We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chandra Chatmon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chandra, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am completely, 100% happy as an artist, even with all of the ups and downs that it sometimes entails. I’ve worked in several desk jobs over the majority of my career, and in each and every one of them I felt discontent, underutilized, stifled, bored and depressed. Now that’s not to say that I didn’t learn something about myself and the nature of work in each and every one of them. But I do believe that if you’re truly creative at heart, a regular job will only hold your interest for so long.

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?

I’m an author, crocheter, knitter, jewelry artist and content creator. I wrote my first novel named Shades of Retribution in 2004. It is a self-published book and my first truly commercial endeavor as an artist. About seven years later I had become interested in making jewelry for myself because I was spending a great deal of money on jewelry and accessories for my corporate job. Something told me that I could make my own jewelry and once I made a few pieces my husband suggested that I attend an arts show with my work, and just like that another facet of my creativity came alive. I also knit and crochet so I started making my finished items available for sale, and since then I have been selling my handmade work online and in person. My attention to detail, utilizing rich colors and classic looks are what sets me apart as an artist. I recently became a content creator. I use this as a avenue to share my love of fashion, and somehow it brings everything together for me. I’m most proud of my ability to just have faith and put myself out there. I’m self-taught in jewelry design and I don’t follow patterns for my knitted and crocheted accessories, which lends to their one-of-a-kind look and feel.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think one unusual aspect of being a creative is that the desire to create drives you day and night. In fact, it can almost drive you crazy if left unexpressed. It’s truly a gift and if managed well can bring many benefits, but left unattended can produce a feeling of incompleteness. I’m someone who always excelled in math-related subjects and this led me to pursue a statistics degree and a business degree with an emphasis in finance. I pursued them because my school advisors and counselors encouraged it, and I was honestly too inexperienced to really recognize where my strengths truly resided. This led to employment at a string of great companies, but in jobs that clearly were not well-suited for the type of person I am. It took nearly two decades for me to come to this realization, but once I did, I got the message and haven’t looked back.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think we are more resilient than we believe we are, and the recognition of it usually arrives in hindsight. I decided to attend graduate school clear on the other side of the country where I had no family and no real support system. I had just completed my undergraduate degree about a year prior and just felt like I wanted more from my career and my life. I struggled to fit into that environment from day one, and it seemed that problems mounted to keep me from making progress. I decided to stay in the city once I graduated after landing a job, and about a year and a half after graduating my mother suddenly passed away. My father sent for me, and about a week after her funeral he encouraged me to get back to my life. This was extremely difficult, but it really takes a strong father to tell you to wipe your face, straighten your feeble knees and get on with it despite his own tremendous loss. I returned to a job I really didn’t like all that much and in my personal life I was dealing with an abusive situation. It wasn’t physical abuse, but in a way it was probably just as damaging. I ended up with bronchitis and had to stay in bed for an entire month. Looking back I’m not at all sure how I made it. I had never experienced such profound sadness and disappointment, and somehow I doubt I ever will again but we really are like flowers. Dirt and rain can yield the most beautiful things, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without those experiences.

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