- 1 week ago
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
00:00Welcome to Shop Essence Live in partnership with the New Voices family. I am your host Noni
00:06Donovan and I'm also vice president here at Essence in charge of video and branded content.
00:10If you are joining us, if you're back again, welcome back. If this is your first time joining
00:16us, this is a weekly live shopping show that we do in partnership with the New Voices family.
00:22And today, look at, we got our girl, Melissa A. Mitchell. She is an artist. She is a designer
00:31and she is CEO of ABL Creations. Hey girl. Hey. Hey girl. Hey girl. Hey girl. Thank you so much
00:40for joining. First of all, the vibrancy and the color is already, we know that you're going to
00:45get our lives nice and colorful and get us together. So if you guys are just joining,
00:51this is a live shopping show. Melissa is going to put us onto her incredible creations. When I say
00:57wearable art, one of a kind pieces, we're going to get into each of these brought and she's going
01:03viral. Like we're putting you onto something exclusive here at Shop Essence. Black owned,
01:08women owned entrepreneur business. So Melissa. Yes. Tell us about ABL, how you got started. What was
01:15the inspiration? What was the journey like? Give us goodness. Long story short, um, but God, but I began
01:23painting from a very dark place, believe it or not. My father passed away 2010 and I was just literally
01:29like mudding through life. Like what's, what's my life going to be? Like, is this what life is
01:33supposed to be? Just end up, you know, you get out of here like that. And so 2014 Atlanta has the
01:39infamous snow storm. It's almost been 10 years ago and I'm in the garage walking past some random, um,
01:44some random art supplies. I was like, Oh, I should paint during the storm. Cause you know, during the
01:48storm, you think the world's going to end. Right. And so I just start randomly doodling on like
01:53notepads, scrap piece of paper. I found some wood and I'm chronicling it the entire time
01:59on Instagram. And we're, you know, we're back on these phones again. And so what was so dope about
02:04that is that my friends began to cheer me on and they started buying it. I said, Oh, I might be
02:09an artist. So shortly after that, I decided to cut my hair off. Cause you know, that's
02:14what women do. We lose our mind. But I was like, how am I going to go to these shows with
02:18this little bitty fro with all this conditioner on it? I need to still be dressed up. And so
02:22I came up with a great idea. And that was the beginning of the wearable art empire. That
02:29was around 2016. And I said, you know, one day this is me dreaming loftily like a, like a
02:34little girl. I said, you know, I want Lupita to one day wear a head wrap. And I said, you
02:38know what? I'm going to just DM her stylist and see what he says. He responds. And he's
02:45like, she would love your stuff. Um, how can I like, how can we, you know, help you get
02:49better or whatever? So he, I send head wraps to Europe and I'm like, y'all ain't saying
02:53nothing else about it. So I thought that happened with it. Six months later, I ended up in Vogue
02:58magazine with Lupita wearing a head wrap. Come on. And so I love that story because that
03:04was in the beginning where I was just like, you know how, when you're like first getting your
03:07rap deal, you're trying to just like doing freestyles everywhere. I was just painting
03:11to have a good time. And then I think that's when I realized that AI has some significant
03:15talent, but also that no dream was too lofty. And so there was nothing at that point. I was
03:22like, well, girl, if Lupita in the head wrap in Vogue, that's like top actress, top publication.
03:27You can't get no better than that. Right. So after that, it just kept going bigger, bigger,
03:33greater, greater, greater. And it's just like, you know, God keeps blowing every year. I'm like,
03:36okay, I'm peeking around the corner. Like what's happening next? What's going to happen next? And
03:40it's just been going, going, going. So super, super grateful for my journey. And, you know,
03:46Essence has just been, Essence has been on my dream board since I was in high school.
03:50So every time I see Melissa and Essence together, I'm like, you know, a dream delayed,
03:55it's not a dream denied. So I'm always grateful to be here.
