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

Alright, Chelsea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

On my right arm I bear a tattoo that says, “Risk Everything, Lose Nothing”. It was my very first tattoo. Ultimately I didn’t realize at the time that this would also set the tone for how I lived the rest of my life. Everyday I wake up, it’s a constant reminder to take a risk and bet on myself no matter what my circumstances are. I was always creative, I always felt like I had so much waiting for me in this world. But I was also very quiet, very traumatized from things I’ve witnessed growing up and in the world around me. I became very enclosed in myself, I didn’t know how to go after what I wanted simply due to being comfortable in familiarity. Because of this I was almost always depressed and super unhappy. I wasn’t letting my creativity flow, I wasn’t being my true self. I accepted the identity that the world created for me even if I never felt like it was truly me.
I guess one day I just couldn’t do it anymore. Fast forward to 2020, the year that changed us all haha. I had a very rough year that year; earth shattering to say the least. I remembered the tattoo on my arm that I had gotten when I was 18. I realized that I was living in a lie if I wasn’t abiding by the code I created for myself. So I chose MYSELF. I took a risk on MYSELF. I dove deep into my creativity. Painting, creating YouTube and TikTok content, writing poetry; these are all things that I never expected to get me where I am today. Enlightened and born again. So when you ask what risk I’ve taken, hell everyday I take a risk by bettering and betting on myself. That in and of itself makes you powerful.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

At the moment I’ve actually taken a break on painting and I’m letting my creativity flow in other areas of my life. Some of which I have yet to disclose to even some of my closest peers. But I’ll definitely be opening up about that soon. Lately I’ve just been creating content on social media for kicks and giggles. However, painting is my background as to how I even started creating content in the first place. I’ve been into art since I was a kid but essentially started painting in 2018 and then BOOM! Buku Inks was created. It was completely unexpected but I found that I was actually pretty good at it. So I stuck with it for a while. I started out as painting things that I liked, I would later Segway into doing commissions but found that that was unfulfilling. So I just went back to painting whatever I liked. It’s more freeing for me that way. Lately I’ve been focusing on abstract paintings that relate to the spiritual path that I have taken. These are actually my most proud pieces as they are literally connected to pivotal moments in my life within these last few months. With every piece, I leave it up to the viewer/buyer to create their own meaning to it. That’s the beauty of art. There is no right or wrong way to this.
For each customer that comes my way the only thing I ask of them is to keep an open mind. To understand and innerstand that none of this is linear. It’s all perspective at the end of the day, so I do my best to create that free space for the customer to interpret my art however best suits them in that moment.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That I don’t have to keep up with the Joneses haha. When I first started out, I was looking at everybody as friendly competition honestly. Like just because they’re dishing out ten paintings a month doesn’t mean I have to ya know? So I take my sweet little time now. I paint what I want when I want. There’s so much freedom in that. And isn’t that the ultimate goal anyway, freedom to express ourselves in whatever way we see fit? I will always support other artist and creatives but I had to disconnect from social media for a while due to the fact that I really needed to shift my mental perception on my craft. It’s a lot to take in these days.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

None of this is easy. From the preparation stages to the execution to the final product. These are all things that we, the creators, have to sit and deal with on our own. So for people to think that all of this comes easy are mistaken. Just like life, it’s a creative process that is very delicate and requires time to unfold. So by the time you see the final product and it’s something you wish to purchase, expect that to be reflected in the price as well. Just some food for thought.

Contact Info:

• Website: Bukuinks.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bukuinks