Meet Melanie Woodruff | Founder of MOD + GLORY

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

Hi Melanie, what do you attribute your success to?
As simple as this may be, I feel that one of the most important factors behind my success is consistency. Of course there are best practices to follow and back end systems that are vital to nail down, but staying consistent and showing up to do the work day in and day out is probably the biggest factor I’ve noticed that makes all the difference. It’s easy to put in the necessary work when you’re feeling motivated, but when that motivation leaves and you don’t feel like doing the things that need to get done but do them anyway?! That’s what can take you far.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Ahhh, what a solid line up of questions! My creative art business is called MOD + GLORY and it all stemmed out of my little let-me-doodle-during-class-so-I-don’t-fall-asleep habit I picked up in middle school! I always enjoyed drawing and doodling in my spare time when I was younger which is why I would find myself scribbling away in class whenever I had the chance. At some point along the way I kept gravitating towards doodling words, but the style was mega funky and barely legible, abstract, if you will. Over time that turned in me exploring various cursive styles which led me to hand lettering, and I loved it! As I kept working on my craft, little by little people would ask me if I could create signs for them since I became the one with the good penmanship, and as that kept happening I realized, wait a minute, I really enjoy this and could actually start charging for this. After more time passed and projects started to increase I decided okay Mel, let’s pray about this. So I sat with God one day and had a conversation with him about this little venture I found myself in…after all, if he was the one to bless me with this gift I wanted to make sure that I was stewarding it well to the best of my ability and talking to him about it, too. I remember praying and saying “God, this is your thing, and I’m your vessel, so will you please help me with figuring out a name?” And then came MOD + GLORY – mod being short for modern (my simple + clean approach to the work and glory for giving all glory to God in this pursuit of creating art).

It definitely has not been a linear journey by any means and has stretched me quite a bit, but doesn’t that add to the fun of it all? In pursuing M+G I am constantly humbled and impressed by anyone who has ever started a business because it’s not all fun and success right out of the gate! Some of the toughest challenges for me have mostly surrounded the massive learning curve that comes with running a business…I could sit in a room all day and create art piece one right after the other, but when it comes time to make sure that my accounting is taken care of, all of the invoices are in order, tax fees are handled…woo buddy! It’s no joke!

Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far (and trust me when I say that I still have *so* much to learn and grow in) include 1. Seriously, take one day at a time, you don’t need to do EVERYTHING all at once. 2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because you don’t need to the be the professional in every single category. 3. Connect with other business owners, whether they’re in the same line of work as you or not. 4. You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. 5. Be consistent! 6. You’re not the only one with imposter syndrome. 7. It’s okay to cry about it, hahaha.

MOD + GLORY is special to me because it’s an outlet to create art that is uplifting and encouraging in a very broken and dark world that needs it. Every single day there is some kind of new depressing news that weighs people down, and while yes, it’s great to be aware of what’s going on, it’s also wildly important to hold onto hope in this day and age. My goal is to create art that can inspire others in a positive way by adding some beauty into their everyday spaces. A lot of that up to this point has been through the hand lettered artwork I’ve created, whether it be something I make or a custom order a customer asks for, but recently it’s also played out in some mural projects I’ve gotten to do, which is something I’m excited to expand in the future. At the end of the day, I want to add beauty and hope into this world through art, and have fun doing it, too!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I currently reside in a precious little lake town, so first things first I would make sure they were visiting in the summer! As any fun trip should start, I’d make sure that we secured some good coffee & yummy pastries from a local coffee shop, and then would want to get a solid lake day in. I really enjoy being outside so if it was a nice day I’d have us take a short walk to hit the lake for some paddle boarding or kayaking, go on a bike ride, get some ice cream and eat a solid burger from Oak & Alley. If they realllllly wanted a good time I’d recommend them to come at just the right time so that they could enjoy the annual Jazz Fest too! I’m a sucker though for a good day trip, so I’d be all for showing them some solid spots like United Coffee (aka the best Belgian waffles & Turkish Latte), a classic Goodwill thrift run, hit up Electric Works for a good food court situation, and would probably try to convince them to watch a Korean drama with me, too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh my goodness…where do I even begin?! I could say so much about a handful of people who have poured into me to where I am at this point, and speak into me about where I will continue to grow. Major shoutout to my two loving parents and 3 amazing brothers, as well as my community of friends who feel like my family away from home. Also to my friend, savior, and king, Jesus Christ. He has blessed me with this gift that I really at the end of the day just want to steward well in this creative business that has become MOD + GLORY. All glory to Him for who He is in my life and for blessing me with the people I have in my life who have seen things in me that I didn’t even see in myself. Life is so much richer with others…allow the right ones in.

Website: MOD + GLORY website is currently under construction!

Instagram: modandglory, agirlcalledmel

Facebook: modandglory

Youtube: agirlcalledmel

Other: TikTok – agirlcalledmel

Image Credits
Any professional photos taken by Kelsey Marie Photography