03:58Oh, I love that. And you are so inspiring. I want everybody, this is live for a reason. If you
04:05guys have any questions about her products or any questions, if you're an entrepreneur and you have
04:09questions about her journey, we are looking out in the chat. So make sure that you ask those
04:13questions. So inspired by taking a place of, could have been a dark place, but you found an outlet to
04:20actually help you get through that, but then shared it. I feel like there's a lot of people that are
04:26sitting on their gifts at home. They could be watching right now and they have a gift,
04:30but they haven't explored it. You explored it, then take it to a next level by manifesting and
04:36claiming, I want Lupita to, and then cover a book. Like that is just, that journey is just so
04:41incredible. Yes. So we're getting a lot of compliments on the art, the earrings, everything.
04:46Let's start getting into these products. If you're watching this on Pinterest TV with us live,
04:51which is the home of shop essence live, you can be shopping, clicking and shopping and supporting
04:55Melissa and these incredible, incredible pieces. So what would you like to highlight first for us?
05:01Um, I don't know. So part of my story is me leaping out of faith and quitting my job. I was part of the
05:08great resignation that happened in 2021. Well, 2020 into 2021. And I think when we started seeing how
05:15important things were and how non-important things were, it was like work, I'm grateful for the job,
05:21but it was like, this is not my life. This cannot be like, and Melissa worked at dun, dun, dun, dun,
05:26you know? Yeah. And so when I quit my job, I was like, okay, what am I going to do next?
05:31So, um, a few weeks later, a lot of people don't know that's when I landed my deal with Foot Locker.
05:37Um, the year that I quit my job. And so I tell that story is because I learned how to maximize my
05:43digital painting, um, just as much as my regular canvas to paintbrush. And so what my newest
05:50collections have been, have been all done on my Microsoft powered laptop and desktop. Um, every
05:56day, instead of me writing in my journal, I will come home, pull out my tablet and start painting.
06:01And so some of the pieces I show you today are my journal entries, which are actual pieces of artwork.
06:06Wow.
06:07So this weekend I had an amazing pop-up and I just threw some bucket hats in the bag
06:12and they sold out. And then it went viral this week on social media. So I've sold about five
06:19to 10 hats every few minutes. I'm looking at my website. I'm like, so y'all are liking these
06:26bucket hats. So here's one of them. Um, this is such a, and I think it's, you know, and not even to
06:33say the product isn't great, but when you see the art on the fabric, you're like, wait a minute,
06:37it's a bucket hat, but it's an artful bucket hat. Yeah. And so the pieces literally come alive
06:43in just such a special way. And so people have just gone crazy over these hats. I'm like,
06:49now y'all, these hats have been on the website for a year and now y'all want one.
06:53Sometimes all the pieces are just one person to highlight at the right time.
06:57But you know, it just, sometimes it takes the moment of preparation and of having good
07:02stuff. And so as things begin to sell out, I was able to call a production company. I said,
07:06look now, these hats are a hot item. We can't miss no money this time. And so, I mean, even
07:12Tabitha, Tabitha Brown, she reached, she said, Mel, I didn't know you had hats. I was like,
07:16I've been telling y'all about these hats. So she called and ordered one of every single hat
07:20that I have in stock. Wow.
07:22And so all of my friends have been, I mean, it brings me to tears because as an artist
07:27and entrepreneur, you just don't know when your next big thing is going to happen. So
07:29you just wake up every day like, okay, God, can we happen? And then these hats happen. And
07:35so people are going crazy over them. It can fit over all this hair, make sure you get on
07:40the back, all of that. Look at that. And so each piece is named after. So I was up watching,
07:48I don't know, I was watching some Oriental movie where it had like a subtitle,
07:52so this is called the Oriental Express. That's the name of that design. And I, as you mentioned
07:58before, I'm a Miami native. And so this is called Miami graffiti. So it reminds me when
08:03I go down to Art Basel and they're doing all those graffiti walls and stuff. And so each
08:08piece has like its own story. So you remember the candy called Dots?
08:12Of course.
08:13So this is paying homage to Dots.
08:16I love that.
08:17My favorite candy. And so, yeah, so I just love that.
08:20I get to name these pieces whatever I want. I get a blank sheet of paper and I get to do
08:25whatever I want. And so that's the fun thing about being an artist is that when you start
08:31with a canvas, it reminds you just like life is that you decide what it comes out. You decide
08:37what life is going to be. And so one of my other bestsellers, I wore this at Essence Festival.
