Meet Amanda Michelle: Self-published Author and The Moonlightin Artist.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Michelle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business came solely from the idea that I was tired of being used, disregarded, and unappreciated in my career. I had worked hard for so long, and when I had gained even a little bit of success within my field, I still felt unfulfilled and dissatisfied with where I was in life and the direction I was going. In the end, I burned myself out and lacked all motivation and desire to want to continue that journey. Writing, drawing, creating it’s always something I’ve used to cope with life. It’s always something I’ve done without a second thought, even while working other jobs. Yet when it came down to doing it as a business, I found myself so overwhelmed with creating for others and receiving little to no financial gain, which at the time was all I was really interested in. Money was the motive and working at my last job helped me realize that money was no longer my motive. Peace, love, balance, and joy were all things that were of vital importance to the phase of my life I had entered. I worked my last full-time job in Dec. of 2018. When I resigned, I promised myself that I would only commit to the things that brought me joy, peace, and fulfillment. Things that were aligned with what I wanted for my life. I wanted to commit to myself, and that led me to Tales By Chelle. Tales By Chelle was born from the love I have for my little cousins, my Nephews, my Nieces, and for all children. I cultivated it because to pour into my future children, the children of today, and generations to come; I first have to pour into myself. Often, we want so much to change the world, and we fail to realize that changes we wish to see in the world begin with an individual, and that individual is usually ourselves. My first self-published children’s book is titled “See What We See Weeping Willow Tree”. Through this short story your children will go on a journey of self-discovery with Weeping Willow Tree as she learns to see the true depth of her beauty, and the profound impact that self-love has on her world. I’m a firm believer that we are all beautiful and capable of the most amazing things, but to evolve, we must love, and we must start first with ourselves. This story actually began as a poem I wrote years ago, in like 2014 or 2016. I can’t really remember what year. It’s evolved quite a lot since then, not just going from a short poem to a whole children’s book, but going from an emotional place of pain and feeling alone to this story that freed me from this weight I had been carrying around the last few years. I struggled with seeing myself and giving myself the love I had so willingly gave to others. Through this new transformation, I could actually see myself in a way I had never done so before, and I wanted to heal her and allow others to see me as well. In creating Tales By Chelle and publishing “See What We See Weeping Willow Tree,” it not only revealed the ways I had been self-sabotaging myself, overcompensating, and just blindly navigating this world and my emotions, it also relit a fire inside of me, inspired the artists within, and removed the blinders and revealed a world to me of endless possibilities. Starting my own business and successfully being an entrepreneur has not been an easy feat. It demands much more from me than a job ever has, but it has also rewarded me in ways that no job ever could.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So I use to be the Artist that always said I could only draw what I see. I was limited in the mediums that I would use, mainly sticking to pencil and charcoal because that is where I found myself to be the most comfortable. Now I’ve become a lot more intuitive and have stripped myself of all limitations and spaces to confine myself into as an artist. I like to think that my art tells stories and draws people in. What sets me apart from others is my inability to stick with one thing. Most artists who have decided to make a career of this stick to a certain niche, whether it’s painting, sculpting, resin art, etc… I have decided to dabble in it all. Or at least all the parts that bring me joy. I’ve decided not to let social media, other business owners, or society dictate what I must offer to the world. Art is for me. What I choose to share, what I choose to create, what I choose to sale, is all up to me. Whoever is meant to receive what I have to offer will receive it, and I will be blessed because of it. I’m most excited about finally sharing the artist side of Amanda Michelle. Even within my personal relationships, many people don’t even know I can draw, and it’s because I worked so hard to hide it even from myself. I always felt so limited, so restrained, so lost in my art. Feeling as though I could only create from this dark space, and the space I had to enter was sucking the life out of me. I’m most excited to tap into and create from all the parts of myself. To grow and evolve within these spaces. Starting as a self-published Author and going through creating and publishing my first children’s book was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Still. Maybe because that process also coincided with my own personal journey, but most days, I felt overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious