrap and staple the back just like canvas. I spray it with archival varnish when the painting is complete. This process allows the watercolor to be presented without a Matt or frame and gives the watercolor a more contemporary and immediate look. The work can be seen without reflections or glare and is physically lighter which is beneficial for transport to art shows.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an artist and art educator who is interested in daily practice as a form of meditation and commitment to living a creative life. I paint daily for at least 15 minutes regardless of other obligations. I create watercolor paintings inspired by nature in an unusual format as large as 40” X 60”

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

I am an art educator in an elementary school and I have many demands on my time outside of the school day. My resilience comes from my commitment to working incrementally without pressure on my own creative endeavors.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the story I was telling myself that I needed long stretches of uninterrupted time to be creative and produce work. A lot can be accomplished in small consistent spurts and the creative thread can be picked up more readily when there is a less pressure. Sometimes showing up for yourself is good enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Honeybeemerritt.org
• Instagram: Honeybeemerritt
• Facebook: Melissa Melissa