We recently connected with Chelz The Creative and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chelz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Being an artist/creative is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve had well over 10 jobs, simply because I could never find a place that fit me. I had the privilege of working in different types of fields which helped me become a more well rounded person, but I was never passionate about any of them. I always found myself working closely with some type of merchandising or design department even though it wasn’t my specific job.

During the pandemic, I was considered an essential employee so I was working almost triple what I was used to. I started creating more art as an outlet and decided to share it with my followers on Instagram. I was really surprised at how many people liked what I made and even more shocked that people wanted to pay me to create even more. My friends, family, and even strangers have been encouraging me from the very start to keep going and growing.

Every now and then when work is slow, I think about finding a regular job. However, whenever that happens, I ironically get a group of orders that keeps me busy for a long time. It’s always reminder to myself to never give up. I can focus more on creating the life I want instead of one I’ll have to settle for. While I’m not against joining the workforce again, I love the luxury of making my own schedule and working how I want. My goal is to work hard now so that I can reap the benefits later.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a self-taught visual artist specializing in graphic design, fiber arts, and mixed media. Though I’ve been a creative my entire life, I started establishing myself as an artist officially in 2013. I joined a sorority at Alabama State University and became a public relations coordinator for 4 years. During that time, I created signage and visuals for campus events, charity organizations, small businesses, local nightclubs, and more. By 2016, I had a decent sized client list and found myself traveling back and forth from Montgomery to Atlanta pretty often. At the end of that year, I took a leap of faith and moved back to Atlanta so I could be more accessible to my clients.

After moving back to Atlanta, I decided to focus more on my other creative skills outside of graphic design. When the pandemic hit, I found myself making artwork out of old supplies that I had. When I realized people liked my style of artwork, it was all that I needed to keep creating. Since then I’ve taught myself how to create handmade rugs and other types of mixed media works like sculptures, and decoupage.

Now that I’ve established myself more as an overall artist, I can focus more on messages that are important to me. I’m a Black female artist from an urban environment. So it’s really important to me that other creatives like me have a space to be who they want to be. As a kid, I didn’t know this world existed and I was never really given the resources to create an actual career out of art. I want to help other creative learn and grow in their artistry so that they, too, can create the life they want.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I’m still learning is that art is not about perfection. In the beginning of my journey, I would keep a lot of my creations to myself out of fear that people would like what I’ve made. It one of the main reasons it took me longer to establish myself as an artist. When I was in college, I took an introduction to aesthetics class that really helped me understand art and beauty from a philosophical point of view. I realized that my art is a good as I say it is. The true beauty of art is that it speaks to people in different ways. One piece of artwork could evoke so much emotion and thought, none of which are centered around perfection.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think one of best ways society could support creatives is by learning more about their world and bringing a piece of home with you. You don’t have to be a super fan or over-indulge, but you’d be surprised at what you could learn or who you could meet. Art has infinite range and exists everywhere in the world. I always tell people that there is at least one creative in this world that you’ll like. You just have to find them. Exploring art galleries and events is a huge part of the support that is needed. Most are free or very inexpensive and don’t require anything but your attendance. There are so many creatives in this world who really just need people to see their work. It’s seems so simple, but it could easily be life changing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bombchelzzz.com
• Instagram: @Bombchelzzz

Image Credits
Sir Carlton