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

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

This is a great question. I am actually a terrible artist. Haha. Seriously though, when I was in school being a good artist meant being good at drawing, and I never felt like I could draw so I actually shied away from taking any art classes. After starting community college and bouncing around from major to major and not really finding anything I felt passionate about, I randomly signed up to take a glassblowing class. I honestly had no idea what glassblowing entailed back then, it just sounded interesting and I needed something interesting as I just felt empty at that point. I don’t know if it was the intense heat (which I thoroughly enjoyed!) the quick pace, the teamwork involved, or that radiant, seductive glow of the molten glass, but I left that first class and knew I had found the rest of my life. That was 1994 and I never looked back. I now have an MFA in glass, my own studio, and a job teaching what I love.

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?

(Ha! Well I answered part of this question in the previous question – re: how I got into it, so I will continue from that answer)

I offer one of a kind, blown glass vessels and wall sculptures. Each vase is designed by me and inspired by our world.

My ‘Organic’ and ‘Earthscape’ vessels were actually created during the pandemic, and out of my love for color. When the pandemic hit, I quickly found out just how much creating (or rather not creating!) affected my mental health. I found myself designing colorful vessels to bring brightness and a little inspiration from the outdoors into my home (that I was suddenly stuck in!)
Every piece I make is one of a kind due to the fluid nature that I apply the color. I am inspired by the challenge of putting different colors together to design new and thoughtful color combinations. All of my work is also hand formed so each one is truly unique.
I take pride in everything I put my name on. I am the designer, the maker, the photographer & videographer, I manage all my social media accounts, and pack and ship all my work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My artwork is an extension of who I am. It encompasses so much of myself, from how I was feeling on a particular day, to things I find beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, to something I may find within in a passing thought. So when others are drawn to something I made, I feel like they are also making a personal connection with me. Creating is also very much a form of mental health support. My mood lifts instantly when I am in my studio, or even when I am thinking about what I am going to make next. For me, creating art is a necessity I just cannot live without.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I feel like social media has kind of forced artists to take on a second job! But for me, I do not find this a bad thing. Time consuming? Yes. Often Frustrating? 100%. However before social media artists relied heavily on galleries to promote their work, along with the work of many other artists, and often getting lost in the mix. Social media has opened that door and created a venue where we can now individually promote our own work. I have also had the opportunity to meet so many creatives in my community that I may have not met otherwise. So while yes, it is a lot of work to stay active and create engaging content, I do find the rewards heavily outweigh the downsides. My best advice is stay active, don’t be afraid to reach out, post often and don’t get discouraged by those ‘off’ days, of which there seem to be way more of than ‘on’ days! Have I figured out the secret to the algorithm? Nope! Will I ever? Doubt it! But I do enjoy the creative control and connections I have made!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melissamisoda.com
• Instagram: @misodaglass
• Facebook: @misodaglass
• Youtube: @misodaglass

Image Credits
Melissa Misoda