We recently had the chance to connect with Melissa Marzan and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melissa, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I believe I am creating my own path, which can sometimes feel like I’m wandering. When you trying to build something that doesn’t have a blueprint, you can feel like you’re lost or you’re not really going anywhere. But when you finally take a look back to see how far you’ve come, you realize that you are exactly where you need to be, and all you have to do is keep moving forward.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Melissa Marzan, and I am a hand lettering & illustration artist with a focus on murals. I believe that words have the power to make an impact on how we see and experience the world. My art is a vessel for positive change and a way to process and explore my emotions. I see my work as a starting point to conversations about emotional vulnerability, cultivating community, ocean conservation, and my experience as a Queer/Bisexual Filipino-American.
My art style is heavily inspired by my childhood being raised near the ocean in the central coast, always visiting the beaches, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I also primarily work with a blue color palette because it can symbolize honesty and radiates friendly and calming energy.
With my work, I help others realize the things about themselves that make them special and remind them that their unique voices and stories are important in the journey of finding their own styles and passions in this life.
Through my art, I share waves of positivity over the daily struggles of our human existence and build a community of courage through vulnerability. By living and creating art authentically, I inspire others to become the bravest version of themselves.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I would say my best friend Jess, who I’ve been friends with for over 20 years. Ever since the beginning of our friendship, she never expected me to be anything more or less than myself, even if I didn’t know who I was at the start. Our friendship was always a safe space, where I never felt weird or judged. Even with my best friends now, the people who know me, celebrate me for who I am, and love me unconditionally. I surround myself with people that reflect who I am as a person and whenever I feel lost, I know they will always help lead me to where I belong.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Gratitude. Once I shifted my perspective to focus on what I had versus what I didn’t have both in relation to my career or other aspects of my life, it allowed me to see that failure is just an opportunity. As long as there was something to learn to take away from, I was still successful, even if the goal I was trying to achieve was still out of my grasp. I’m just thankful to be where I am and to have tried instead of staying where I was because of the fear of failure.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
As a Filipino American, I will always value community. In our culture, we have the values of ‘kapwa’, which is a core Filipino concept that represents a shared identity, interconnectedness, and the unity of “self” and “others” and ‘bayanihan’ which is a another cultural concept representing the spirit of communal unity, cooperation, and helping one another. I believe we are all interconnected and my success are my community’s successes and vise versa. What I do affects others and who I am is the reflection of the company I keep. So I will always move like I am one with the people I associate myself with, and really take a deep look into who I am and improve myself so that the people who look to me for leadership knows which direction we need to go to become better together. And it’s not about sacrificing myself for others, but bettering myself in a healthy way and setting the appropriate boundaries so that we all can find success together and for each other.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I honestly feel like this is how I approach not only my business, but how I currently live my life. My best looks different every day, but I’ve learned to stop beating myself up on what I could have done, and focused on what I was capable of doing. I am my own personal cheerleader and my language that I use on a daily basis is that of praise. I tell myself that I’m doing a great job, and that I am so proud of me that I have gotten this far. I look at myself in the mirror and tell the woman that I see that I am grateful for everything she has had the strength to move through in this lifetime to get to where we are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelettermermaid.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelettermermaid/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-letter-mermaid/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelettermermaid
Image Credits
Hilda Peralta, Watsonville Parks & Community Services (Bayanihan.jpg)
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