Rising Stars: Meet Mariah Leggett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah Leggett.

Mariah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always enjoyed drawing and creating. I went to a creative arts high school in Memphis, TN, my hometown. At the time, I was mostly into pencil work, black and white portraiture, and fun doodles. It was pretty different from the work I produce today. However, after finishing school, I stopped creating and focused more on adjusting to adulthood. It wasn’t until I was on maternity leave with my youngest daughter, 5 years ago, that I felt the call to start creating again. I literally woke up one day, bought some art supplies, and just started letting out all of the creativity that hadn’t been let out in years. I bought different types of paint, but the watercolors are what felt most natural to me, and I’ve been working with them consistently ever since. Since then, I have been exploring different mediums, including acrylic paints, and more recently coffee, and tea.

I also do resin work, and only see myself expanding still. Art is something that I really enjoy for myself, and it was from gathering the courage to begin posting my journey on Instagram, that I realized the impact that my work could have on others as well. I began having people reach out to me to purchase art, and soon after, showed my art in public for the first time at the PSV store at a “Sip and See” hosted by Soncya Noelle in May 2021. I was overwhelmed by the love that my work was shown. Since then, I’ve had art coffee shops, and salons around Nashville, as well as I have a setup at Alchemy Cafe in downtown Nashville. I also like to stay active as a vendor at events around the city. I have so much appreciation for everyone who has supported me along this journey.

Besides painting and pursuing my art own art journey, I love teaching and inspiring others to bring out their creative side as well. I currently teach kids art classes and enjoy being a part of their artistic experience. I look forward to exploring even more ways to be involved in the community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a working mom of two girls, it can definitely be overwhelming at times trying to balance everything. However, I definitely feel like I have been very blessed on my journey.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
This summer, I designed a billboard ad for Healthy and Free Tennessee, which challenged me to explore digital art in a way that I hadn’t done before. Also, it allowed me the chance to use my art for a cause that I felt is very important, which was the decriminalization of abortion.

I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity, and so far, it has been one of my proudest accomplishments. Something that a lot of people are surprised by is that I paint with coffee and tea. I don’t have an exciting story as to how my journey with that began; I just drink a lot of coffee and decided one day that I wanted to experiment. For anyone who enjoys watercolor, I definitely recommend trying it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: inhaleartz.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/inhale.artz
• Facebook: facebook.com/inhale.artz