South Miami Native Melissa Mitchell dreamt of the perfect life society once sold us; in fact, she had it all planned out: the coveted career – entertainment law; the foreign car — a yellow BMW; life in a new city – Atlanta; the perfect family — husband + 2.5 kids. Lastly, there was the ultimate American dream possession: the big house with a white picket fence.

Like most, that perfectly curated life didn’t quite happen the way she had planned. Melissa attended Florida A&M University, where she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. Melissa was a law intern until her morality threw a wrench into her entertainment lawyer career.

Life in Atlanta was delayed as well. She found herself moving back to Miami and questioning why things weren’t working out for her. She spent an additional three years back home, which she recognized as a blessing. During those years, she shadowed her father, a pastor, and learned the business of entrepreneurship as an unpaid intern before intern before he passed suddenly in 2010. Almost 12 years ago, her Atlanta dream became a reality; the lucrative career became a reality, and the luxury car…yup, she got that too. Her faith and teachings from both her pastor parents kept her going, and after seven years of holding out for stability, she left the corporate world. Today, Melissa Mitchell, the creator, is finishing up her third book and has partnered with Footlocker, Peloton, Spanx, Apple, Ford, Cadillac, COACH, and now Afro-Punk x Shopify.

Here, the vibrant painter, author, interior designer, and collaborator speaks of her relationship with God and credits Atlanta’s 2014 “Snowpocalypse” with pushing her to start as her idle mind helped discover unknown talents.

Would you consider yourself an artist or designer? I ask because there are many different layers to your background, i.e., you’re an author as well.

You’re correct; my bio is multi-hyphenated because I wear many hats. If I had to single it down to one word, its creator. Society has everyone hooked on having to be one-dimensional. They’ll say you can be a painter, but you also can’t be a doctor, or you can be a writer, but you can’t also be a tech investor. When I was working in IT, many people tried to tell me I couldn’t be two things and to be grateful for the quote on quote “good job.” I will admit I struggled for a while on whether I could do and be both, but I had to get out of my head and my own way. I quit a year ago in January.

Your portfolio is quite extensive, and that may be an understatement in terms of the volume of work you’ve been commissioned to create. So, when you sit back and think, what do you make of your journey?

I get teary-eyed because I know that it is all because of God. I’m getting emotional right now because there is no set plan. Frankly, I do not even know what I’m doing. I wake up every morning and pray that I am leaving a legacy worthy of being remembered. Then, when I get dressed and put on something I created, it’s like, “wow, I did that. I have on my bra; I’m wearing my hoodie.” It’s surreal because I used to operate in fear hoping other people would like what I was producing. I’m past that now.

Let’s talk business. How’d the partnership with Footlocker come about?

After quitting my job, I wrote down a list of things I wanted to manifest. I took a trip to Phoenix, a spiritually connected city, and while my friend and I were out there, we went up into the mountains. While up there, I closed my eyes and said, “God, I want to manifest a global deal.” I wasn’t worried about how I just knew it was something I wanted. My homie Bem Joiner from “Atlanta Influences Everything” asked me to bring some artwork to their pop-up shop. I was walking past a nail shop in Atlantic Station, and a woman came out the door and said, “omg, you’re Melissa Mitchell.” She told me how her husband is a fan of my work. Turns out her husband is the president of Clark Atlanta University. I ended up donating a piece of art to the university.

Shortly after, Bem helped set up a meeting between one of the top VPs at Footlocker and me. From there, a woman from the brand reached out and asked If I’d be interested in producing a 13-piece collection that would be released by late summer or early fall. She asked me to draft up and send over some sketches during that call. My mantra is “”Don’t want for opportunities, prepare for opportunities.” I’m always prepared as I create original artwork daily. I sent sketches over within 24 hours, and they loved them. Labor Weekend of 2021, my collection launched in Miami. It was surreal to ride around the city and see my designs on billboards at or above places my father and I frequented. The billboard from the Footlocker campaign is still on display in Times Square, and it is one of their longest-running campaigns, and it’s me in the billboard at that.

Was the Footlocker collection 100% designed by you, or did you work with the footlocker team? What was that experience like?

Every piece in the collection was designed and touched by me. I even placed the tags on a lot of them. I was super hands-on. During the shoots, I was there telling the director, “No, I want it like this, fix her hair, fix her eye shadow, etc.” Working with the corporate team at Footlocker was liberating yet humbling at the same time. The brand is highly dedicated to their LEED initiative, a 5–10-year effort to help fund Black businesses. It’s more than just visibility but also empowerment with them as they also want to help people like myself sustain their businesses.

Headwraps are one of your signatures. Talk to me about creating these and how Lupita Nyong’o, Amara La Negra, and Yandy Smith found out about this part of your brand.

The headwraps came about out of necessity as I switched my hair over to being natural and needed something to wear and cover my head at different times. The situation with Lupita happened purely out of taking a chance. I blindly dm’d her stylist on Instagram, and to my surprise, he responded and said, “this is something she would like.” I shipped him 10 different versions, and that was the last I heard of it until she was photographed wearing one of them in Vogue’s June 2017 issue; she was the first celebrity to wear my headwraps.

That moment marked a turning point in my career as an artist. I used to second guess things and think nothing was ever good enough. The other ladies happened from the different relationships I have with folks in the entertainment industry who are connected to the spouses or significant others of these women. I was utilizing my network and saying, “Hey, I need you to put me in contact with Yandy or Amara because I need them to wear my headwraps.” Yandy and I created a whole collection together, which was amazing.

Of all the different fields you’ve tapped into, art, design, fashion, and home décor, which would you say brings you the most joy? Also, how do you find the time?

It would be a tie between my paintings and the wearable art I produce to answer your first question. I say that because of the way you or I can see it come alive. It’s an indescribable feeling to see someone out and about in your clothing. To walk into an art gallery and see your work displayed and being analyzed by people in front of it is unmatched. Knowing that I’m able to produce art worthy of being on a billboard in Times Square next to brands like Sony and Netflix. Wow! To answer your second question, I make it. I listen to Inky Johnson, a motivational speaker who often talks about how “the only person who loses when you cheat is you” I look at that and say, “Hey, I can’t say I’m going to do something and not show up” so the time is made.

Who would they be with if you could pick your next four partnerships?

Well, I’m one of the winners of Afro Punk x Shopify’s BFA (Black Fashion Accelerator) contest. They choose nine founders and companies that are on track to become million-dollar brands but just need a bit more of a push. That will be debuting later this year. First, I’d want to work with a leading home décor brand, whether that’s West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Gucci Home, or a Martha Stewart x Melissa Mitchell collab. Next, this is entirely different but aviation. I want to design an airplane or at least have the belly of the plane display my artwork. If Bahamas Air was to engage in a rebrand, I’d love to be involved in the personality and fabric of the plane, i.e., the carpet inside the aircraft or its tail. Hospitality would be the third; I’m interested in designing a hotel or creating my own Airbnb suites in select cities. Lastly, to work with a sports team. Whether that means designing the jerseys or helmets.

IG: @abeillecreations