Melissa A. Mitchell is a powerhouse and a prominent Bahamian artist closing critical gaps in art, technology, and fashion worldwide. In just eight short years, the self-taught artist has earned international recognition and the attention of many high-powered and leading brands. This Miami, Florida native utilizes her ideas and creations to heal people through the happiness that only creating can bring. Her company, Abeille Creations (ABL), is unique and easy to identify, and Melissa’s impact is undeniable. She has created over 500 original art pieces and 40 larger-than-life murals.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Welcome to Shop Essence Live in partnership with the New Voices family.
00:04 I am your host Noni Donovan and I'm also vice president here at Essence in charge of video
00:09 and branded content.
00:10 If you are joining us, if you're back again, welcome back.
00:15 If this is your first time joining us, this is a weekly live shopping show that we do
00:20 in partnership with the New Voices family.
00:23 And today, look it, we got our girl Melissa A. Mitchell.
00:28 She is an artist.
00:30 She is a designer and she is CEO of ABL Creations.
00:34 Hey girl, hey.
00:35 Hey girl, hey girl, hey girl.
00:39 Thank you so much for joining.
00:41 First of all, the vibrancy and the color is already, we know that you're going to get
00:45 our lives nice and colorful and get us together.
00:49 So if you guys are just joining, this is a live shopping show.
00:53 Melissa is going to put us onto her incredible creations when I say wearable art, one of
00:58 a kind pieces.
00:59 We're going to get into each of these and she's going viral.
01:03 We're putting you onto something exclusive here at Shop Essence Live.
01:07 Black owned, women owned, entrepreneur business.
01:10 So Melissa, tell us about ABL, how you got started, what was the inspiration, what was
01:16 the journey like?
01:17 Give us the details.
01:18 Long story short, but God.
01:22 But I began painting from a very dark place, believe it or not.
01:26 My father passed away 2010 and I was just literally like mudding through life.
01:30 Like what's my life going to be like?
01:32 Is this what life is supposed to be?
01:34 Just end up, you know, you get out of here like that.
01:36 And so 2014, Atlanta has the infamous snowstorm.
01:39 It's almost been 10 years ago and I'm in the garage walking past some random art supplies.
01:45 I was like, oh, I should paint during the storm.
01:47 Because you know, during the storm, you think the world's going to end, right?
01:50 And so I just start randomly doodling on like notepads, scrap pieces of paper.
01:55 I found some wood and I'm chronicling it the entire time on Instagram.
02:00 And we're back on these phones again.
02:02 And so what was so dope about that is that my friends began to cheer me on and they started
02:06 buying it.
02:07 I said, oh, I might be an artist.
02:08 And so shortly after that, I decided to cut my hair off because, you know, that's what
02:13 women do.
02:14 We lose our minds.
02:15 But I was like, how am I going to go to these shows with this little bitty fro with all
02:19 this conditioner on it?
02:20 I need to still be dressed up.
02:21 And so I came up with a great idea.
02:22 And that was the beginning of the wearable art empire.
02:23 That was around 2016.
02:24 And I said, you know, one day, this is me dreaming loftily, like a little girl.
02:25 I said, you know, I want little Peter to one day wear a head wrap.
02:26 And I said, you know what, I'm going to just DM her stylist and see what he says.
02:27 He responds.
02:28 And he's like, she would love your stuff.
02:29 And I'm like, I'm going to DM her stylist.
02:30 And I'm like, I'm going to DM her stylist.
02:31 And I'm like, I'm going to DM her stylist.
02:32 And I'm like, I'm going to DM her stylist.
