We recently connected with Melody Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melody, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Sometimes I think back and wonder how life would have been if I started pursuing life as a creative sooner but then someone told me that now is my season and I am in the right place at the right time- for me! I have had multiple jobs, too many to count, that was either bearable with horrible bosses or great people around me but a horrible job. I didn’t know if I could make a living as a creative and thought, wow, this is truly the definition of a starving artist. The moment that I finally said enough is enough, I need to truly follow my dreams and not just dabble as a hobby was when after many years of trying I finally got a government job with good benefits and something I thought I wanted, to only experience one if not the most toxic environments in my life. I knew my mother would be upset but I didn’t care anymore. I knew this wasn’t my life path… so I quit. I am glad I am doing this later in life because I now have experience, I know what I want in life but most importantly I won’t tolerate disrespect like I probably would have if I did this when I was younger. I’m more secure with Melody and she deserves it all!

Melody, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have published two children’s books: Benny’s Big Mess and Benny’s Rainy Day on Amazon, Barnes and Noble plus anywhere books are sold. I am currently working on follow ups to those books. I also dabbled in internet radio and followed that up with my own podcast Mel in a Nutshell on many streaming platforms including Apple. I hit a creative block with that during quarantine but am currently revising the premise of the podcast to suit what I am more interested in in this stage of my life. I also started taking acting workshops and plan to move to either L.A. or Atlanta to pursue it further. I have always been a writer since I was a child and wanted to act or do something creative in the industry, it’s just coming from where I came it didn’t seem possible plus I was and still sort of shy but I know this is me and I can’t shake what’s inside of me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding thing for me as a creative is inspiring others. A-lot of people want to do what you do but don’t know how. If you are serious about pursuing this I always lend the little bit of knowledge that I have and if I don’t know the answer, I will find it out for you. It seems impossible until one of your own is doing it and it gives you hope. I hope to inspire more and have a vehicle to help more creatives.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I have always been a people pleaser and tried not to rock the boat. I have always did what every one else wanted me to do and as I got older I became sort of bitter. I wasn’t happy and when I did what they wanted me to do, they still weren’t satisfied. So I thought, Mel why are you pleasing everyone but yourself? Plus they don’t care if you’re miserable or not, you’re in this “safe” box that they put you in and that’s not fair. As I stated earlier quitting that government job felt so liberating and doing what I wanted to do has literally lifted a weight from my shoulders. Fortune favors the brave. I forgot who said that but I love that quote.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: yourstruly_melodynicole