Meet Michelle Van Leer: Artist

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

Hi Michelle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always been a creative person and I’ve been drawing for years, so the thought of turning my passion into a business seemed like the next step in my creative journey. Having the ability to send my work to people around the country and maybe brighten someone’s day when they receive colorful and unique art pieces seemed rewarding and exciting! Of course I had those “what if” thoughts in the back of my mind. “What if no one buys anything?” I got over those thoughts instead of letting them hold me back and I created my online shop. When I made my first few sales I knew this was definitely something I wanted to pursue.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My favorite thing is drawing patterns. I believe that my ability to draw the same few patterns over and over again, yet still create a drawing that looks completely different each time is what makes my work unique. I love experimenting with different color palettes to create a fresh new feel for every new drawing I make. I’m proud of how much my work has evolved and how I’ve mastered my skill along the way. Learning how to draw digitally opened a whole new world of possibilities for my creativity and in my opinion, has completely enhanced my work. It is currently my favorite medium to create colorful and eye-catching art. I got where I am today by just starting. Sometimes the hardest part of trying something new can be getting started, but one of the lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to have perfected every single thing before opening an online art shop. Once you’ve got the shop setup and a couple items listed, you can only get better from there. Staying consistent, remembering why I started and remembering what my creative goals are is what helps me overcome challenges or doubts. And finally, I would love the world to know that when you purchase hand made pieces from me, you’re buying something that is filled with passion. The support fuels my love and the excitement I feel for what I do!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love art, so one of my favorite things to do is walk around and look at the murals in Cabbagetown and stop at Revolution Doughnuts afterwards. Renting bikes and hitting the BeltLine to see more street art is always a blast, while stopping at Arden’s Garden to stay fueled. I love browsing Posman Books at Ponce City Market and getting donuts at Five Daughters Bakery (I just really love donuts), or grabbing lunch at Recess in Krog Street Market. Everyone loves pizza right? Getting pizza from Plant Based Pizzeria and having a picnic at Piedmont park is always nice. I’ll eat anywhere that has vegan food, but my all time favorite is Slutty Vegan. You can get the most delicious vegan burgers there and the atmosphere inside is awesome. I’m really looking forward to the opening of Bar Vegan in Ponce City Market by the founder of Slutty Vegan! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give my boyfriend Aaron a shoutout because he’s been a huge help along the way! He has experience at a print shop so he’s my go-to IT guy whenever I get frustrated. He’s designed many logos and business cards for me and he’s at every art show to help me set up, hang artwork and show support. Another shoutout goes to my family who are my biggest cheerleaders and the people I can always count on to buy my art or post about it on social media. And of course a huge thank you to everyone else who’s ever bought anything from my shop.

Website: michellevanleerart.com
Instagram: instagram.com/michellevart
Facebook: facebook.com/michellevanleerart
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx7Fuom7Beuwm_3aFhXF-6Q