Melissa Helene Mason

Booth #: LN26C

Artist bio: I’m a Type A girl, in a Type B world. I live and die by my color-coded calendar and detailed spreadsheets. Even my chosen medium is Type A - scratchboard is clean, highly detail oriented, orderly, and every scratch in a piece has an intention and a place. I am an artist in my bones and love working in black + white and celebrating wildlife, but I've been successful because I am a businesswoman by nature. I'm building a business that merges my talent as an artist with my desire to be Earth-conscious and help protect wildlife and their habitats. This is my passion, but it's also my livelihood.

I am a full-time, self-employed artist who, at one time, had ZERO intention of having a creative career. At 18, the thought of being a "starving artist" was completely undesirable. I craved stability and assurances, so I leaned on logic and landed at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities majoring in...Sociology! (Yes, that means I do NOT have a degree in the fine arts)

Fast forward to today and I'm exactly where I didn't think I'd want to be...and it's amazing! I love my job! I get to create art and travel around the country and make a living doing it. I'm building my path one brick at a time every day and it challenges me in really exciting ways. Entrepreneurship is a challenge, but I wouldn't have it any other way.