We were lucky to catch up with Chelsea-Mari Swain recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chelsea-Mari thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I have been misunderstood for most of my life, but I have also had my work misunderstood as well. I believe that it is to be expected when you’re an artist. I feel as if you have to welcome that because art is subjective. The more people don’t understand something the more they attempt to figure it out, it becomes captivating. Captivation is the goal: understood or misunderstood, I still made you look.

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 am many things, it’s my tagline. But to get down to it I am a model and artist…..now what falls underneath that umbrella is A LOT. I started off on my creative journey as a digital artist and graphic designer. Before the pandemic I was asked to model, secretly I always wanted to model, but never had the courage to do so due to my height. I began to do more shoots and it just felt like it was right for me. Once the pandemic hit, things halted. Like everyone else, I was forced to address all of the unhealthy things I had in my life. My 9-5 was at the top of the list, so I had to change that. Thankfully the lockdown allowed me to explore my passions and other creative outlets that I have always enjoyed. I branched off to sell my coffee watercolors, launch my brand design sector, and began to develop my creative direction skills.

The best part about my craft is probably the reactions from my clients after they see the end result. So often my clients will feel like they may not be creative enough to explain or execute their vision, but that’s not true. WE ALL ARE CREATIVE. WE CREATE EVERYDAY. We creative experiences, vibrations, life, etc… It’s just my job, my actual pleasure to help others unleash their creativity.

I want my potential clients/connections/followers to know that I lead with love in everything I do. I move and operate in light and the light in me recognizes the light in others. As long as we all dance to that tune and create community, there is nothing we can’t do!

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

My ultimate pivot started with my life then everything else aligned. I was miserable for a long time and that caused me to stumble into bad situation after bad situation: my previous marriage, my toxic job, my unhinged shopping addiction, etc… One night I had a vivid and disturbing dream of my repeating the same day over and over, like “Groundhog Day.” In the dream when I would wake up I would look in the mirror and watch as my face grew older. I finally woke up in tears and realized that I had to redirect my focus in order to live. I left my abusive marriage, quit my 9-5, and got into hypnotherapy. I went from surviving to thriving. I held the vision of my highest self and showed up as her. Now life isn’t all high notes, but I rest in finding peace and joy in every aspect of life. It’s a challenge at times but I’m not dependent on circumstantial happiness. I am free and I am flowing.

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.

I get a lot of dormant creatives (non-creatives) asking me about my ‘niche’ or suggesting that I choose one ‘niche’ and focus on that – I don’t want to and I won’t. If I have been so blessed with many talents, why would I focus on one and not nurture the others? Would you not care for your entire body instead of only one part? That’s how I feel about my creativity. Now I’m not going around manically half-creating shit, but I am vibrantly expressing myself in all the ways I can. I am many things and I will do many things.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.heychelseamari.com
• Instagram: @heychelseamari, @heycmstudio, @hey.cm
• Other: TikTok: @heychelseamari

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Darrin Baldridge & ELV8 Collective