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

Hi Melissa, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been told that being an artist could never be a real job, and for a while, I believed that. After politely squeezing myself into the mold everyone else asked me to, I found myself giving up on my education, working dead end jobs, and creating less and less till I reached a point of not creating at all. I decided that even though those people meant well, they were wrong, and that it’s is possible to do what you love for a living, even if it takes a while to fully achieve that goal.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am in love with color. I am an impressionist painter, and what excites me most about this style is that there are few limitations on the way color can be used. How much color, emotion, and detail can be packed in to each square inch? That is what I love most about my style. Since completing Art On 30th’s Mentorship program, my style has evolved and begun to move toward abstract impressionism. I am a gallery assistant at Ashton Gallery, and now work along side some of San Diego’s most well known artists. The biggest lesson I am still learning is the importance of staying focused on what you want. Anything worth having is rarely ever just handed to you, and if you truly want it, you have to stay focused and keep working, even when the odds are not in your favor. I want to the world to know that I’m very much still a work in progress, but I’m not giving up.

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?
First, I’d start the trip off right with an energizing vinyasa flow either at La Jolla cove, or just right up the road at Buddhi Yoga’s beautiful studio space. Then we’d grab a bite either at Elixir Espresso Bar or at Flower Pot Cafe, and probably head down to the shores and catch some waves. Then, with countless beautiful hikes, I wouldn’t know where exactly to start, but I do know that Iron Mountain in Poway is no joke (it’s beautifully intense haha).
Other favorite surf spots include Tourmaline beach and Coronado beach.
We would bike around Coronado’s bike trail, probably grab coffee again at Parakeet cafe, and then do a little shopping on Orange Avenue.
Come Sunday, we’d wind down with a visit to Grove Church and then check out Holsem Coffee in North Park (probably the best espresso in all of San Diego).
To finish the trip off, a visit to Don Panchos down in Imperial beach is an absolute must. Their burritos are life changing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Sheila Daube, Roberta Dyer, Brenda York, and Kate Ashton of Art On 30th- San Diego, California

Instagram: melissaguertinart

Other: signed_mg@yahoo.com

Image Credits
Annie Souther

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