02:33 me loftily like a like a little girl said you know I want Lupita to one day
02:36 wear a head wrap and I said you know what I'm gonna just DM her stylist and
02:40 see what he says he responds and he's like she would love your stuff how can I
02:47 like how can we you know help you get better whatever so he I send head wraps
02:51 to Europe and I'm like y'all ain't said no nothing else about it so I thought
02:55 that happened with it six months later I ended up in Vogue Magazine with Lupita
02:59 wearing a head wrap come on and so I love that story because that was in the
03:04 beginning where I was just like you know how when you like first in your rap deal
03:07 you trying to just like doing freestyles everywhere I was just painting to have a
03:11 good time and then I think that's when I realized that I had some significant
03:15 talent but also that no dream was too lofty and so there was nothing at that
03:21 point I'm a girl if Lupita in a head wrap in Vogue that's like top actress
03:25 top publication you can't get no better than that right so after that it just
03:31 kept going bigger bigger greater greater and it's just like you know God keeps
03:35 blowing every year I'm like okay I'm peeking around the corner like what's
03:38 happening next what's gonna happen next and it's just been going on going so
03:41 super super grateful for my journey and you know essence has just been essence
03:48 has been on my dream board since I was in high school so every time I see
03:51 Melissa in essence together I'm like you know a dream delayed it's not a dream
03:55 denied so I'm always grateful to be here oh I love that and you are so inspiring
04:02 I want everybody this is live for a reason if you guys have any questions
04:05 about her products or any questions if you're an entrepreneur and you have
04:08 questions about her journey we are looking out in the chat so make sure
04:12 that you ask those questions so inspired by taking a place that could have been a
04:18 dark place but you found an outlet to actually help you get through that but
04:23 then shared it I think I feel like there's a lot of people that are sitting
04:26 on their gifts at home they could be watching right now and they have a gift
04:29 but they haven't explored it you explored it then take it to a next level
04:34 by manifesting and claiming I want Lupita to and then cover a book like
04:38 that is just that journey is just so incredible yes um so we're getting a lot
04:43 of compliments on the art the earrings everything let's start getting into
04:47 these products if you're watching this on Pinterest TV with us live which is
04:51 home of shop essence live you can be shopping clicking and shopping and
04:54 supporting Melissa and these incredible incredible pieces so what would you like
04:59 to highlight first for us um I don't know so part of my story is me leaping
05:05 out of faith and quitting my job I was part of the great resignation that
05:09 happened in 2021 what's 2020 into 2021 yeah and I think when we started seeing
05:14 how important things were and how non important things were it was like work
05:19 I'm grateful for the job but it was like this is not my life this cannot be like
05:23 and Melissa worked it done done done done you know yeah and so when I quit my job
05:28 I was like okay what am I gonna do next a few weeks later a lot of people know
05:34 that's when I landed my deal with Foot Locker the year that I quit my job and
05:39 so I tell that story is because I learned how to maximize my digital
05:43 painting just as much as my regular canvas to paint brush and so what my
05:49 newest collections have been have been all done on my Microsoft powered laptop
05:54 and desktop every day instead of me writing in my journal I will come home
05:58 pull out my tablet and start painting and so some of the pieces I show you
06:02 today are my journal entries which are actual pieces of artwork Wow this
06:07 weekend I had an amazing pop-up and I just threw some bucket hats in the bag
06:11 and they sold out and then it went viral this week on social media so I've sold
06:17 about five to ten hats every few minutes I'm looking at my website you guys so
06:24 y'all are liking these bucket hats so here's one of them this is such a and I
06:31 think it's you know and I'm not even to say the product isn't great but when you
06:35 see the art on the fabric you like wait a minute it's a bucket hat but it's an
06:39 artful bucket hat yeah the pieces literally come alive in just such a
06:43 special way so people have just gone crazy over these hats I'm like on the
06:50 website for a year and now y'all want one one personal highlight but you know
06:57 it just sometimes it takes the moment of preparation and I'm having good stuff
07:02 yeah so as things begin to sell out I was able to call a production come I
07:06 said look now these hats are hot item we can't miss no money this time so I mean
07:11 even Tabitha Tabitha Brown she said male I didn't know you had head I was like I
07:16 mean tell you about these heads so she called an order one of every single hat
07:20 that I have in stock Wow all of my friends have been I mean it brings me to
07:24 tears because as an artist and entrepreneur you just don't know when
07:28 your next big thing is gonna happen so you just wake up every day like okay God
07:31 can we happen and then these hats happen and so people are going crazy over them
07:37 it could fit over all this hair make sure you know the back all of that look
07:43 at that so each piece is named after so I was up watching I don't know I was
07:48 watching some Oriental movie where I had like a subtitle so this is called the
07:52 Oriental Express that's the name of that design and as you mentioned before I'm a
07:58 Miami native so this is called Miami graffiti so reminds me when I go down to
08:04 Art Basel and they're doing all those graffiti walls and stuff and so each
08:08 piece has like its own story remember the candy called dots of course so this
08:13 is paying homage to dots I love that my favorite candy and so yes I just love
08:19 that I get to name these pieces whatever I want I get a blank sheet of paper I
08:24 get to do whatever I want and so that's the fun thing about being an artist is
08:29 that when you start with a canvas it reminds you just like life is that you
08:33 decide what it comes out you decide what life is gonna be and so one of my other
08:39 best sellers I wore this at Essence Festival. Come on we got to talk about Essence Festival
08:44 because I did run into you there. Yes. And Shop Essence Live was live every single day
08:49 over at Essence Fest and EMS 108 yes I said your name I see you. You did.
