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

Hi Natalie, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
I’m a big non fiction girl. I really try to get into fiction but for whatever reason if it doesn’t have me absolutely gripped from the first page I have a hard time finishing it. I’ve always been interested in people’s stories though, and I love a memoir. My favorite one as of recently was Dave Grohl’s book “The Storyteller.” It was a compilation of stories from throughout his life that all had a common thread of being divinely guided by his creativity and passion for music. Although we’ve led wildly different lives, I resonated with a lot of it and I find myself thinking about some of the chapters often.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I often have trouble considering myself an artist, despite making some form of art every day since I was a toddler and having a literal degree in it. And then when I say I’m an artist and people ask me what type of art I do, I get even more confused as to what to respond with because I don’t really know how to categorize myself! I paint, I draw, I’ve dabbled in sculpture, I design jewelry and clothes sometimes, the list goes on. Recently, I’ve been really into doing mixed media pieces and incorporating watercolors and pastels, but nothing is off the table. Sometimes I add clippings from vintage Playboys, I’ve put cigarettes on paintings before, I’ll throw whatever I feel like on there really. I think one of the throughlines in my art, regardless of what style I’m doing, is that I write a lot of seemingly random things on my pieces. They’re random to the viewer or person that buys it, but to me they’re usually gut wrenchingly personal with some humor peppered in there, which is always how I’ve coped with things. I think my ability to be vulnerable and incredibly open about my life and my experiences, whether it be in my artistic work, or on social media, or even on my Podcast (Am I Doing This Right), is one of my strengths. I spent most of my life feeling very inherently lonely, and I think as an adult I’ve subconsciously made it a mission to make sure that everyone that crosses my path feels like they’re special and important and don’t have to feel alone in anything. Maybe that sets me apart from others in some capacity, I don’t know.

To answer your question about how I got to where I am today professionally, I can’t tell you for sure because it doesn’t really feel like I am at any type of destination. I feel like my career is constantly evolving and shifting into other things. But I do know that I am crazy resilient, and I have a borderline unhealthy amount of tenacity, so no matter how many obstacles come my way (and trust me, there have been HUNDREDS), I always get up and keep going. As cliche as it is, it really is all about the journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is hilarious because my best friend lives like 6 minutes away from me and we always talk about how we don’t know what to tell visitors to do and see because all we ever do is go to the Century City mall for dinner and movies. But, when people do come to stay with me, we pretty much always end up at El Coyote for dinner. The Enchilada Howard and a house marg (or two) is my go to. Afterwards you gotta hit up The Groundlings! Especially because it’s within walking distance of El Coyote so you don’t even have to worry about driving after their infamously sneakily strong margaritas. To top off the night, ice cream. Milk and Salt and Straw are my favorites, but I’m always up to explore new dessert spots. One of my favorite summer activities to do is Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It’s always got such great energy, and one thing that most people who live in LA have in common is a love for movies, so seeing a movie with hundreds of other movie fans (at a cemetery no less) on a warm summer night just can’t really be beat in my opinion. Another great summer spot is by the pool at the Roosevelt Hotel for a drink and some snacks. For music, I love seeing shows at the Hollywood Bowl, so I’d have to go there too! In terms of art, MOCA is my shit. I’m a huge Rothko fan and they have the Rothko Room which I believe has 7 of his paintings. I could spend hours in there just staring at them.

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?
Honestly, the people who send me kind emails and DM’s deserve more recognition in my story. Every once in a while someone will send me a message saying how I’ve positively impacted them in some way and I’m always blown away by it. I saw someone on Tiktok post a video where they were talking about a stranger on the internet that changed their life, and I was the person they mentioned. It brought me to tears! I question myself a lot.. am I someone young women can look up to? Am I being authentic to myself? Am I the best person I can be and does that resonate throughout my work? I always hope I am checking those boxes, but I can get down on myself easily, so these types of messages keep me going and reassure me that I am making a difference. Social media can be a problematic place, but it also has created this space where vulnerability and connection can exist in the form of a DM, and for that I am so grateful.

Website: natalie-mcmillan.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliemcm/

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@natalie.mcm Am I Doing This Right? Podcast with Corinne Foxx and Natalie McMillan

Image Credits
Devon Trunk

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.