08:41Come on, we got to talk about Essence Festival because I did run into you there.
08:46Yes.
08:47And Shop Essence Live was live every single day over at Essence Fest and EMS 108. Yes,
08:54I said your name. I see you.
08:55You did. You did. You did.
08:57But I saw you at Festival. How was that for you?
09:00Let's just talk about the New Voices family, right?
09:03I mean, I'm a faith-filled girl. I'm always in my zone. Like, you know, got this, got that.
09:09And so as I'm just like, well, I don't really have anything planned for Essence. I'm just
09:12going to get in the car and go, right? Got my hotel. I said, I want to be on stage. This
09:16is me talking to myself. And then here comes the team said, hey, can you get on stage on
09:20Friday? I was like, actually, I can and I'll be there. And so the New Voices family has
09:26just been such a cornerstone for small businesses and medium businesses, big businesses is that
09:31just being that conduit between, you know, hustling the regular way and then pushing
09:36us, funneling us through the corporate way. It is that they've just prepared me for, you
09:41know, the Target, the Walmarts, the Macy's, all these big brands. And so whatever y'all
09:45call, I make it happen. And so back to Essence Festival, it was so dope to see all of my friends
09:51that I see in the chat rooms and on different, you know, huge New Voices platforms. And now I
09:56get to rub shoulders with them. And our panel was talking about the power of your personal
10:00brand. And if don't, if nobody else can speak to that for you, I mean, my watch, my socks,
10:08my shoes, my purse, my hat, my everything. And so on stage, we really talked about staying
10:14true to who you are, because I think a lot of people get on social media like, Oh, Stephanie
10:19selling hats, I need to make a hat. But if that's not what your lane is, leave the hat to Melissa
10:24and Stephanie, go work on what you're supposed to be doing. And so I love that I was on stage
10:29with fellow entrepreneurs that that are following their specific lane and their specific voice.
10:33Because a lot of times people will think that Oh, if somebody's doing well, then I need to
10:38copy that because that's what people are doing. So let me copy this. But I love that we all
10:41are excelling in our chosen paths. And so on stage, I wore one of my other bestsellers.
10:47This is called Art Deco of paying homage to Miami once again. And so this is one of my amazing
10:55kimonos. Love the kimonos y'all. So I wear this whether it's to bed to the beach on stage for
11:02essence, traveling, and I can't go anywhere without getting stopped. Like literally people like where's
11:09this from? I'm like, gosh, I mean, it's so my marketing self, I have my website on a QR code of
11:15my watch. So no matter where I am, whether I have a card or not, people can reach me directly
11:25on my watch because it goes. So that's another color. And speaking of traveling, I went viral
11:34a month ago when I was headed to DC. I had matching luggage covers that match my outfit, my pants.
11:39No. So let me see if I got one here for y'all. So honey, I took all that luggage. So this
11:47is one of the duffel bags. Yes. This is one of the bags. I love these bags. Yes. Laptop
11:55cover, everything here. And then I had the actual suitcase was covered in the matching, this
12:02the matching luggage cover. So all my luggage, it can't get lost. And it's a photographable
12:09moment. And so this goes over your suitcase, no matter how big, big it is. And then because
12:16I'm a genius marketer, I also put my website QR code on the back of my, on the back of my
12:25luggage. So when you see it, you're like, Laura, who is this? Oh, you don't have to worry
12:28about it. You can Google it. A marketing class. She's given one right now. Y'all are getting
12:34it. So I hope all 383 of y'all are taking notes. But yeah, but one of the things my dad taught
12:42me in his passing is that you never, every time you meet a person, you act as though it's
12:47their first time meeting you. Right. And so it's like, whether you know me or not, you'll
12:51remember this, you'll remember this, you'll remember this. Right. And so if I never have
12:56a conversation with you, you'd be like, wait a minute, I don't know your name, but
12:59I remember a bag you had at the airport when I was following behind you. And so that has
13:03happened to me probably every time I go to the airport, they're like, I don't know your
13:06name, but that bag, I've seen it somewhere. And so I've learned that actions speak louder
13:11than words, but art speaks even louder than actions. And so I'm able to speak loud with my
13:17creations because people are like, I know that from somewhere. That's my girl, Melissa.
