Conversations with Mike Salas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Salas.

Hi Mike, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up as what I call a “motel kid.” My family and I bounced from place to place, chasing stability that always seemed a few doors down. Art became my escape, my vice before I even knew what that word meant. While other kids found consistency in homes or schools, I found it in sketchbooks and color. Creating gave me control when everything else felt temporary.

Years later, after serving in the Army and working different jobs, I decided to bet on the one thing that had always kept me grounded, art. With $200, a vision, and a heart full of lessons learned the hard way, I built Soulland Lab in Old Towne Orange.

What started as a small idea has become a creative home where people paint, laugh, heal, and reconnect a place for those who might not even realize they need art until they sit down and feel it. Today, Soulland Lab is part paint-and-sip studio, part pottery café, and entirely about human connection.

I built this space for people like me the ones who’ve been through a little chaos, who’ve felt unseen, and who just need a place to breathe, create, and remember that they still have something beautiful inside them.

Because at the end of the day, art saved me and now, I just want to pass the brush.

Mike
Soulland LAB

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all it’s been anything but a smooth road. But honestly, the bumps made the story worth telling.

When I started Soulland Lab, I didn’t have investors or a big safety net, just grit, faith, and a few gallons of paint. There were months where rent felt heavier than the walls I was painting on. I was cleaning houses during the day, building the studio at night, and trying to convince people that an art lab in Old Towne Orange could actually work.

The hardest part wasn’t the lack of money, it was keeping the vision alive when doubt tried to creep in. There were moments when I questioned if I was crazy for trying to build something this different. But every time I saw someone walk into the studio and light up, a first-time painter, a kid rediscovering joy, a veteran finding peace, it reminded me why I started.

Struggle taught me humility, resilience, and resourcefulness. It taught me that creativity isn’t just for canvases, it’s how you survive, adapt, and keep moving.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My advice? Don’t wait for perfect it’s never showing up. Start messy, start broke, start anyway.

I built my studio with two hundred bucks and a ridiculous amount of faith. It wasn’t neat, but it was real.

Keep creating even when nobody’s looking. That’s where you find your voice.

We’re all on borrowed time might as well make it art.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Honestly, stop chasing mentors like trophies. The best ones usually show up when you’re already in motion. I’ve learned that if you keep showing up at events, in your community, online, wherever the right people notice.

Most of my mentors didn’t come from networking; they came from connection. I asked questions, helped where I could, and built genuine relationships without expecting anything back.

My best advice: don’t network connect. Energy recognizes energy, and real people find each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.soullandlab.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulland.lab/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR9oX99XXGU
• Yelp: https://www.instagram.com/soulland.lab/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulland.lab