08:55 I saw you at Festival how was that for you? Let's just talk about the New Voices family
09:02 right I mean I'm a faith-filled girl I'm always in my zone like you know
09:08 God this God that and so as I'm just like well I don't really have anything planned for Essence
09:11 I'm just gonna get in the car and go right got my hotel I said I want to be
09:15 on stage this is me talking to myself and then here comes the team say hey
09:18 can you get on stage on Friday I was like actually I can and I'll be there
09:23 and so the New Voices family has just been such a cornerstone for small
09:28 businesses and medium businesses big businesses is that just being that
09:31 conduit between you know hustling the regular way and then pushing us funneling
09:36 us through the corporate way it is that they've just prepared me for you know
09:40 the Target's the Walmart's the Macy's all these big brands and so whatever y'all
09:45 call I make it happen and so back to Essence Festival it was so dope to see
09:50 all of my friends that I see in the chat rooms and on different you know huge New
09:54 Voices platforms and now I get to rub shoulders with them and our panel was
09:58 talking about the power of your personal brand and if don't if nobody else can
10:02 speak to that. The great one for you girl. Listen I am a walking billboard I mean my watch my socks my shoes my
10:09 purse my hat my everything and so on stage we really talked about staying
10:14 true to who you are because I think a lot of people get on social media like
10:18 oh Stephanie selling hats I need to make a hat but if that's not what your lane
10:21 is leave the hats to Melissa and Stephanie go work on what you're
10:25 supposed to be doing and so I love that I was on stage with fellow entrepreneurs
10:29 that that are following their specific lane and their specific voice because a
10:33 lot of times people will think that oh if somebody's doing well then I need to
10:37 copy that because that's what people are doing so let me copy this but I love
10:40 that we all are excelling in our chosen paths and so on stage I wore one of my
10:46 other bestsellers this is called Art Deco a paying homage to Miami once again
10:51 and so this is one of my amazing kimonos. Love the kimonos y'all. So I wear this
10:59 whether it's to bed to the beach on stage for Essence traveling and I can't
11:05 go anywhere without getting stopped like literally people like where's this from
11:09 oh my gosh I mean it's so my genius marketing self I have my website on a
11:14 QR code on my watch so no matter where I am
11:19 whether I have a card or not people can reach me directly on my watch because it
11:26 goes through my website so that's another seller and speaking of traveling I went
11:33 viral a month ago when I was headed to DC I had matching luggage covers that
11:37 matched my outfit my pants so let me see if I got one of you here for y'all so
11:43 honey I took all that luggage so this is one of the duffel bags yes laptop cover
11:55 everything here and then I had the actual suitcase was covered in the
12:01 matching the matching luggage cover so all my luggage and can't get lost
12:07 it's a photograph of a moment and so this goes over your suitcase no matter
12:12 how big it is and then because I'm a genius marketer I also put my website
12:19 QR code better stop right on the back of my on the back of my luggage so when you
12:25 see it you like little who is this oh you don't have to worry about it you
12:28 can google it I'm gonna go to a marketing class she's given one right
12:32 now y'all again if I hope all 383 are taking notes I hope I got any notes oh
12:39 yeah well one of the things my dad taught me um in his passing is that you
12:44 never every time you meet a person you act as though it's their first time
12:47 meeting you right and so it's like whether you know me or not you'll
12:50 remember this you remember this you remember this right and so if I never
12:55 have a conversation with you you be like wait a minute I don't know your name but
12:58 I remember a bag you had at the airport when I was following behind you and so
13:02 that has happened to me probably every time I go to airport they're like I
13:05 don't know your name but that bag I've seen it somewhere and so I've learned
13:10 that actions speak louder than words but art speak even louder than actions and
