We were lucky to catch up with Chanel Tredup recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chanel, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am very happy being a creative.

But being a creative has its challenges.
With the cost of living going up each day, it’s already hard to make a living making art. So it’s not necessarily a priority for people.
Keeping bills paid and keeping food on the table definitely is priority for most.

There’s not much left to spend on recreational things.

Despite the challenges , I am very happy with how far we’ve come and look forward to see what the shop brings us in the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up, I always had a passion for art, photography, and animals, but I never expected it to lead to where I am today. 2013 I decided to open up “Curlytop Photography” and it went well. I did a few weddings, engagements, and graduations, but I quickly became overwhelmed with the pressure of trying to work with large groups of people and felt myself losing the joy of photography I once had. After a couple of years, I decided to close the business and take some time to figure out how I could pursue art instead.

I had been thinking about a specific dog tag I would like to get for Oliver, so I started searching the Internet and I couldn’t find anything I really loved. I was talking to my husband about what I was looking for, he said, “Why don’t we make our own?” So we did. He learned how to use a small engraving machine to carve the tag out of wood, and I painted it. Of course, being proud of what we had done, I posted a picture of Oliver wearing it on Instagram, and the feedback was terrific. Multiple people started asking if we could make one for their dogs. Then they started asking for other custom designs they had been looking for but couldn’t find. That’s when we knew we were on to something. In 2021, “Round the Shire” was established, and we learned how to run an Etsy shop. We remodeled our guest room into a studio, and I got to work thinking of other designs I wanted to try to paint. All the support from friends, family, and social media was terrific in helping us to get started. Now, as we begin our 3rd year in business, we have over 50 designs available, including dog tags, earrings, pendants, coasters, and magnets, with more in the works! It’s been so much fun getting to do what I love with who I love, and it’s very surreal to see how much people love what we make for them.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Getting to do what you love. And financially support yourself that way.

Also it’s very rewarding every time we get a new shop review and get to see how much people really love our designs.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Oliver, our golden retriever was the inspiration from the start. He was a six-weeks old when we brought him home.

Not only was he lovely, but as he grew up, he continued to amaze us with his smarts! My husband jokingly said, “he could be one of those Instagram dogs.” It was a way for me to get back into photography, but I didn’t think anyone else would care about pictures of my dog. Then, in 2020, the world shut down. My husband was furloughed, and we were mostly stuck at home. Oliver contributed to bringing us joy and laughter, and we wanted to spread some of that happiness to others in any way we could during those uncertain times. That’s when we decided to turn my Instagram into primarily a dog photography page and include positive messages as the caption. Soon after, I wanted to take it further and include my other passions, like cooking and gardening. I didn’t know how people would respond, but it didn’t matter because I shared what I loved.

Best advice I could give is to be authentic. People will appreciate you for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RoundtheShire?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabjo6Ghu6GkcbItNWRHrIMRWw8IhBaDXkzx-fhIypLexTDUi-GygjUZ-rU_aem_VmDOjVJr_CJO5z0AEUm8-A&load_webview=1&bid=vZF8A1ClW0gb3Bf0lTzLRkEIfZtb
• Instagram: sweettredupcheeks