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

Hi Teresa, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I actually started No Use Market as a fashion/clothing company. When I first thought of the business name and concept behind it, everything was centered around making my own clothing and selling repurposed items. As I was brainstorming logos and designs for the business, I was also starting a career in live video production. I moved to Nashville, TN to be within the job scope of the live production world. Of course, I was hit with the reality of the pandemic and no longer saw live production as a feasible career path. I also learned – I didn’t really love traveling or being away from my dog.

I did end up working for production companies through the pandemic. After a while, I became really burnt out and couldn’t stop thinking of what it would be like to run my own business. I thought of all the ways I would be better than these slimy companies that treat employees like dirt. My partner, Justin, really inspired me to take a risk and believe in myself. I then decided I was just going to go for it.

No Use Market was officially born in 2021. I started by doing pop-ups around town selling vintage and up-cycled clothing/home decor that I made. I did this for a while and enjoyed it for the most part. After a couple months, I started doing collections to make things more fun. With these collections, I would pick a theme and create a whole release based on this theme. For example, we did a collection called “Camp Smokey”: I hand-picked clothing that fit the theme, sourced props, and designed a set that was used to photograph the collection for the website. As I did more and more of these, I found that the only part I truly enjoyed was building the sets, creative directing a collection, and photographing/making content for the collection.

So, I rebranded. No Use Market was officially a production company. This was something that was in the back of my mind for a while. I knew it was something I really enjoyed but didn’t fully believe in myself to make it happen. It was the best decision I ever made.

I started with my first project – Kids Being Kids, an album by artist K.O.N and producer WowJus7in. I was given the opportunity to creative direct this project. Within this project, I was able to do my first album cover, tracklist, visual series, video set design, and so much more. My love for this art form was born and I knew that this is what No Use Market was supposed to be.

After the project was released, I started doing more and more work around town related to production and creative direction. I now do set design and visual art production for many Nashville companies and artists. The future vision for this company is to continue to help artists fulfill their full creative visions through thoughtful visual art and create unique, interactive experiences for their fans or clients.

This journey was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through in life so far. I had to really accept and love myself for what I love to do. I had to take the risk on myself that I could do this and I can continue to do this. And it’s something that I have to consciously do everyday.

Teresa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Teresa Meyle and I am a creative director and visual artist. I mainly focus on set design but also dabble in photography, videography, graphic design, fashion design, and painting. I started No Use to be able to house my work and other creatives.  I love to do a multitude of art forms. I hope to inspire others to create outside of the box and try other art forms! There is no need to fit into one box.

No Use Market is a creative production company that focuses on second-hand materials. We like to think of ourselves as a “marketplace for creatives.” It’s essentially a one-stop-shop for artists and companies to come to and have their full ideas come to life. We offer services ranging throughout all the visual art forms.

With No Use Market, we can provide a fully branded project by keeping it under one house – though multiple creatives will be working on your project, our concepts and values are branded through everything we do.

These values include – sustainability , love, creativity, and education.

No Use Market is a different kind of production company. We really want to focus on the artist – not for popularity or “clout” – but to actually promote their art as art. An artist’s creativity is what makes them unique and we want to continue to teach others to be themselves through art.

Right now, we are such a small business. One day, we hope for No Use Market to be not only a production company but a community resource, as well. We want to have a warehouse that not only houses sets, gear, etc. and is used to create visuals but a space that also promotes learning. There are so many people that struggle with art full-time and either don’t have the resources or don’t have the confidence. We want to host classes and free resource days for local artists, of any age, to be able to practice and create with no judgment. We also want to promote mental health resources to artists and provide programs that help build confidence and happiness as an artist.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the audacity to be one. Everyday, I feel like I don’t belong in this world because I’m not doing what I’m supposed to or what was taught to us. The world – in reference to taxes, money, benefits, etc – is not structured for artists. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told to find a “real” job. If only those people knew how hard we all worked at this!

Taking the risk on myself and daring to do something like this – feels amazing. I love what I do and I want to share it with everyone. I want every artist to feel empowered to be one.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Honestly, I’m still searching for the right resources. I’m learning everyday what I need to know.

The biggest resource that I never relied on was my community. Once you start really connecting with people in your field, you start to realize everyone is going through the same or similar challenges. We all have knowledge we can share with each other from our different experiences. We should be fully embracing our peers and learning everything we can from them. These are the only people that understand what it means to try and do this for a career. I’m still learning to be better about reaching out for help or asking my peers for advice.

Thank you to everyone thus far that has helped No Use Market grow. You are all extremely appreciated.

Contact Info:

• Website: nousemarket.com

• Instagram: @nousemarket

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFTMC_E-qu_qc3iMTscaSQg

Image Credits

Christian Munoz
Teresa Meyle
Mak Sims
John Jo