Meet Chelle Thompson

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelle Thompson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Illustrating Children’s Books

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 started out as a Production Designer, with a Bachelor’s degree in Design and Production from Arizona State University, and continued on to get my Masters degree in Applied Arts from California Institute of the Arts. While in school I worked on as many productions as I could, working for companies like Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Netflix, WB and for several scene shops. I was fulfilling my dream of living in Los Angeles, and working in the industry. It was so exciting to share the work I did in the theme parks and on TV/Films with my daughters, family and friends. I was able to show them that if they work hard nothing can stop them from fulfilling their dreams. When COVID hit, most of the industry shut down, so I had to find other things I could use my education and passion for. I started painting classes online, teaching art and drama classes, and taking on commission projects. My students love to see what I have worked on, and the possibilities they have when they grow up. I still do side projects, but like so many, things never bounced fully back, so I find teaching is just as fulfilling. I help with school productions, and still do a lot of commission pieces when I can.

I happened to meet Amanda Stieff, when she was looking for an illustrator for her children’s book. I was really excited to help bring her stories to life with my drawings. It was a new challenge, it’s not my usual style of art, but I love her stories, and how they help uplift young children. Amanda is such a joy to work with, she is also a teacher, mother and in her spare time is writing the series. The first book is called “Pumpkin Kitty” and can be found on Amazon, or at Barnes and Nobles, and Walmart, and we are working on the second book. It’s great working with Amanda, we both have a passion to teach young people, and show them that their differences make them special.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before I went to ASU, I was a single mom on a path to be a Pediatric Radiologist, and I was so miserable. When I met my soon to become husband, I was struggling. He asked me why I was going into the medical field? My response was, I needed to be able to support my daughters and I love taking care of young people. He told me I had him now and I should go to school for my dream. He committed that all I talked about was doing design, and working in themed entertainment, so why wasn’t I doing that? He was there now to help me with my daughters and give me the chance to do what I really wanted to do. The next week I was accepted at ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and started on my dream of working in the arts. He was right, I always tell my daughters and my students never to give up on your dreams, and I had lost that for a brief moment. Even with the ups and downs all I want to do is bring hope to our young people, and I found that working in the arts is where I can do that.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding things about working in the arts is inspiring young people to go for their dreams and never lose hope.

Contact Info:

Website: chellethompsondesigns.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com › chellereneethompson
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelle-thompson-52b700a0

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Meet Chelle Thompson

Meet Chelle Thompson

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Chelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

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?

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

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