A University alumna is finding her own way to stay involved on campus. Melissa Troxell is a mass communication graduate and an abstract artist. She is offering her services to the students of the University so that dorms and apartments feel a little more like home.
Troxell began painting only nine months ago and promotes herself on her Instagram account, @melissatroxell. The account is full of paintings she has done herself in the short time she has been painting. Troxell said she received an abundance of support from her children and husband to put her art out there for people to see.
“I started painting just for fun, but then my family and friends were like, ‘Hey, we really like this’ and they were very supportive – my kids especially,” Troxell said. “They said, ‘Mom, you really need to put this on the Instagram’ because a lot of my friends wanted it and showed an interest, so it just kind of evolved into kind of doing it for fun and putting it on Instagram.”
With her abstract form of painting, everything that Troxell does looks a little different, almost assuring her customers of a one-of-a-kind piece. Troxell said she was glad she was self-taught and believes that starting late may have been beneficial for her.
“I am self-taught because as I said, my degree is in journalism but honestly I’m kind of glad to have been self-taught,” Troxell said. “I’m kind of glad that I didn’t because I probably would have been so hard on my younger self. I think if I would have been formally trained at a young age, I would have been so hard on myself and I probably wouldn’t have even succeeded and even if I did, I probably wouldn’t have been very happy doing it.”
While Troxell may not be using her degree with painting, she said she grew to love it. As a University alumna, she shows that students can graduate and still learn something new.
Troxell said she markets to students because she understands what art can do to something like a dorm room or an apartment. A piece of art can really change the dynamic of a space, and she sets her prices as low as she can so that students can take advantage of the convenience her art provides.
“Obviously, I’ll sell to anyone, but I’m really catering to students,” Troxell said. “That’s why I try to make my prices as low as I can.”
With the spring semester coming to a close, many students are looking for or have already secured housing for the fall semester, meaning it’s almost time to start thinking about decorating. Troxell said there is nothing better than a painting to make a space feel a little bit more like home.
Troxell is extending her art to the entire Baton Rouge community, giving students at the University a chance to acquire something that could make their home away from home feel a little more personal.
“The main reason I’m trying to market to students is because I know that dorms and apartments can be kind of sterile,” Troxell said. “A piece of art can really change the entire look.”
