We chat with an art student at The Visionary ART Workshop to hear their perspective on their art journey in hope that something they share will inspire you in someway.
We have a heart to heart with the beautiful and talented Melissa Than, a flight attendant by profession who started art classes 4 years ago and is still going strong!
We find out what propelled her to start art classes and get up close and personal on how making art has transformed her as a person and how she manages to attract so many admirers to her artwork.
Q: So Melissa, what prompted you to take your very first art lesson?
Melissa: Initially it was just a need to express myself. There were times when I wanted to express myself through writing but sometimes, I feel that words just inadequate. At moments like these, I couldn’t agree more that :”a picture paints a thousand words”.
I know that when words are no longer good enough to express or communicate something, some people use music to express themselves; for me, doing art was a natural inclination.
Q: As you reflect back, do you feel that painting or creating has helped or changed you in any way?
Melissa: Yes, definitely. I feel that painting is a form of “chicken soup for my soul”. Whenever I immerse myself in whatever art that I am doing, I experience mindfulness and being in the moment. Living in a fast-paced life with a never-ending to-do-list, it is very therapeutic to slow down and pay more attention to the little things that goes on around us.
Whenever I draw or paint, I realized that I begin to pay attention and appreciate very minute things; for example the quality of the line that I am drawing, the intensity and tones of colours and so on.
Q: Have you discovered new things about yourself as a person through making art?
Melissa: Yes, I realized that I have a perfectionist inside me that likes to micro-scrutinize and paint minute details, despite the fact that I am a pretty easy going and relaxed person who likes a certain degree of sloppiness.
Q: How have your friends or family responded to the art that you have created?
Melissa: So far my family and friends are supportive and responded quite positively. I even had a couple of offers for my magnolia tree painting. This as helped to affirm my works and opened up the possibilities of me doing paintings for a living in the near future.
Q: We are enjoying the evolvement of your current painting, what are you hoping for people to feel when they see it?
Melissa: My current painting is something very meaningful for me. It has accompanied me through a lot of major events this year, from moving house to trying for promotion at work to leading almost 100 volunteers to Myanmar for the first time to getting married, it has accompanied me through it all and it represents all the emotions and thoughts that I have experienced through it all.
I hope that when people see my final painting, they will experience what I feel too… A sense of hope (that everything will always somehow turn out alright), finding respite, peace and tranquillity in the face of change, calmness and acceptance in handling challenges as they come along, accepting that change is only inevitable and having the resilience and gentle grace to deal with it.
Q: You’ve had a lot of wonderful comments from others about it even during its ‘unfinished state’. What are the qualities you feel are required for creating such a piece?
Melissa: In general, they just commented that I have lots of talent but deep down I feel that… I am just an average person who enjoys drawing. I believe that anyone can draw to a certain degree and skills can be honed with practice and time. However, all these are pointless without interest or passion; it is very important to enjoy the process. It will be evident when the creator enjoyed what he/she has created because others will naturally be drawn to it unconsciously.
Also, I believe it is important to be true to yourself and not be afraid to be different. I feel that creating is about self-expression and adding personal touches, creating based on our own interpretation so as to better communicate the essence of the painting. A well-painted picture without self-expression is a painting without “soul”.
Whenever I draw, I mindfully transfer my feelings, thoughts, visualizations and energy into my paintings. When I painted the magnolia tree, I visualized it hanging in the living room of my future house, a home filled with lots of warmth, unconditional love and bliss. People commented that they felt happy whenever they looked at my painting even though it remains incomplete!
Q: What advice would you say to those who feel it’s too late to start learning or for those who feel they are not ‘gifted’ to draw or paint?
Melissa: Approach art with a childlike mind set – be open to learning and be less self-conscious about what people think of your creation. Art can be learnt – by honing technical skills and being more sensitive to your drawing; both of which can be acquired through time, practice and most importantly passion. Everybody starts somewhere and age is only an excuse and a number.
We will post Melissa’s artwork here once it’s ‘completed’! So watch this space!
The Visionary ART Workshop 