We were lucky to catch up with Chai Appling recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chai, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’d certainly say I am happy to be an artist. Utilizing one of my greatest skills as a human being gives me so much fulfillment in life, especially because of its effect on others. I am delighted that so many people have told me my art makes them emotional, or that it resonates with a specific part of them.

I have often thought about what it would be like to have a ‘regular’ job. I think, for the most part, all jobs are special to those who specifically love their career field. For example, while a dentist may be considered a ‘regular’ job, perhaps there’s someone (or several people) out there who absolutely love being a dentist. It’s not regular to them, it’s something they love. I would define a ‘regular job’ as a standard career in which one doesn’t particularly love it, but doesn’t hate it either, they just do it for survival, and that’s fine. I don’t think I could do that long-term. I’ve had ‘regular’ jobs and loathed the fact that I wasn’t drawing every hour or even minute of the day. I took those jobs because you need money to live, you know? But those are times when I definitely understood that I needed to be an artist in some capacity, or else I could not live happily. Due to that experience, I’ve found many unconventional avenues to make money as an artist, to keep myself afloat and happy. It’s a lot of work, but most certainly worth it!

Chai, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello! My name is Chai Appling, better known as ChaiBee across the internet and pop-culture world.

I am an artist, designer, cosplayer, performer, business owner, and more. I specialize in creating as I see fit, making things that are out of the ordinary, telling stories that make you laugh or cry, and celebrating what it means to be an artist.

I do a little bit of everything, I’ve freelanced for TV shows, created toy designs, made characters for novels, illustrated for fan books, made cosplay for myself and others, performed as characters in cosplay, and so on and so on. I take every opportunity I can to make something new, and learn new skills! I make an effort to attend conventions to share my work, meet fans, and educate them on how they can do similar things, or at least inspire them to do so. I love entertaining people and making them smile.

At the core of my creative efforts are my three personal characters and their stories. While I do many things for work, my personal career goal is to get my beloved character’s stories out into the world. They are as follows…

Miss Witch an all-ages tale of a young girl trying to understand her purpose and origins, navigating a Halloween-inspired world filled with magic and misfits.

Ivory Steel is an adult comedy comic series about a crass rock star trying to make a name for herself as a musician, encountering silly, supernatural obstacles along the way.

Ace is a horror-thriller about a vigilante in a dystopic kingdom, trying to rectify the injustices of her society while struggling to make the choice of granting mercy or taking revenge against her enemies.

Miss Witch and Ivory Steel are actively being produced and released, while Ace is being created behind the scenes. You can read Miss Witch and Ivory’s stories on Tapas or Webtoon!

Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/creator/f60lv
Tapas: https://tapas.io/chaiappling

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think a common misconception about myself and my work is that what I do is easy or always fun. I take pride in my work and certainly put in a lot of effort, but it doesn’t always work out. There’s a certain amount of disappointment and rejection you have to accept and learn to live with, so you can celebrate your successes and hopes for the future.

I am a very disciplined artist and student. I consider myself a life-long learner because I am always trying to educate myself on new things I would not have known. I’ve gone as far as taking 2 years worth of accounting and business classes just so I could manage the financial side of my business and understand the process of owning a business. It’s extremely important to understand how to calculate sales taxes, keep your expenses organized, and overall, keep track of all of your financials on your own. Even if you decide to hire someone to help you with that, I still think it’s critical to understand the flow of money.

I plan everything and always work ahead of schedule if I can. Many artists like myself have ailments that can get in the way of their creative flow. I’ve always found that trying to get ahead has helped immensely. Don’t forget to balance life and work! It’s so easy to get lost in your craft and crave creating, I know I do. But I make time to go out, experience life and take the ‘loss’ of time I could have spent on my art. That being said, I draw an immense amount of artwork on a daily basis, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on much if I take a morning to have breakfast with my friends.

Lastly, learn to forgive yourself if you cannot meet the goals you aspire to, just reevaluate what would work best for you, and still try to push yourself when you are ready.

These are all things that are essential to my career as an artist! You may not expect that someone who draws cartoons needs to know all these sorts of things, but I can certainly say I do.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Oh gosh.

Well… I would certainly say I am against NFTs.

I think there was a way NFTs or an equivalent could have been created that would be much more helpful for artists, better for the environment, and be the community culture that ‘crypto bros’ craved. I think crypto investors and collectors just wanted something unique, artistic, and cool to be tied to cryptocurrency and are holding onto NFTs for dear life.

One of the significant points NFT folk like to make is that the art is special and one of a kind, but pay thousands in cryptocurrency to have an artwork that’s a remixed copy of a series. Surely these people had to know they can commission artists for something truly unique, one of a kind, and solely theirs? Artists have had commission systems for centuries, and I can’t wrap my head around the fact NFT enthusiasts think they invented this system of owning art.

I do think NFTs are a serious problem and threat to creatives. One of the biggest issues I have with NFTs that is often overlooked is that many of them take on this sort of street art vibe and aesthetic, without understanding the roots of urban art and why it’s so important to respect it.

When I was in downtown LA a few weeks ago, I saw wheat pastings of NFT icons plastered all over urban artworks. LA has an abundance of street art but seeing that made me really, really angry.

Street art, graffiti, and wheat pastings are works often created by communities to express their artistic prowess and share their work publicly, for free. It is not restricted to the boundaries of an art gallery or the home of a multi-billionaire. It shows the culture and love of those communities, giving color and life to their neighborhoods. By taking such a significant design aesthetic and creating digital copies only to be owned by those with excessive amounts of money, they’re gentrifying urban art. At least I think so.

Of course, real urban art will always be more authentic than NFTs. I am also aware this isn’t particularly new… there are certainly urban artists that have found their way into making works that are expensive, exclusive, and no longer within communities, but at least they have agency over that choice. NFT artists typically have no agency, especially if they are commissioned to make artworks that will be resold for a much higher margin.

I have many grievances about NFTs, and know there are better, more positive ways to celebrate collectible artwork that are overlooked. To NFT collectors, it’s not about the art, it’s about the status they’ve created in being able to buy very expensive designs.

That being said, if you are a crypto-NFT-enthusiast, no disrespect, but please know you can commission any artist you love to get an artwork completely original, just for you. That is always going to be so much more special, personal, and valuable than an NFT series portrait.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chaiappling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaiappling/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chai-appling-a237a4157/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChaiB33
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-4_-3T-TnxTydW6CQWl0A