13:21And so just with that genius marketing, it has allowed me to grassroots, no team, no manager,
13:30nobody handing me off these opportunities. Just like today, my phone rings and I'm prepared.
13:35Now I can do a whole live shopping experience because I have a house full of merchandise.
13:40Yeah. Stay ready. So you ain't got to get ready. You know, that's what I said.
13:44That's what I said. And I love, I love what you say about first impressions. I always thought
13:50that your fashion is how you're saying hello to a room before you even say yes. And it says so much
13:56about you. And I think, you know, we have those outgoing people in our lives. I love color.
14:03Yeah. You love color. These, this is such an incredible way for you guys to express yourselves
14:07or that person in your life that you know, is that jovial spirit. This is just like your personality,
14:14just singing to a room before you even say. Yes.
14:16Yes. And I love all your pieces too, because you are wearing a one of a kind walking piece
14:22of art. So even as these hats are selling out, no two hats will be the same. So you're going
14:27to have a one of a kind piece of art on you. Yes.
14:30Great for you. Great for a gift. I hope y'all put this in your heart. Save it.
14:34And what I do is after about a year or so, I discontinued the design. So if you didn't get
14:39it in 2021, that's it, baby girl. It's always something new because I, because I have so
14:46many ideas. If I keep trying to hold on to, you know, the, the Jimmy design from, from when
14:51I first started, it won't have the same value, but it's almost like I've learned that consumers
14:56love to have the scarcity mindset. Like there's only one left. I got about four. There's only
15:01this left. And so when I said, listen, now you have one of 42, you have two of 40. So when
15:05I started putting the numbers on people like, Oh shoot, I need to hurry up and get on here.
15:10And so I love that people a love what I do, but they also respect the art buying process
15:15because essentially I'm teaching you how to buy art by buying apparel. And so that's what ABL
15:21creations is all about. I'm, I'm, I'm shuffling hope, but I'm also showing you how to be an art
15:26collector. And so art is, is seizing the moment. So imagine being in like 19, when did Bosque
15:32get passed away, imagine it being like 1981, right? And you're sitting in a subway and some
15:38guy named Bosque out is handing out paintings on pieces of paper for $2. I just buy this,
15:43you know, just out of nowhere. That same $2 piece of scratch on a paper is now worth the
15:49upwards of 500 K because that was his first work. And so the same goes for ABL creations before
15:55I become the even bigger juggernaut art, uh, even bigger tomorrow, probably, um, having a piece that
16:02from the very, you know, along my journey will mean a lot and it will cost, you know, it will be
16:07worth the investment. And so teaching people that you see people while they're here, you enjoy them
16:12while they're here, but even when they're gone, you have even more things to enjoy. So that's really
16:17what I enjoy doing as a brand and as a creative. And I think too, unless it, cause I don't have any
16:23children yet. So these are my babies. So I'm sharing myself in thousands of different ways
16:28and thousands of different locations. I may never visit. Um, it allows me to come outside of my
16:32Atlanta home to be everywhere in the world and it still be at home in my bed at the same time.
16:39So, so good. Now do you have, I mean, there's so much, I want you guys make sure that you follow
16:46ABL creations here on Pinterest. It'll take you to their full website. There's so much to explore
16:51on their website and buy the products that she's talked about today. They're pinned here
16:56so that you can save them, pin them, buy them. Yes. Everything you buy at Shop Essence Live
17:00goes directly to these black owned brands. Okay. I love these businesses. So make sure that
17:07you guys are, um, you're, you're supporting for sure and sharing with your friends. Is there
17:13anything, anything coming up for you that you want to highlight before I let you go?
17:17Oh yes. I have a huge hair show with curls. Um, the brand curls and I'm one of the key of course
17:23designers. Um, and we're creating an amazing artistic experience. And so I love how art is
17:29able to cross over to so many different areas. I mean, you talk about car buying experience.
