Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Melinoe.
Mike, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Well, I’m originally from Detroit, MI west side 7 mile, to be exact. I moved around the outer cities like Inkster and Tayor, MI during my upbringing due to my mother’s marriage and our house in Inkster was foreclosed. But currently an Austin TX, native been here for three years. Growing up was definitely rough, but it was worth all the confusion. Being raised by a single parent, predominantly my whole life, my mother did her best to instill morals, love, imagination and work ethic. Was raised in the church, so I got to sing in the choir a lot and first learn about my love for music. I also have three siblings, one older two younger, so I tend to have that middle child syndrome. I’ve always found myself alone with vivid thoughts of my future, inventing ideas in my basement as a child. Not having my father in my life I came across a ton of discomfort. I never understood my father and still don’t. It’s like he lives in a man body but through a child’s mindset, but oh well. One thing about not having a father figure, every brother, friend, cousin, coach, uncle, old heads, etc. became that for me. In high school I began to take sports seriously, running track and playing football soon became a way out for me. I liked music, and have been in writing and in the choir my whole life but felt that it was far fetched. I made it all through high school with intentions to go pro, well that didn’t happen. I went to college tried out for football and immediately made a life decision. At this time I never stopped working on music; it just wasn’t important to me anymore. So when I didn’t make the team, I said well, I think music has my full attention and haven’t looked back since. I changed my name and began to create music and life started to look exciting for once. But me going back home to pursue music wasn’t fully supported by my family. So it was more like show and improve to gain the support, and that was exactly what I did. I started a collective Organic Geniuses with Rakeem Miles in 2012, and we began to tour, release music and build a solid fan base. But that energy was running into constant barriers due to financial issues. Money talk in this music game. Still creating as time flew by, me gaining a better skill and understanding of where I wanted to be and soon the collective parted ways. Just before this split I moved to Austin in Jan 2016 and had an opportunity to be on Viceland which change my life, I was on TV for the first time. But that didn’t stop there, I still didn’t have the proper team or let alone a team at all. So I began to search deeper for another way to express, as my girlfriend suggested that I’d do. Then I picked up a paintbrush and started modeling, and my brand expanded again, and I haven’t looked back since.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Well, when I began to paint it was more for therapy if anything. Then as time went by, and I found myself questioning this art form I thought to myself why not create a style, which I called it “Shades of Hospitality”/ Shades of Hospitality is basically an art style that expresses the baggage that we as humans carry daily and year out to become who we are today. Someone could simply say that you’re ugly and that could hinder you and could affect your progression in life. That would be the baggage we carry, which shapes us by default. Like I tend to feed off negative energy so with this example I would have a positive outlook on it and will be motivated to proceed in life. So that baggage would mode me accordingly. Right not I mainly use acrylic. I like the paint a lot, especially because it drys fast also. I work on one-inch canvases currently, and been thinking about trying out wood.
What I believe my whole message for this style is that with every action comes growth, so a setback is really a step forward. It’s all about changing perspectives to better our future. I really would love to educate younger children on art also, especially since I creatively express in so many ways. I’m all about uniqueness and originality. So I focus on that with anything I create. I think of my legacy a lot, so I always wonder what will I do to differentiate myself from other creatives and already I’m on the right path.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Well, success is a mindset. Every person would see it differently. Currently, I work for myself, have more than five ways to make money and is constantly reinventing myself to develop better content. So I’m happy and progressing daily, that’s success to me. As long as I’m happy, focused and documenting my daily progression and seeing results I’m success. I feel like this mindset is important to have. Because if it’s meant to happen the money will come, we live in a time where people things that by aging you’re losing time, and when you have more money at a younger age you’ve gained success, but more than half of these people are not happy and don’t understand who they are.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I mainly have everything online, well just about because I have over 200 pieces now. But I’m working on an art show for the spring which will be splendid. I normally post on Instagram also, just to curate the network and brand so people can follow my art page at @shadesofhosp. The link to my art store is in that bio, for discovery and purchase purposes.
Contact Info:
- Website: GoldAintCheap.com
- Phone: 9792036855
- Email: mgmt@goldaintcheap.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikemelinoe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelinoeWorld/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MIKEMELINOE
Image Credit:
Caitlin Rounds
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