The Auburn University Bookstore is a popular place for students and families to buy merchandise or gifts to show off their alma mater. Among these designs, one can find Melissa Gullatte’s art, also known under her brand name, Gracefully Made Art. Her work showcases Auburn University logos and memorabilia through the use of subtle watercolor designs.
Most of her designs consist of merchandise from different colleges, such as Auburn University, the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also has a Taylor Swift collection that has gained popularity in the past months.
Gullatte has been an artist since she was a little girl. She has always loved to draw and paint, and art has been a continuous part of her life.
When creating new items, Gullatte believes that "You should create things that are useful while staying true to what you find beauty and inspiration in."
Gullatte discussed her beginnings as an artist and how during high school, she realized that creating art was her passion. She continued working towards this path and dedicated herself to art throughout college.
Her artistic ambitions led her to graduate from Auburn University with two different degrees: studio art and business administration, both of which play an important role in her career.
During her last semester at Auburn, Gullatte's life got busier and her wedding preparations started taking up a big part of her time. She started wedding planning while adding watercolors and other kinds of details to the items she was designing. This led her to take a job in the wedding industry, where she worked for eight years.
“It definitely has influenced the business side of things and the processes that I've had to put in place. You have to be very on top of your game and very organized. In the wedding industry, there's so much back and forth that happens between you and the client, or you and the wedding planner,"Gullatte said.
All parts of Gullatte's career have been equally important to get her where she is now.
After giving birth in 2022, she decided to make a change and leave the wedding industry behind. Being an Auburn alumna, her love for the university had always been present in her designs. Gullatte was able to get licensed by the university and her art business grew.
“I had somebody tell me last week that an Auburn cheerleader recognized their headband, and they were like, ‘Oh, that's personally made art’. So, yeah, so like that. That's been really cool," Gullatte said. "That's been another avenue to get my business name out there."
Her increasing popularity made it possible to reach a wide range of stores on and off campus.
Gullatte works on her business without pause. Every day is different for her; she manages to take care of her 2-year-old toddler and at the same time, she packs up items, answers emails, organizes orders and creates new designs for her business.
Melissa Gullatte, the artist behind Gracefully Made Art.
“I would love to continue to grow the Gracefully Made team, and then grow the number of schools that we have. So that's a big [achievement]. You know there's so many schools out there, there's so many schools that want the different watercolor and artistic type of gifts and accessories that we do,” Gullatte said.
According to Gullatte, new items can be expected to hit stores in the spring and summer of 2025.
"As I've put my work out there, and as I've started wholesaling to lots of different stores, I have a lot of stores that will approach me and say, 'Hey, can you do a Clemson collection? Or can you do a Tennessee collection or Texas A&M?’ You know, all kinds of things like that,” Gullatte said.
Gullatte offered some advice for all the young artists nowadays who feel lost in how to reach different people through the creation of their art.
“You should create things that do inspire you. It's so easy to try to do what you think people will want to buy but instead, you should do what you're passionate about. There are so many people in this country. You will find an audience. You will find someone that wants to buy your art. So don't think about creating for anybody specifically, create what you love most,” Gullatte said.
For beginners wondering how to start creating, Gullatte believes that prioritizing the taste of the artist is the most important requisite to success.
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