about everything. My emotions ranged from being super giddy and excited to random bouts of crying and feeling discouraged at any given week. Building and preparing to launch my art career has been a lot less stressful. I’ve been giving myself the space to move at my own speed. No definitive deadlines or even ideas of pieces I want to create. I’ve just been creating, and I’ve found the most peace within this journey. I have found myself overcoming all challenges just by committing to follow through, even if it takes me longer than I wanted. I’m easily overwhelmed, and most of the time, when I get overwhelmed, I get discouraged and naturally start to shut down. This is an ongoing struggle for me, but I’m learning that the only way out is through. So I tell myself to keep going. Lessons I’ve learned along the way are that supporters are important, but genuine supporters are priceless. I’ve also learned that everything starts with the mental and that we are not of this world; only a part of it. I want the world to know that I am no stranger to taking risks, making leaps, and bounds with little to nothing but faith. As someone who moved from the small city of Childersburg, Al to Brooklyn, New York, randomly without ever have been or knowing a soul here, anything is possible. You really need nothing to make your dreams happen but faith and the belief in yourself that you are capable. My brand and businesses are only extensions of myself, and I am just now learning, discovering, and figuring out all the components of who Amanda Michelle is.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So, first, I love visitors! New York has a way of sucking you into the New York lifestyle, so I really only get to be a tourist when people come to visit, but when they do, I like to plan the trip based on things I know they’re interested in. So most of the things we do depend on what they are looking to receive from their trip. However, you can always count on good food, drinks, and an adventure every trip. I have had one particular friend, Satin Marche, over at Sacred Melanin, visit 3 times during different seasons, and basically, they were 3 completely different trips. Sweet Chick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a favorite in my house, so that’ll more than likely be a place we eat. We discover most of the city on foot, which is a great way to take in all of New York. Satin and I walked from Chelsea Piers to the world trade center to Brooklyn, lost the majority of the time at that. lol On her last trip, we discovered Harlem, a city with some of the best food I’ve ever had. I discovered a love for wine at my previous job, so that wine consumption will be pretty high. lol I currently live in the Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, so trips to the park with my dog Crem will be a part of the trip. Overall, to name a few places to check out, I’d say The Edge at the Hudson Yards, Niagara Falls upstate if you have the time, Sweet Chick in Williamsburg for chicken and waffles or shrimp and grits, Timesquare (because that’s on everyone’s NYC to do list), any or all of the museums, and if you have kids check out the zoos and aquariums. Oh, and Christmas in New York is magical and probably the only time of the year where the people are nicer, and I actually come outside during the winter. I’m a southern girl and island girl at heart. Even after 5 years, I’ve yet to get used to this New York winter.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Becoming an entrepreneur has really made me realize that nobody owes you anything. So genuine support is priceless in this business. And I realize that there’s nothing you can truly give those people to say “thank you” other than continued progression towards your own happiness, but for the sake of this Shoutout series, I’ll name just a few. For starters, shoutout to my Mommie. If you’d have told me 10 years ago that my mom and I would be this close, I’d have called you a liar. She is definitely my biggest supporter and one person I cherish most in this world. Her love and commitment to her children are unmatched, and her ability to constantly offer the best of herself to the world is something I admire. I could honestly brag for hours about her. Next, I’d like to shoutout my amazing boyfriend Will. Will has literally been a saving grace in my life. A consistent presence of unconditional love and support. Not only for my business endeavorers but on this journey of discovering who I am and who I’ve yet to even tap into. He is a daily reminder of my soul’s deep passion for intentionally growing in my healing. Relationships are no walk in the park, but it is his love that is leading me back to myself. I love you, Baby! Lastly, I’d like to take the time to thank anyone who has supported me and showed me love on this journey to my family, my friends, and even strangers. You’ve all held me down in more ways than I could count, and I am eternally grateful for all the love and support.

Website: talesbychelle.com

Instagram: @talesbychelle (author account) | @ayye_m_jayy (personal/art account)

Twitter: @MoonlightinArt

Facebook: talesbychelle

Image Credits
Photographer: Malcolm Clark @mal.clarkk (IG) Black Crop Tshirt: Satin Marche @SacredMelanin (IG) Phootshoot Makeup: Dominique M. @Beautebydom (IG) Artwork by Me, The Moonlightin Artist @ayye_m_jayy (IG)