13:14 so I'm able to speak loud with my creations because people are like I know
13:19 that from somewhere that's my girl Melissa and so just with that genius
13:24 marketing it has allowed me to grassroots no team no manager nobody
13:30 handed me off these opportunities just like today my phone rings and I'm
13:34 prepared now I could do a whole live shopping experience because I have a
13:38 house full of merchandise yeah stay ready so you ain't gotta get ready you
13:43 know that's what I said that's what I said. I love I love what you say about first
13:48 impressions I always thought your fashion is how you're saying hello to a
13:53 room before you even say yes and it says so much about you and I think you know
13:58 we have those outgoing people in our lives I love color yeah you love color
14:03 these this is such an incredible way for you guys to express yourselves or that
14:08 person in your life that you know is that jovial spirit this is just like
14:12 your personality just singing to a room before you even say yes and I love all
14:17 your pieces too because you are wearing a one-of-a-kind walking piece of art so
14:22 even as these hats are selling out no two hats will be the same so you're
14:27 gonna have a one-of-a-kind piece of art on you yeah for you great for a gift
14:31 hope you guys say and what I do is after about a year or so I discontinued the
14:37 design so if you get it in 2021 that's it baby girl it's always something new
14:44 because I because I have so many ideas if I keep trying to hold on to you know
14:49 the Jimmy design from when I first started it won't have the same value but
14:54 it's almost like I've learned that consumers love to have the scarcity
14:57 mindset like there's only one left I got about four there's only this left and so
15:02 when I said listen now you have one of 42 you have to afford it so when I
15:05 start putting the numbers on people like oh shoot I need to hurry up and get on
15:09 here and so I love that people a love what I do but they also respect the art
15:14 buying process because essentially I'm teaching you how to buy art by buying
15:18 apparel and so that's what ABL creations is all about I'm shuffling hope but I'm
15:24 also showing you have to be an art collector and so art is is seizing the
15:29 moment so imagine being in like 19 when a boss yet passed away imagine it being
15:33 like 1981 right and you're sitting in a subway and some guy named Basquiat is
15:39 handing out paintings on pieces of paper for $2 I just buy this you know just out
15:44 of nowhere that same $2 piece of scratch on a paper is now worth the upwards of
15:49 500 K because that was his first work and so the same goes for ABL creations
15:54 before I become the even bigger juggernaut art company even bigger tomorrow
16:00 probably having a piece that from the bear you know along my journey will mean
16:05 a lot and it will cut you know it will be worth the investment and so teaching
16:09 people that you see people while they're here you enjoy them while they're here
16:12 but even when they're gone you have even more things to enjoy so that's really
16:16 what I enjoy doing as a brand and as a creative and I think to it let's it
16:22 because I don't have any children yet so these are my babies I'm sharing myself
16:25 in thousands of different ways and thousands of locations I may never visit
16:29 it allows me to come outside of my Atlanta home to be everywhere in the
16:35 world and it still be at home in my bed at the same time oh so good now yeah I
16:42 mean there's so much I want you guys make sure that you follow ABL creations
16:46 here on Pinterest it'll take you to their full website there is so much to
16:51 explore on their website and buy the products that she's talked about today
16:55 they're pinned here so that you can save them pin them buy them yeah I think you
16:59 buy a shop essence live goes directly to these black owned brands okay I love
17:05 these businesses yeah so make sure that you guys are you're supporting for sure
17:10 and sharing with your friends yeah anything anything coming up for you that
17:14 you want to highlight before I let you go oh yes I have a huge hair show with
17:19 curls the brand curls and I'm one of the key of course designers and we're
17:24 creating an amazing artistic experience and so I love how art is able to cross
