Meet Melissa Showers | Fine Artist & Graphic Designer

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

Hi Melissa, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
We have all been faced with this question at some point in our lives. I was recently faced with it when I was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in October 2019 at age 38 years. You never now how strong you can truly be until you are faced with the option to keep going or give up. I chose who I became in the last 8 months. Coming out the other side of treatment and surgeries, I am a stronger woman and realize that each second we live is a gift I had taken for granted. As an artist, I am bursting with new found inspiration and emotions I need to express. I will never give up.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art comes from a place inside where my mood dictates my brush. As humans, we all exude energy that others sense and feed off of. My brand and_woman, is all about empowering women to live their best life. I am most proud of continuing my art education, experimenting with different mediums and challenging myself to grow instead of doing what’s comfortable in my art. It is not easy to get recognized as an artist, and although that is part of my goal, I have realized that you get out what you put in. If I want my art to connect with others, I have to put it out there where it can be seen. Art shows, artist talks, galleries, instagram, it’s all a hustle. I have learned that I can do all of that and still stay true to myself and create for me. I want others to know that when they see my art and it impacts them in a positive way, or moves them emotionally, that is what I want and hope for.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I have two best friends- my husband and my sister. I would take them to the Texas Hill Country (Wimberely or Blanco) and we would absorb the beauty of nature. We love hiking Perdenales State Park and swimming at Reimer’s Ranch. We would sit around the fire pit and just talk, relax and eat homemade chips and queso! One of the most exciting places I have been is Yelapa, Mexico. My husband took me there and proposed to me in the jungle mountain tops of my dream boutique resort named Verana. We slept in the jungle in an open air palapa among the animals and insects- a bat entered our canopy bed one night! It was an incredible trip I will never forget. One of the most interesting people I have ever met would have to be my childhood art teacher, Mr. Carney. I was so impressed by his talent and grace as an artist and human. He taught me every medium and framed and matted every piece of work I finished- he always said “finishing a piece is when you know you’re an artist.”

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Corey Barker.

Website: https://www.melissashowers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/and_woman/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-showers-5a044745/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andwoman/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzeBFmH2_z5_tQeHXWZp1UQ