17:35You talk about the spirits and wine. You talk about festivals. You talk about the music industry.
17:40I mean, hair industry. I'm, I'm thinking about wrapping lipstick with my, you know,
17:45care, partnering with a fellow lipstick on, you know, all these different brands, um, hair care
17:50buying it with, you know, and of course, and then also partnering with my friends in the industry.
17:54So whether it's a lip bar or whether it's, um, I mean, dark and light, uh, shea moisture.
18:00There's so many brands that I could collab with today with a phone call away. So it's being thoughtful
18:05about who I partner with and understanding, Hey, this is good for both of us. Let's connect.
18:10Each other together and get her versus saying, no, I don't want to work with Stephanie. She got
18:14her stuff and I got mine. No, let's work together in the same direction. Oh my goodness. So many
18:20gems drops on top of showing y'all the most incredible, one of a kind wearable art. Yes.
18:27Y'all could be walking around with the Melissa A. Mitchell Basquiat on you. Yes. Yes. Um, so,
18:35so incredible. Make sure that you guys are pinning it. Make sure you follow her. Tell them what
18:39your, all your socials are so they can follow you to get this daily information and see what
18:44you have coming out. So to make it easy, my website, super Google-able is melissaamitchell.com
18:50and my Pinterest and my Instagram are both the same. It's ABL creation. That's A B E I L L E
18:56creations. And I mean, come shop with me. I'm, I'm loading new pieces up today. I was like,
19:01you know what? Why not wait till the fall? Let's do it now. People want it. You're on my website
19:05anyway. Let's go. Um, I'm constantly feeding you all kinds of creative, colorful designs
19:09online. I'm constantly pumping out motivation. I would say that I'm a kaleidoscope of hope because
19:15I found dark, I found lightness in my darkness and I made it colorful. And so when you look
19:20into my page, you end up sitting there, you're like, God, I'm in here all day. I'm on it.
19:25Before you know it, you've got all the motivation you need to go take on the world and to really
19:29take the place by storm. And so I'm just grateful for these kinds of platforms because as an
19:34entrepreneur, specifically a black woman, we work so hard and we don't know if people see us
19:40or understand what we do. And so essence does, I mean, it makes me emotional because you don't know
19:46the kind of week I've already had, right? You don't know the kind of night that I had or the day that
19:50I had. And so when I got the call a few hours ago, I was like, I'm going to move some things around
19:55because if essence calls me, I'll figure it out.
19:59It's when you're out of it.
20:00We appreciate you. This is all meant to be 100%.
20:05Melissa, you are so incredible. I want to put a thought in the audience's head because y'all
20:09might have some stuff coming up. I want you to imagine
20:12bridal suite. You got the matching rose. We don't need to be doing the plain white
20:19robes. Imagine your bridal party in these robes. I need y'all to reimagine that. Imagine
20:29the girls trip. Imagine the girls trip photos. Imagine ABL creation. I'm saying there's a lot.
20:37I have bathing suits on there too. I have bathing suits. We got head wraps. We got travel bags.
20:44Oh, Lord. We got bras. We got panties. I mean, anything you can think of, I throw my art on it.
20:50I'm the first black woman to win the Spanx Illuminate Her contest. And since then, I've been
20:55the only one. So I have a black girl on the breast. So I've done that. I mean, socks. We got shoes.
21:02I'm working on nail decals. I'm going to have all bases covered from head to toe. Literally.
21:08We got head wraps. We got socks. We got headbands. We got all kinds of fabrics. All kinds of
21:15dimensions. I've got it for you. We love it. And we love you. Melissa, thank you so much. I know
21:22you're on a Chicago deadline, which I love for you. I mean, some money coming your way. I love that.
21:29Thank you so much for joining us today. I appreciate it. Anybody that's joined us live. Thank you guys
21:35so much. If you're watching us on the replay, thank you so much. We'll be here every single
21:39Thursday. Shop Essence Live Shopping Black-Owned Brands in partnership with New Voices Family.
21:44Melissa, see you later, girl. Thank y'all so much for having me. Happy Thursday.
21:50Happy Thursday. See you guys next week. Bye.
21:56Look how I cut this off.
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