Melophova is a Montreal-based expressionist who conceptualizes waves of purpose through her artistic practices, which include animation, illustration, design and music. Her work has been showcased at various exhibitions across Quebec and the United States using multiple mediums to transport you into a different world while simulating all your senses. We discuss her journey as an artist, her influences ranging from nature to the subconscious mind and how spirituality connects to creativity!
BY ROCHELLE ALLEN
Credits Creative Director: Rochelle Allen Photography: Rochelle Allen Styling: Melophova Hair: Melophova Makeup: Melophova Set Design: Melophova
Melophova is wearing a white bra top and up-cycled black pants with one of her sketches hand-painted on the front.
It's 1 a.m. on a summer night, and Melo picks me up for a drive back to her enchanting at-home studio for an interview and photoshoot. As we speed down the highway, a warm breeze grazing our skin, we decompress from a long day and embrace our tiredness.
Upon entering her studio, the vibe shifts, my energy feels lighter, and my mind awakens. Within ten minutes, we start shooting, and fifteen minutes later, we're done—an astonishingly fluid experience, unlike any shoot I've had before. This seamless creative process reflects Melo's unique energy and the inspiring atmosphere of her space.
Our conversation delves into connecting to the source of creativity, and I truly feel that flow state when collaborating with her. It's a magical synergy, the ideal when working with another artist.
Rochelle: I've known Melo for a couple of years through mutual friends, and I've been seeing her journey develop as an artist. It’s been so amazing to see her growth. I would describe you as a jack of all trades. I feel like she's talented in so many different ways. I'm like, how she's so good at everything she does, it's annoying!
Melophova: Thank you for the warm introduction.
R: Of course! Let’s talk about your childhood and growing up.
M: Growing up, I was a recluse. My grandma raised me, and I would stay home with her all day drawing while she munched on her little snacks. I vividly remember sitting beside her with an aquarium of eels nearby. The light from the aquarium would shine on the floor, and I would sit there to draw.
R: That's such a unique memory! Is that when your passion for art started?
M: Yes, That's my first memory of doing art. But it wasn't until recently that I considered art seriously. It was always passed off as a hobby, nothing serious!
R: I can relate, I was also always a creative child but art was never pushed as a career option more of just a hobby! My parents are immigrants and wanted me to pursue a stable profession as a nurse or doctor.
M: It's so understandable. Our parents when they immigrated, were in survival mode. They don't have the resources that we have now where we can make a living off of art. They didn't have the technology, so they came here with a narrow mind about success.
R: Absolutely. We're lucky to be born during this time and to have access to resources and opportunities.
M: 100%
R: How was school life for you as you got older and started to be around other kids more often?
M: I was very introverted and shy. I would be so scared to speak my mind, in Asian culture, if you're a woman there’s an expectation to be obedient and quiet, so a big part of my childhood was these preconceived notions that were put onto me of how I should be and act. I would often not speak at all, to the point where people wondered if I spoke English.
R: That must have been overwhelming. I've noticed you're still introverted in large groups, but you shine in smaller, intimate environments.
M: Yeah. It's just because I can't do small talk.
R: When do you feel like you started getting into music and art as a hobby?
M: I started with music when I got my first laptop and was messing around with GarageBand in the summertime. I was inside all day because I had no friends so experimenting with different loops and various instruments was fun for me!
M: I feel like for drawing, I've always drawn like little doodles, but I only made something out of it once it began when I moved to my first apartment. I bought a canvas from a dollar store and started painting out of boredom. It turned out to be meditative and it felt fucking good.
R: Is there something that inspires you to create art?
M: I get inspired by people’s talents and how they think. But realism doesn’t inspire me that much. My dream world inspires me more. My subconscious inspires me. For me, realism can sometimes be dull. I love life but sometimes I don’t want to be in this dimension. I’d rather travel to another dimension. I like travelling there more than here sometimes.
M: When I create, it's more so for myself than others. I'm in a meditative state and a lot of the time, it's like therapy for me. I get to sit with myself. When I create an art piece, it’s like I’m facing myself in a way. It’s also a moment for me to be very present. I can draw or animate for hours and then when I check the time, I’m like oh fuck it’s 4:00 AM.
R: I always thought that being creative is like being in a flow state, and your body is more like a vessel for creativity to flow through you. It can be very meditative like you said, when you're in the zone where time flies by without you even noticing! I love how you can use art to materialize your emotions and see it outside of yourself. I truly believe It’s one of the best ways to process your feelings and understand yourself more profoundly!
M: Yeah. I agree.
R: How would you describe the art that you typically create?
M: It's difficult to categorize. Many people have categorized my work as fantasies or sci-fi-ish but I create without aiming for a specific genre, I just make it. My art is just me. Even when I create through different mediums, they all have a similar essence.
R: I relate to that so much. I feel like your art has a linking chord between them, but it is still very different.
R: Do you have a creative process?
M: I usually sketch out my ideas first but sometimes I hear melodies in my head and need to record them. It always depends, but I feel like I’m more inclined to express myself visually.
R: Do you have a dream collaboration?
M: I'm more of a solo creator because creating it is very personal. So to create with someone, I would have to be extremely vulnerable, and that's fucking scary. But I'm improving at that! This year, I've been collaborating more with other people. I like to create with my friends like we make clay models, pottery, etc.
R: I know you're a spiritual person. Would you say that changed your mindset as an artist?
M: It influences it a lot! Creating is a spiritual act. As I said, it's a meditative experience to tap into that creativity to manifest it and alchemize it. So yeah, I would say creating is spiritual for me.
