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

Chelsie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Since graduating from college, I have only ever worked for myself. I bypassed the typical 9-to-5 job and have been able to earn a sustainable, full-time living from my creative work since the beginning. That isn’t to say that it has been easy or that I made a lot of money from the start.

I was fortunate to have won $10,000 in startup funding from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois when I was a senior in college. I used this funding to establish my business, Lettering Works, and it gave me the flexibility to build my business the way I wanted.

Having a runway of funds allows you to be more selective about the work you take on and releases some of the pressure to make money right away.

I grew my business in Peoria for the first three years, which was helpful because Peoria has a low cost of living. While I didn’t make as much starting out, I was able to easily cover all of my expenses. From there, I was able to move to Chicago and scale my business to over six figures annually.

I think I could have sped up the process of earning more sooner by building out higher value offerings and finding clients who truly appreciate my work and differentiators. I have found success in trying to say yes to only the best projects and using any extra time (that I might otherwise be working on a project that isn’t the best fit) for personal projects that get me my next best opportunity.

Chelsie, 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?

Lettering Works has become more than a branding studio specializing in unique hand-lettering—but a resource for creatives to build a sustainable career around their art. As an artist myself, I deeply understand the creative process and know the value of having someone who understands your vision. That’s why I strive to create a true partnership with my clients— jumping from artist to strategist to business mentor to get you to where you need to go.

In addition to helping my clients elevate their brands, I’m also committed to using my platform to spread awareness on important causes. From destigmatizing mental health and chronic illness to spotlighting local heroes, art can be a powerful tool to create change. My Designs for a Cause initiative is full of passion projects surrounding causes that I’m close to, as well as collaborations with local non-profits.

I offer custom branding packages, wholesale products and merchandise, and courses for artists—all with the mission to bring more creativity into my community and beyond.

You can find my work at places like the Field Museum, Garfield Park Conservatory, O’Hare airport, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with organizations like the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois, Gift of Hope, and the Women’s Business Development Center.

I have scoliosis and had an 11.5 hour spinal fusion surgery from T2-T12 when I was 14 to correct my severe curve. I also have polycystic kidney disease.

Working for myself means I can more easily accommodate my health needs and focus on doing what I love most: customizing brands, elevating confidence, and empowering the creative community.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I moved to Chicago in June 2019, I set a goal to get my art products and souvenirs into museums and airports. This was because working with the Peoria Riverfront Museum and Peoria International Airport were highlights of my first three years in business and I wanted to replicate that success in a larger market.

The reality was that it took many years to achieve this seemingly straightforward goal. I spent five years pursuing all sorts of opportunities and avenues aligned with this goal, ultimately learning that some were for me and others were not.

While I am now proud to say that my products are in the Field Museum, Chicago History Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, and O’Hare Airport, I went through endless hours of researching, pitching, waiting, and following up to get to this point. There was so much hope along this journey, but it also required so much patience and enduring unwanted rejection.

Previous to this pursuit, I had never experienced so much red tape and pushback on my ideas and products. While it was hard to keep pushing forward, I stayed resilient to the unforeseen challenges and adapted to the changing requirements.

My journey into Chicago’s O’Hare airport included participation in multiple educational cohorts, involvement in an aviation organization, applying for certification as a minority-owned business from the City of Chicago, and attending countless meetings and events.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

When it comes down to it, I think society can best support creatives by ensuring they get compensated for their work. Compliments and appreciation for work are great, but they don’t ensure the sustainability and longevity of creative practices. As members of a thriving creative ecosystem, we need to put our money where our mouth is and also advocate that companies fairly compensate artists. If you want to live in a vibrant community, you must recognize that it comes at a cost and is worthy of your personal investment.

It is also essential to credit artists appropriately and approach new technologies, such as AI, that may threaten artists with thoughtfulness and high regard to ethical practices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://letteringworks.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/letteringworks
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/chelsietamms
• Other: behance.net/chelsietamms
  Free 5-Day Brand Challenge: https://letteringworks.myflodesk.com/brandchallenge
  Your Guide to Working with a Designer: https://letteringworks.myflodesk.com/workwithadesigner

Image Credits

Kara Hoganson, Chelsie Tamms