Melanie has been my boss and mentor at my day job in the Education Abroad Office since I started working there in 2011. In the past couple of years, she started creating beautiful, custom leather pieces to give as gifts and has recently decided to begin her shop. She has her first sale event this Saturday and I know she's going to crush it! I loved going over to her home and photographing her at work in her workshop. Her artist statement really spoke to me as a fellow artist and woman so I'll her speak for herself here.

"Leather 121 was born from an old leather couch that needed refurbishing, combined with the power of women. My first creations - pink pouches of nondescript size - were to commemorate the Women’s March on Washington, January 21st, 2017. Four pink pouches were given to the women who shared the power of that day with me.

As I’ve chosen leather and designs I’ve kept these strong women in mind: a single mother dealing with devastating impacts of child illness, a mom of two overcoming assault and carrying the boys in her world on her shoulders everywhere she roams, a social worker whose first instinct is always how to fix an injustice to help someone in need. For me those pink pouches commemorated shared experience - a way to tell these women they are admired and loved and never alone.

Over the past year I’ve gifted new designs and come out of my shell to show friends what I’m banging away on in my workshop. Every piece is a lesson in what works and what doesn’t. I’m not right half the time. But when I am it feels magical. Somewhere in my mid-30s I grew tired of second guessing my own creativity and ability. I know how to say I’m wrong. I know when to stop and start again. The launch of Leather 121 is a commemoration to a hidden dream...an acknowledgement that it’s okay to indulge in ourselves, even if it takes a moment away from the people around us to honor the creativity within.

And, no, that leather couch still hasn’t been refurbished."

Working with female creatives and entrepreneurs is an absolute dream. Visit "Forward" - a new part of Robyn Pizzo Photo with a focus on empowering photography for strong, smart, ambitious women.