Today I want to talk about something that has been very real in my life in the last few years and something that I think a lot of people work through each and every day…Loving what life gives you! (This will circle back to my artistic and entrepreneurial ventures, I promise) Now, I’m talking about working hard, planning, and dreaming, but not reaching those goals in a way or on the timeline you WANT…and learning to love where you are anyway, despite disappointments in your ca

(Canyonlands - Island in the Sky District - Grand View Point Overlook) This past weekend I arrived back in WI after 10 days on the road to Utah with plenty of stops along the way. We explored 5 different national parks in Colorado and Utah and spent a few days near Boulder, CO. I'm thrilled to share a little glimpse into this amazing trip through photos today and will probably ramble a little too much about certain hikes and experiences along the way (bear with me!!). I als

Big Carp River Trail - Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Photo taken on iPhone I am newly back from quite the adventure up in the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and wanted to share some of the amazing things I saw and some of my reflections along the way. The title of today's blog has a sort of double meaning because, yes, I was on a short hiking and backpacking adventure out in the wilderness that can make one feel so very small (in what I b

World Wildlife Day 2015!! Today we celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of flora and fauna in our world, recall the privileged and special interactions we have with wildlife across the globe, and are called to raise awareness of the crime being committed against wildlife! We must get #SeriousAboutWildlifeCrime! Illegal wildlife trading....Pangolin poaching for meat and scales...Rhino and Elephant poaching for ivory...Tiger poaching for skins, teeth, bones, claws...IT

Good morning everyone! Today is a very exciting day because this post will be featuring a number of wildlife conservation organizations that are in the running to be the sole beneficiary of the proceeds from the project I'm working on for this Spring!! (Hint: large collection of wildlife art + a chance for you to make a difference for wildlife and wild place conservation!) Please take a minute to visit the websites and educate yourself on all the great work being done to prot

Please Nominate Me TODAY (February 1st) through Saturday, February 7th to become RAW Minneapolis' Visual Artist of the Year and go on to the National Competition!! You are allowed ONE VOTE PER PERSON, PER DAY! Vote here - www.rawartists.org/melissahelene RAWards is a nationwide indie arts award competition held annually by RAW: natural born artists. Hosted over a month-long competition and judging process. RAWards selects nine winners out of over 15,000 artists that partici