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

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am absolutely happier as an independent artist. It’s no secret that an artist’s path is unpredictable and can be financially challenging, due to that unpredictability, at times. But I have found that it ALWAYS works out. Meaning that the gigs always come through, the offers suddenly appear, a call comes out of “no where.” I will admit that I did have to expand my repertoire in 2020. I had already started a small online clothing resale business at the beginning of 2020, because I was a new mother (my daughter was born in September 2019), and I wasn’t sure when I would be ready to start traveling again, as I knew that that would mean being separated from my daughter for long periods of time. In short, I needed a way to support us outside of singing, but I knew that I absolutely didn’t want to get a “real” job. Luckily for us, the business took off, and I was able to continue to build it (even through the Pandemic). I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it. I only started singing professionally again in November 2021, so you can image just how grateful I am that it all worked out.
Even though I now own a business, in addition to being a professional singer, I still believe that I am operating as a creative in my business. I source and resale clothing items, create all of our marketing materials, and run our social media and events. It’s easy to see how the fashion aspect of the business feeds me as an artist. But I also find myself thoroughly enjoying creating graphics and marketing materials on our social media and website.
So, in conclusion, no – I can’t imagine having a regular job. As a creative, I need the space and freedom to create on my own time.

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?

At this stage of my life, I wear three hats: mother to Penelope (now two-and-a-half years old), professional singer, and owner of the clothing resale business “Poppy and Cha Cha.” (*Poppy is Penelope’s nick name and Cha Cha is my nick name.) Prior to Penelope being born, I would have only identified myself as a professional singer. I feel very blessed in that I have always known that I wanted to be a professional singer. I am grateful that I could identify my life’s work at a very early age, and I am even more grateful that this life’s work is also my passion.
I would say that it took me some time to find my footing as a singer and an artist. But I finally felt at home when I found my place in the cruise industry, starting in 2013. I was first employed by Holland America as a resident production singer – meaning that I lived on the ship for 8 months at a time (I did two of these contracts), and performed cabaret-style shows in the main theatre for guests. On my second contract, I then wrote and arranged my own solo show, landed my cruise ship agent (whom I’m still with to this day), and became a cruise ship headliner. After performing just as a headliner, I was then given the amazing opportunity of being a cruise director for Seabourn Cruises (this is the last time that you heard from me). I absolutely LOVED being a cruise director. I was the head of entertainment on the ship. I would host all of the entertainment events, plan and schedule events on the ship, mingle with guests, as well as perform. I probably could have done that job for the rest of my life, but my little Penelope came into the picture, and the winds changed for me.
I sailed with Seabourn up until I was 5-months pregnant (the longest that Maritime Law will allow a pregnant woman to sail), and then moved back to my hometown of Fort Worth, TX to lay down roots.
I did teach private voice lessons for a time, but I really “came to life” again when I launched my small business “Poppy and Cha Cha” in February 2020. The timing was perfect, because we went into lock-down in March 2020. Poppy and Cha Cha is an online clothing resale business. I had already acquired quite a bit of inventory, so I was able to run our business (when I say “our” I am referring to Penelope and myself – she’s my little business partner, after all) completely out of our home, and still do to this day.
Poppy and Cha Cha is a warm and loving space (you can find us on Instagram @poppyandchacha or our website PoppyChaCha.com) where we try to keep customers entertained while providing fun, fashionable, and unique women’s clothing items and accessories (new and pre-owned) at affordable prices.
I would say that I am very proud of how I’ve handled the last three years of my life. Penelope’s father and I broke up when I was pregnant, so I somehow navigated single-motherhood, the pause of my singing career, building a business from the ground up, and a pandemic, in a way that I can look back on with a lot of pride.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first started “Poppy and Cha Cha,” this business did not have an Instagram account, and I knew that that needed to change. So even though I started the business in February 2020, I did not start the Instagram account until April 2020. I remember when I was first making posts I would think “Who am I talking to?,” because I legitimately had about 20 followers, which consisted of my family and close friends. But I kept making the posts and just operated as if I had thousands of followers. I then found a clothing reseller “grow your instagram” type campaign, and I decided to give it a try. It was the best thing that I could have down for our IG. I connected with other business owners, many who I am still in contact with today, and was taught how to grow my instagram through posts, stories, engagement, and (most importantly) consistency. (This program was run by @jesslikespizza, who I adore.) I don’t have a big account by any means, but I have over 5,000 followers and they all want to be there!
For anyone who is wanting to build an Instagram account from scratch, I would recommend posting content often, be active on your stories, show a bit of your personal life (people want to buy from REAL people), and interact with your audience as frequently as you can. But, also set some boundaries, because if you don’t, you can burn out.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

It doesn’t take much to support an artist, creative, or small business owner. Society just needs to make the conscious decision to do it. Instead of going to the mall, buy your next outfit from a small boutique. Instead of ripping a song for free, actually buy the album off of iTunes, knowing that a portion of that money is going to the artist that created the music that you like. Go to a live performance. Pick out a random play and just go see it. Art is BEAUTIFUL and you will feel more human after experiencing it for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: ChelseaCoyne.com and PoppyChaCha.com
• Instagram: @chelseamcoyne and @poppyandchacha

Image Credits
Dana Patrick