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

Chelsea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

My quality of life has improved so much since I became a business owner. Before I started Good Scary Studios I was working at a corporate design job. Although I was technically “creating”, the office and team I was working with did not necessarily inspire creativity.

I am now able to intuitively create my own schedule, decide for myself how much work I want to take on, and listen to my body when I need rest. And who doesn’t love hanging out with their dog all day?

Sometimes I think back to working a desk job and miss the community aspect of working with a broad range of people. However, the pros of working for myself far out-weigh the cons. After having run Good Scary Studios for more than 4 years, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chelsea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Absolutely! There’s no short way to sum up what I do. I wear many hats! But, I tell most people that I am a graphic designer and illustrator and, at times, a muralist. I create hand drawn work for folks all over the world in a wide variety of industries. One day I might be creating a t-shirt design for a music festival and the next I’m working on a brand identity for a mom and pop pizza shop. I love the challenge this brings to my work!

I get to meet so many interesting people. I’m very much a people person so I really enjoy asking my clients about their backstories. One of my favorite things about my job is learning about all of the different industries and places my clients come from. In addition to the conversations I have with my clients I also do a lot of my own research for projects to ensure that I’m properly representing the subject matter. In my line of work, it can become very necessary to know how many toes a skunk has, what plants are native to the Mexican Riviera, and the types of tools a butcher uses to do their job.

Although it does take extra time and effort, I love the freedom that hand drawing all of my work gives me. From what I’ve heard from others, this also makes my work more recognizable which is always a plus!

It’s been a ton of work to get where I am but I have to say the thing I’m most proud of is my adaptability and persistence. I actually did not go to school for illustration and graphic design. My BFA is in photography. Although I still enjoy it, as soon as I graduated college I could feel that I wasn’t in the right field. I had a lifetime of practice drawing and a little background knowledge of some designing programs from a few college courses and I was going to make something of it!

I ended up getting a design internship in Columbus and needed to learn more about designing programs very quickly. I spent many days and nights between waitressing shifts learning how to use Illustrator. Not to mention the help I got from my boyfriend (now, husband) who went to school for digital communications. Shout out to Evan!

When I look back, I can see how many jobs it took to get me to owning my own business. The good and the bad! I really wanted something I could call my own so I persisted. Yes, it was scary going out on my own and finding my first clients but that’s what Good Scary is all about. Chase after the things that make you a little uncomfortable, the “good scary”!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is so saturated with perceived perfection so I see value in being vulnerable with my audience. I don’t shy away from topics like my mental health and the challenges of being a small business owner.

I also really try to listen to what my followers have to say about the type of content they like seeing. I recently got feedback about showing more “behind the scenes” content so I’m trying to incorporate more process videos and preliminary project sketches.

I think my willingness to be myself really resonated with a lot of folks, too. It is definitely possible to back yourself into a corner on social media. I am a graphic designer but that’s not all I am. My followers love knowing and seeing that I also really enjoy thrifting, costume parties, and playing with my dog Flora. Sometimes I think she’s more popular than me. She’s gotten fan mail from my followers!

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

I am actually in the process of making a pivot in my business. I will continue to take on client work but I’m making more of an effort to also offer products. There is a large portion of my audience that wants to support my work but doesn’t have the need for branding or apparel design.

I’m currently working on some products that feature my artwork. In the coming months I will be involved in some artist markets where I can sell my work and engage with my audience in person. It’s so exciting!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goodscarystudios.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/good.scary/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-scary-studios/?viewAsMember=true
• Other: https://dribbble.com/chelseabunn

Image Credits
Chelsea Bunn Photo by Grace Jones Pete 2020 Campaign Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images Sierra Ferrell Photo by Bobbi Rich