We recently connected with Melanie Roberge and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melanie, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Can you share a bit about yourself before we dive into some of the other questions we had for you?
Yes, I’d love to. I’m Melanie Roberge, a 4th generation emerging artist from Jacksonville, Florida. I’m 36 with two teenage boys. I work full time as a kitchen and bath designer and am pursuing my art career at night and on the weekends.
As a 4th generation artist, creative expression was ingrained in me at a young age. My mother, grandmother, great grandmother and sister are all artists. I was raised by my single mother and it was hard at times. I was a very quiet child and had difficulty expressing my emotions, so creating art was a great outlet for me.
When I became an adult and mother myself, I struggled to find time for creating art and I put off pursuing my passion for 17 years. Then in January of 2023 I decided there was no better time than now to chase my dreams. I jumped right in and I taught myself to paint. I’ve made a lot of progress and have achieved so much in less than a year and a half. It goes to show how much untapped potential I believe we all have hidden inside us.
Let’s get to the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
In 2022 I read a book called Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, it completely changed my life.
Ikigai is a Japanese term that blends two words, “iki” meaning “to live” and “gai” meaning “reason” which translates to “a reason to live” It’s a concept that encourages people to discover what truly matters to them and to live a life filled with purpose and joy.
I discovered that my Ikigai was to return to art and to open a children’s art studio which I hope to do in the near future so I can share this knowledge with future generations of creators.
Let’s take a small detour – What inspires your artwork and what are you most excited about on your current journey?
Living in Florida for the majority of my life, I’ve been overwhelmingly inspired by water. The beautiful oceans, crystal clear springs and all of its inhabitants provide me with endless sources of inspiration. The movement and flow of the water, ever changing, just like the tides and currents of life.
Over the past 15 months I have developed my own art-style using techniques that I have not yet come across. My colors are vibrant and bright, just like my vision for the future, and I have been developing a new technique where I use resin to represent the look and feel of water. I have also been experimenting with combining resin and clay to give a 3D look to my acrylic paintings.
I have also joined @ForPlanetOcean on Instagram, a group of ocean conservation artists who’s goal is to spread awareness for our ocean and it’s precious creatures. During the month of June and for World Ocean Day we share our ocean related artwork on social media. The most exciting part of what I do and the work I create is that it can impact not only other people, but with a combined effort, can help change the world. To keep our oceans healthy and thriving for generations to come.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three of the most important skills I have learned on this art journey would have to be the following:
- Art will not sell itself. You have to work like a business owner. You’ll be in charge of creating the art, marketing yourself, websites, social media, printing, shipping etc. Once you learn that, it will be liberating to know you’re in full control of the success of your art career.
- Persistence and determination are key. If you want to be successful as an artist you can’t quit as soon as something doesn’t go to plan or when it gets hard. I devoted every spare minute, outside of my full-time job and my kids to learning how to paint. It was extremely difficult and disheartening at times. But if you’re determined to reach your full potential, it’s vital to keep going during the tough times. Even if you can only commit 15 minutes a day to your passion, all those baby steps will add up in the end.
- Finding a community of like-minded artists is a game changer. It’s great to have support from family and friends, but when I found my community of artists on Instagram, it brought my art to a new level. To have the ability to exchange ideas, advice, encouragement and support with like-minded individuals who are going through the same trials as you is tremendously rewarding.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
In my opinion, it’s best to be well rounded vs being a master of one skill. I feel that if you don’t explore the unknown, you’ll be limiting yourself.
I didn’t always have this opinion. When attending my high school art classes my teacher, Ms. Jevons, tried tirelessly to encourage me to get out of my comfort zone for 4 years, I refused. I was proficient in using colored pencils and had no desire to start at the bottom and learn something new.
17 years later I decided to take her advice and teach myself to paint. Learning to paint has led to me exploring a wide variety of mediums such as acrylic paint, oil paint, resin, sculpture using epoxy, clay and plaster, and gold leaf. I’m so grateful for her advice, even if I didn’t listen until years later. It has given me the tools to create many unique 3D art pieces that couldn’t be accomplished using colored pencils alone. Experimentation and play has also brought me so much joy and satisfaction that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.
I hope to inspire others to take the risk, put it all out there and give it your best shot. You’ll find that you’re much more capable than you ever expected.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melanierobergeart.com
- Instagram: @melanieroberge.art
- Facebook: Melanie Roberge Art
- Threads: melanieroberge.art