R: Yeah. I agree. It goes hand in hand. Creativity is magic in a way, visualizing something and manifesting it in the physical form is like the craziest thing ever if you think about it! I love seeing talented people create something bigger than us. It’s just so magical to me, you can feel it in your soul.
R: I know you're a nature lover. Do you feel like nature influences your art in any way?
M: The sounds of nature! It gives you a moment to disconnect from the noise of the city and everything like that. Nature has the best designs you have ever seen, like the colours of some bugs or flowers. It's insane. When I saw a peacock and its feathers, I had never seen such colours before. Like the blues and the greens, the fact that they all merge perfectly. Nature's so beautiful and inspires me for sure.
R: Do you try to express a particular message or story within your art?
M: Each project differs. For some projects, I’ll use it more like a therapy session for myself. And then, for some projects I want to make thought-provoking stuff to have people thinking. Each project differs depending on what I’m going through or what season in my life I’m in.
R: If you weren't an artist, what would you do as a career?
(In)sight 2D frame-by-frame animation and live loop beat.
M: Art came naturally to me. But like most people, my parent’s opinion influenced me a lot when I was younger. They tried to shape me into something I wasn’t. For the longest time, especially in high school, I was telling myself that I was going to be a doctor. Then something in me was like, but this is not me; this is not my path. I tried forcing it so badly that I was like let me do something similar. Then when I was 15, this person gave me a book that changed my fucking life.
R: What's the name of the book?
M: "The Secret". When I read that book, it was so pivotal and life-changing for me. It changed everything. I was seeing everything through a different lens with way more clarity. So when I finished high school, I figured it out and realized I couldn’t go to school and become a doctor. It wasn’t my path. I took a gap year and went solo travelling for the first time!
R: Where did you go?
M: I went to Denmark, I only had one friend in high school, and she was an exchange student. She moved to Denmark because her dad was a travelling musician, and I’m like, bitch, I’m coming to see you. As soon as I turned 18, I went travelling alone. It gave me so much perspective and made me understand myself more, my path and what I wanted. That’s when I was honest with myself and was like, No. I love to create.
R: I love that you had your coming-of-age moment.
R: How do you feel being an artist here in Montreal?
M: I love Montreal. Montreal is a beautiful city of amazing artists, and I love the diversity here. The only difficult thing for me is that I can speak French, but I'm not the most fluent. Besides that, it's a beautiful city, and I'm so blessed to be here.
R: I have a love-hate relationship with Montreal. While its politics can be frustrating, the city's investment in arts and culture is amazing and fuels my creativity! Despite feeling limited by the lack of an industry for artists and creatives, I started BARCODE to spotlight Montreal artists and help them gain global recognition. There are so many extraordinary untapped talents and creative minds here. I believe Montreal has the potential to be one of the world's creative capitals, and I hope to contribute to making that happen in the future.
R: Do you have a piece of art that is super special to you or you would consider your favourite?
M: They’re all special and I feel like the phase of my life when I created them is very valid to that phase. Once I move on, alchemize and heal from that phase, I don’t resonate with it at the level I did when I created it. But I still love everything that I’ve created because I put myself into it, you know?
R: Of course, It's like a part of you. Just like you evolve and change, your art does too. One of the things that I love about art is that it’s like a time capsule. I feel like it's so cool that you can look back and get the essence of an era of time but also the evolution of someone's life. It's a form of shadowwork when you look at it that way!
M: It's so cool to see that contrast and to witness the growth. My growth through my artwork is super cool because you're just looking back and comparing the aspects of who you were before, how you grew and who you are now. You're mirroring yourself, so I love going back and looking through the mirror.
R: Is there a famous artist you admire?
Melophova: I love how poetic Frank Ocean is. I like how he uses a lot of metaphors, and you have to read between the lines to get some of his lyrics. I like that. He is like one of my top artists! Visually, I don't gravitate towards realism a lot. I like it when there are hidden things, and you have to read between the lines. So, that plays a part in my creative process.
R: How do you feel like the internet impacted the creative industry?
M: Social media is a tool. It's like a sword. If you know how to use it well and you know how to wield your sword well, you're going places. But you can cut yourself if you don’t know how to use it. It's allowed me to connect with different artists not only for my city but overseas! Also, getting contracts, commissions, and stuff is all through social media. If you use it wisely, it could be a fantastic tool.
R: I 100% agree.
R: If you could change anything about the creative industry, what would that be?
M: I do my own thing at the end of the day. I know any industry is fucked, it's an industry for a reason. Whether it's the visual arts industry or the music industry, every industry that was created is fucked. I believe anything that's an industry is far from our natural state. But you must know how to navigate it, find balance and use your tools properly.
Rochelle: Do you have anything you're working on that you want to speak about or something that is in the works that you're excited about?
M: I have a 2D animation I'm working on that should be released by the end of the year. I will be releasing it with its soundtrack, so I'm super excited about that! I’ve also been working on custom pieces where I incorporate fashion that is linked to the animation.
R: That’s such a cool concept! I feel like you are very good at stringing different art mediums together to create a world that simulates multiple senses. It makes it an experience compared to just like that's a piece of work, and I feel like a true artist makes you experience their world.
M: Thank you, that means a lot!
R: What would you say is next for you?
M: Definitely wanna stay happy. I want to have even more financial freedom. Create more, get more stuff out of me creatively, and expand my studio space.
R: I love that for you, and I’m so excited to see you grow more as an artist!
R: Where can people find you on socials?
M: You can find me on instagram @melophova!
R: Thank you for talking with me!
M: My Pleasure!
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