Welcome…

Here, you can find ideas and inspiration for multi-passionate creatives.

By that, I mean weekly(ish) storytelling and resource sharing about topics like embracing your creative vision, taking ownership of your process, caring for your full self, tapping into community care networks, and acknowledging that you are in fact an artist - full stop.

I write about practical stuff too; like working within economic constraints, time management, strategic planning, and how to pick your next dance class, training program, or book to read.

And me?

I’m Mela - a sociology PhD and professional dancer turned multimedia creative. Meaning I write, produce, and perform things for living.

Each of these fields, though different, are rooted in storytelling.

What stories do we choose to tell about ourselves or about our social world? Whose voices do we foreground? To what audience are we speaking?

For the last decade I’ve straddled these worlds of academia and the arts, completing my sociology PhD in 2020 while performing, teaching, and competing as a salsa dancer, and engaging in a community-grounded artistic praxis.

As a sociologist, I developed writing, research, critical analysis, and communication skills, while as an artist I continually uncovered the depth and necessity of human connection and expression through movement.

Through this lens, and across mediums, I aim to center community-building, justice, and radical humanity.

I started The Millennial PhD as a podcast in 2021 to share interviews with artists, creative entrepreneurs, and (alt) academics pursuing new creative directions.

More recently, I created the Movement for Liberation Dance Training & Mentorship program to provide holistic support for dancers who want sustainable growth and a joyful dance practice.

You can learn more about my work at my website.

If you enjoy my work here, on social media, on the podcast, or elsewhere, please consider supporting this blog with a paid subscription. This helps me keep it running and accessible. The vast majority of content - aka all monthly(ish) posts - will be available for free. Paid subscriptions will give you access to seasonal (fall, winter, spring, summer) cornerstone post full of actionable resources for creatives, plus the knowledge that your affirmation of my work here means the world to me.

Stay well everyone,

Mela