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

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I absolutely love what I do! I am so thankful and feel so blessed that I am able to create full time. That being said, I sometimes think that if I had a regular job, I would have more stability.

The path of an artist is not easy. There is not a clear cut way to become a working artist. I know how to do certain things and if I want to learn something else, I can find classes to learn, but turning that knowledge into a secure living is not that easy.
If I had a regular job or wanted to follow a more traditional way of making money, there are steps to follow and you are pretty sure of the outcome. You go to school, you get certified or pass the tests that are required and then you have a real place to go and find a job. I know that finding a job isn’t THAT easy, but you know the steps you need to take.

However, even though the security sounds nice (especially with a family), there is NO WAY I could do that. I just do not think that way.

My husband and I are both artists (he is a musician) so our paychecks are never consistent or guaranteed, but we are able to be home and raise our daughter.

SO all that said, I love what I do and would not trade it for anything.

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 background and context?

I took a photography class in high school and fell in love. I have always been creative and with college looming over me, I was thankful to find something that I loved and thought that I could make a living doing. I went to college planning on becoming a fulltime photographer. I could do weddings and things for money while still having time to make artistic photographs. I also thought I could maybe become an art teacher, but then realized I am not good with kids and after photographing one wedding, I decided I did NOT like that either. After college I got a job painting at an art company which functioned like an assembly line. I painted more than a hundred paintings a year for about 7 years. I also worked with a lot of talented artists who went to school for painting and learned a lot from them. I loved painting and decided I would do that. I then started to incorporate my photography in my work by using my photographs as inspiration. I loved the works of the Photorealists of the 70’s and wanted to be more like them.

After deciding to move to Los Angeles, my dad and I drove out west, where we stopped to take pictures of all the fun neon signs we passed. I then started to add that into my work.

Los Angeles was extremely inspirational. The feel, the way the sun hits everything, an embracing artist community and all the signs!!!

It was heaven.

I’ve always worked with acrylic and oil on wood. I also use a resin finish because I want my paintings to look like glossy photographs.

My work is fun, not sad, not political…..FUN. I may come up with a funny story for my paintings, but the viewer can see and interpret them however they want. I want them to be enjoyed . They have been compared to candy, and I agree. I love candy. It is colorful, sugary…it tastes good. People are happy when they eat candy.

I guess I have always been a people pleaser, I don’t do emotions well and when someone is sad I tend to try and make them laugh and I do that with my paintings. I want to make people smile.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being myself. I am able to create what I want. I love working when I want and when I am inspired. I even love commissions and I have been doing more of them. Sometimes it can be super hard because the client can know what they want but might not be able to put it into words.  I may grumble if I get stumped trying to put the all their ideas together but I love the challenge and I love the end result of giving them what they want. I am able to put together their ideas in photoshop so when we finally get it the way they want, they will know what they are getting.   One client made about 29 changes. There were times when I was going to give up (and I bet they wanted to give up on me) but I was determined to make them happy and in the end they were. That makes me feel really good. Like I said, I’m a people pleaser…I like making people smile.

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?

Several of my business minded 9-5 friends cannot understand how we (my husband and I) can live with the uncertainty of being artists. How can I sleep not knowing exactly when and how much our next check will be? I think the answer is that I don’t have a choice. I am not wired any other way. Like I said earlier, sometimes I think it would be easier if I did something else more traditional, but it would not be at all fulfilling and I am sure I would not be good at it. I am not lazy. I work a lot, probably more than a traditional job but I do work on MY time. (in between being a wife and mom and doing all the stuff that entails).
I do worry about money and the future, but we all do.

Contact Info:

• Website: melissasimsart.com
• Instagram: melissasimsart