17:30 over to so many different areas I mean you talk about carbine experience you
17:35 talk about the spirits and wine you talk about festivals you talk about the music
17:40 industry I mean hair industry I'm thinking about wrapping lipstick with my
17:44 you know partner with fellow lipstick oh you know all these different brands
17:49 hair care about it with you know and of course and then also partnering with my
17:53 friends in the industry so whether it's a lip bar oh I mean dark and light
17:58 shade moisture there's so many brands that I could collab with today with a
18:02 phone call away so it's being thoughtful about who I partner with and
18:06 understanding hey this is good for both of us let's connect each other together
18:11 and get her versus enough I don't want to work with Stephanie she got her stuff
18:14 and I got mine no let's work together in the same direction oh my goodness so
18:20 many gems drops on top of showing y'all the most incredible one-of-a-kind
18:25 wearable art yes y'all could be walking around with the Melissa a Mitchell
18:30 Basquiat yeah on you yeah yeah I'm so so incredible make sure that you guys are
18:37 pinning it make sure you follow her tell them what you're all your socials are so
18:40 they can follow you to get this daily yeah you should see what you have coming
18:44 out so to make it easy my website super googleable is Melissa a Mitchell calm
18:49 and my Pinterest and my Instagram are both the same it's a BL creation that's
18:54 a be I ll e creations and I mean come shop with me I'm loading new pieces up
19:00 today I was like you know what why not wait to the fall let's do it now people
19:03 want it you know my website anyway let's go I'm constantly feeding you all kind
19:08 of creative colorful designs online I'm constantly pumping out motivation I
19:13 would say that I'm a kaleidoscope of hope because I found dark I found
19:16 lightness in my darkness and I made it colorful and so when you look into my
19:20 page you end up sitting there like I'm in here all day you've got all the
19:26 motivation you need to go take on the world and to really take the place by
19:30 storm and so I'm just grateful for these kind of platforms because as an
19:34 entrepreneur specifically a black woman we work so hard and we don't know if
19:38 people see us or understand what we do and so essence does I mean it makes me
19:44 emotional because you don't know the kind of week I've already had right you
19:47 don't know the kind of night that I had or the day that I had and so when I got
19:50 the call a few hours ago I was like I'm gonna move some things around because
19:55 it's epic if essence calls me I'll figure it out
20:00 you know all all meant to be Melissa you are so incredible I want to put a
20:07 thought in the audience's head cuz y'all might have some stuff coming up okay I
20:11 want you to imagine bridal suite oh you got the matching rose we don't we don't
20:17 need to be doing the plain white room imagine your bridal party and these
20:25 robes oh yeah I need y'all to imagine that imagine the girls trip imagine the
20:31 girls trip photos yeah imagine a BL creation I'm saying there's a lot I have
20:37 baby suits on there too we got head wraps we got travel bags oh lord we got
20:45 bras we got pan I mean anything you think of I throw my art on it I am the
20:50 I'm the first black woman to win the Spanx illuminate her contest and since
20:54 then I've been the only one so I have a black girl on the breath so I've done
20:59 that I mean socks we got shoes I'm working on nail decals I'm gonna have
21:04 all bases covered from head to toe literally it's good we got we got head
21:10 wraps get headbands you got all kind of fabrics all kind of dimensions I've got
21:17 it for you we love it and we love you Melissa thank you so much I know you're
21:22 on a Chicago deadline which I love for you I mean some money coming your way
21:27 I love that thank you so much for joining us today I appreciate it anybody
21:32 that's joined us live thank you guys so much if you're watching us in the
21:36 replay thank you so much we'll be here every single Thursday shop essence live
21:40 shop and black-owned brands a partnership with new voices family
21:43 Melissa see you later girl thank you guys happy Thursday see you guys next
21:51 week bye
21:54 (laughing)
21:56 (laughs)