We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsea Chick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsea below.

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. What was one of the most important lessons you learned in school? Why did that lesson stick with you?

In my final semester for my BFA, my graphic design professor assigned a project out of my realm. Assignment guidelines called for us to select two model figures and combine parts of each to create a new creature. We were then asked to create a graphic from that to accompany a “performance art” piece. The kicker is that we were to also perform said piece in front of our class, and that that would be a deciding factor in our final grade. Literally, my worst nightmare. Even thinking about it now gives me anxiety!

Needless to say, it wasn’t my best work presentation wise. The mark I got wasn’t very good, which stung. But I also felt that it wasn’t a fair representation of the overall work I’d done. So I asked to meet with the professor to discuss the matter (another nightmare, confrontation not being my strong suit). I presented the idea that the course, being a graphic design course, wasn’t a performance based class and that my grade shouldn’t have been so heavily weighted on the performance piece. My professor took what I had to say and found my argument valid. While I still didn’t get a “great” mark, I at least was able to improve upon the original mark.

In retrospect, the entire process has proved to be valuable in my growth as a person. I learned that by tackling my fears of confrontation and standing up for myself I was able to change the outcome of the situation. I still run into the same fears and they will always be present, but I’ve learned that getting a “no” isn’t so scary and you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t at least try. In fact, it’s the second best answer. And that sometimes you’ll actually get the outcome you had been hoping for.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, I’m Chelsea Chick, an artist currently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan (my hometown). My path as an artist started at a young age, where I could always be found at the art table of my Montessori. However, accepting this as an identity took much longer. Growing up, becoming an artist was never the goal. In our annual family newsletter, our parents would always ask what we wanted to become when we got older and I remember answering that I wanted to become an engineer, not realizing how many math courses that would require. Don’t get me wrong, I am fully capable of passing a math course, but as my many years in Kumon can attest, I just didn’t enjoy it. Hence all of the unfinished math packets found hidden under my mattress.

As does water, ultimately I followed the path of least resistance. I seemed to be decent at art going through K-12, so I chose to pursue it after my first year at college where I had considered a few other options. I got my BFA with a concentration in graphic design and moved to Chicago in 2015 to pursue my career. Since 2012 I’ve worked with a wide range of clients from startups & small businesses to large corporations. Some notable clients include United Airlines, Rotary Club of Ann Arbor and Fisher House. I’ve helped with the design in the Learning and Development programs of both BlackRock Academies and Kraft Heinz Co. With such a diverse clientele, I’ve been able to call upon my many interests and skills leading to projects that include web design (html & css), logos, brand identity, printed collateral, investor decks, presentation design, t-shirt design, signage, e-commerce & e-mail campaigns, photography (and editing), social media/ad content, illustration, packaging, infographics, weekly iPad newsletters, carpentry, painting and videography.

Alongside all of the design work I was creating, I began experimenting with abstract acrylic painting, which provided me a firm space to float ideas around. This provided a way to zoom in and out, to puzzle over the tones, the texture, the details in nature and my day-to-day experiences. Through exploration and travel I’ve come into my voice as an artist. As I grow with my work, my aerial, abstracted viewpoint has begun to shift. I now envision a space in which I am intrinsically connected to the world around me. Atmosphere, shedding new light to my understanding, progressing me forward. At times my steps feel heavy, my self-limiting beliefs/fears leaving me frozen in place. In those moments, I pause, exploring other avenues until the way forward reveals itself.

Through my work, I connect with the different aspects of myself and, in turn, the heartbeat of the collective. Design has allowed me to navigate the outskirts of industries, organizations and thought. My art attempts to break through the boundaries, both personal and external, placing a finger on the pulse. As for what I bring to the table… persistence. I have a patience and stick-to-it-ness that allows me to get the job done and overcome obstacles when things aren’t going as planned. With a shift of attitude, a healthy dose of fear that things won’t work out and a little hard work I generally come up with solutions that lead to a more balanced/harmonious bigger picture.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Many businesses start with an outside investment and in some ways I’ve had that, but for the most part I’ve worked to fund my own creative pursuits. After graduating with my BFA I didn’t go straight into working as a designer and began nannying. Nannying still provides some level of creativity and allowed me enough time, while the kids were sleeping, to work on design projects that slowly trickled in. At that time I was still figuring out my path and my main focus was getting out into the world and exploring.

With the money I was making, I booked a trip to Peru with my sister where we volunteered for a family friend’s conservancy project, Pacha Conservancy, which aims to preserve the existing flora and fauna. While planting native trees to restore forests that have been cut and degraded, they also educate locals, students and communities about global issues, our role in the environment and energy efficiency.

My sister and I got to explore the Sacred Valley, collect/document bugs with two local biology students, learn and help in the process of making tea, building walls using old Incan techniques (I especially appreciated the patience of our teacher Johan because he managed to convey so much to us with little to no English and my little to no Spanish) and much more. Anyway… constantly getting off topic. Why?

These side stories, trips, jobs and people we meet along the way could be considered “initial capital” to start a creative career. You don’t need to travel far to get inspiration, but stepping out of your comfort zone is one way to do it. My comfort zone at the time being the place I grew up in. As I began traveling more and spending more time on Instagram, I wanted to document what I was up to.

I had been using my phone and an old digital camera that my parents weren’t using anymore, but decided that the image quality wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be. I had been in enough photography classes through school (film mostly) to understand the basic functions of the camera and knew I wanted a DSLR. Through a friend who was pursuing photography as a career, I had seen that the high end cameras produced an image more akin to how I saw things and I eventually decided on a Canon 6D.

With that I began playing around and coming up with “shoot” ideas. Much of the work I did wasn’t actually paid and was mostly done for fun. With this new burst of passion, I decided that Ann Arbor and nannying wasn’t going to get me where I needed to be. I had been visiting Chicago quite a bit and a new friend mentioned that she happened to have a place that I could move into. I didn’t have a job lined up and was winging it with freelance work. Eventually building up enough of a portfolio to get my foot in the door for more design gigs.

And to round out this long winded answer, I’m sure I would be much further along had I gone the outside investment route, but with these side steps I’ve grown more confident in my ability to persevere and found the value in what I bring to the table. The money comes and goes, but the experiences I’ve put under my belt are worth more than the capital invested.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

First let’s start with the insight that all fields have room for creativity. That sends us down the rabbit hole that it would be how you identify and within these identities there is a spectrum. I firmly believe that all fields have room for creativity. Forget the word “non-creative.” Everyone has the capability to unlock that potential. I would say it comes down to a comfortability of placing yourself in the line of fire using the knowledge you’ve acquired, the identities given (by self and others), and landing upon your own understanding (and being willing to voice it).

Creativity is less about following a script and more about forming new ways of being while in the “now”. For me, the details become maddening, but ultimately I’ve grown accustomed to the intricacies that make up the big picture. There is a beautiful simplicity to the unknown and not being “in the know” lends well to bringing into existence something new and original.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chickwithacanvas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chickwithacanvas/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cchick/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chickwithacanvas
• Other: https://www.behance.net/cchick1 www.chelseamchick.com

Image Credits
Images of my paintings are taken by me and the images of me with my paintings are taken by Sabrina Lividini and Jordan Chick.