Welcome to ‘10 QUESTIONS for…’ a series of 10 interviews with 10 designers from around the globe, where I get to share with you their answers to 10 important and interesting questions related to their artistic career in the Surface Pattern Design industry. I hope you find these interviews informative, fun, creative and inspiring.
This week’s ‘10 Questions for…’ interview is with Melissa Hyatt
It’s time to grab your favourite cuppa, sit back and enjoy the read. This is the seventh interview in this series of ‘10 Questions for…’ Surface Pattern Designer interviews.
Melissa Hyatt lives on Long Island, USA, east of New York City which is only 1.5 hours away! She is an accomplished watercolour artist, surface pattern designer, and illustrator. She studied at Syracuse University and graduated with a degree in surface pattern design.
Melissa has worked in textiles as an artist, colour consultant, and stylist for over twenty years. Her art has been seen on, bedding and dinnerware for Martha Stewart, fabrics for Waverly Fabrics, Schumacher, Home Accent Fabrics, and Belle Maison, bedding for Westpoint Home, home decor for Pier One Imports and wallpaper for Brewster Wallcoverings, to name a few!.
I met Melissa officially when we were both exhibiting at BluePrint, the Surface design and illustration tradeshow in New York in May, 2018. I remember seeing her artwork and booth setup and thinking how polished and professional everything looked. Her art is truly beautiful. Her watercolour landscapes are dreamy and take you away to coastal escapes and make you think of happy memories enjoyed by the seaside.
Melissa is also a dedicated teacher. She hosts regular workshops throughout Long Island’s East End and teaches watercolour to students both in person and virtually on Zoom (thanks to Covid). A selection of Melissa’s designs are also available for purchase on fabric through Spoonflower here.
Q1. How long have you been working in art/design/art licensing? How did you start?
Melissa: I went to Syracuse University and majored in Surface Pattern Design. Since graduation I’ve been working in art and design of my career was spent in the textile design field. My first job out of school was as a colorist for a high end fabric company, I went onto work for a licensing company, was a freelance designer for a few years then landed a position as Design Director for Waverly Fabrics. It was a dream job! I left to raise my family and did a little freelance for fabric and wallpaper companies from home. Ten years ago I rediscovered painting with watercolor and now I combine all my skills and knowledge to create and promote my own brand. It’s a joy to see my art on products from greeting cards to wall art and fabrics.
Melissa in her studio.
Q2. What are your favourite tools to create with?
Melissa: I love to paint with watercolor! My favorite watercolor paper is Arches 140 lb cold press.
Q3. What are some time saving tips you use in your workflow when designing?
Melissa: I batch my work and create in collections or groups of designs with a similar theme or palette.
All the gorgeous blues. Artwork and image copyright Melissa Hyatt.
Q4. Who are you inspired by in the Surface Design Industry/creative industry right now?
Melissa: Kelly Ventura produces beautiful art, fabrics and wall coverings.
Q5. Who are your dream clients that you’d absolutely love to work with and why?
Melissa: Dear Stella fabrics or Art Gallery Fabrics, I would love to license my art for quilting fabrics, textiles are my first love. And their lines are beautiful! Also, Anthropologie because I love their eclectic aesthetic.
Melissa’ light-filled studio where she paints her beautiful watercolour designs. Image copyright Melissa Hyatt.
Q6. How do you deal with rejection if a pitch you made to a client with your latest work doesn’t get picked up?
Melissa: I move on and submit to another company or send another group of designs to that client and hope the timing is better down the road. You have to keep submitting your art constantly!
Q7. What’s your proudest design achievement in your career to-date?
Melissa: I licensed my Nauset Lighthouse art to Trader Joe’s (a US grocery store) for greeting cards. I was so excited to see it in the stores!
Copyright Melissa Hyatt.
Q8. How important is knowing your design style and aesthetic and also believing in yourself, your skills and ability when you approach clients?
Melissa: I think clients want to see the artist behind the art. They count on us to share our knowledge of trends and new fresh creative ideas with them. Confidence is so vital to that component.
Q9. What impact has exhibiting at a tradeshow made to your creative business?
Melissa: It was life changing! I’ve met so many wonderful design directors and new companies to work with at the shows. As well, meeting my fellow designers has been incredible. I formed a collective with 3 other artists after my last show, it’s been great to collaborate with them. Our collective is called Picnic Art Co.…Is it worth the investment? 100% YES! I can’t wait for trade shows to happen in person again!
Melissa’s beautiful artwork on textiles. Artwork and image copyright Melissa Hyatt.
Q10. Have you made any mistakes in your career that helped you or your business later on? What did you learn?
Melissa: I sold a few pieces of my work outright to a company which I thought would help me create a good relationship with them going forward. But it didn’t. I didn’t work with them again after that initial buyout and I didn’t really like the products they put my art on. The Lesson I learned was to do your research before you say yes to selling or licensing anything!
Thanks for answering the ‘10 Questions’ Melissa. I hope trade shows happen again soon also. I agree they are one of the best ways to boost your career growth, meet new clients, and network with fellow designers. I also like your time saving tip of batching your artwork, working across multiple pieces at the same time would save on paint wastage too!
You can find out more about Melissa and follow her here:
Website: https://www.melissahyatt.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissajanehyatt
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this interview with Melissa. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.