We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chloe Hamilton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chloe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been pursuing art since a very young age (thank you, Mom and Dad). I grew up dancing and performing, from being in a studio learning my foundations in dance to performing on stage in shows and musicals. I had a very active childhood participating in soccer, softball, and cheerleading, but at the end of the day, I always chose dance. Once I hit high school, I just knew I would always be an artist. This is like trying to explain a guttural feeling that you can’t really explain – I just knew. I went to a high school with a visual and performing arts academy – Larkin High School in Elgin, IL. We attended school like any other high school student, but the last two periods of the day were for your art. I was a part of the dance academy, so most of my days looked like this: Wake up, school, dance academy, dance team after school, then studio dance at night. I think the guttural feeling came from the awareness that all of my time was being dedicated to this art and I was not going to stop if it were up to me. I still dance to this day – I’m on a professional hip-hop company in Chicago called BoomCrack! and I still take open classes and do dance gigs where I can. Most of my professional work, though, is with photography. These paths intersected in college when I decided dance as a college major was not my reality. I picked up a camera, received some guidance, and started working with people in the dance community. Once I realized that these two forms could co-exist, I was sold. I knew this would be something I would embody for the foreseeable future.

Chloe, 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?

My journey with photography has been self-made. I took a few photography courses in high school but mostly caught my inspiration to pick up a camera from my mom. She always had a camera in her hand while I was growing up, and innately that had a big effect on my artistic soul. I started at Columbia College Chicago and quite frankly, I hated art school. While I knew the basics were necessary, I was eager and felt held back. Grades on my art did not make sense to my 18-year-old brain. I did end up leaving art school and attended Loyola University Chicago for Anthropology, but all through college I was active in Chicago’s contemporary dance community. One day, I asked a director of a company if I could take photos during a rehearsal. One thing led to the next and I started photographing the art form that was truly my first love – dance. Photographer and dancer Cheryl Mann took me under her wing early on in my career and guided me in learning basic Lightroom and Photoshop editing. She brought me on a couple of shoots where I learned how to use strobe lighting. Most of the time, I was observing, taking mental notes, and applying them to myself when it came time. I’ve always been a sharp-eyed fly on the wall. It has been a fun journey since then. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many dance companies in Chicago and incredible independent artists around the country.

I mostly do independent shoots with dancers/models/humans and can be hired for any sort of studio/creative shoot. I have a large background in photographing live performances and capturing candid moments of any event. I love working with a team of people but am also driven to work solo and focus on the people I’m photographing. I’ve been told I create a safe and welcoming space during photoshoots. This is an active choice, being a queer woman, in the art world. With my background in dance, there’s nothing like creating and upholding a sacred space while creating art. It allows for the boundaries to be pushed past the original intent. When thinking about this, I feel the proudest of my work. Pushing boundaries is a phrase I’ve heard my whole life, coming from a teacher in a dance class or a rehearsal. But with my photographic work and being my own boss, I have to find that within myself. The day I let go of whatever photographic identity I thought I had to have, what work I thought I had to be producing, is the day everything changed. Women never give themselves enough credit, but it feels so good to say, I did that.

My work these days are known to have an interesting and wild editing style – bold colors, morphed shapes, and textures all inspired and focused on the human body. I’m working towards establishing myself in more of a gallery setting. I aspire to see my work framed and hung on a wall, viewed off of a screen. Selling prints is something I’ve always thought to do, but I’m reaching a point in my artistic identity where I feel my work can be viewed as one of a kind. This has been a turning point for my efforts in navigating the fine art world. I’m still new, but ultimately just want to see my work displayed large, and living somewhere it’s loved. That’s the dream.

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

I think the way art thrives the most is through community and connection. Artists can create, but without people viewing said work, the exchange of goods, ideas, and feelings, is one-sided. Art is meant to be viewed, invoke feelings, and spark conversation. Granted social media does extend this to a realm beyond our local, but I think we sometimes forget our in-person community is right next door. The best way to help a creative ecosystem is by showing up to gallery openings, live performances, street fairs, and local vendors. The next step would be to purchase any and all work you can afford (and want to buy). There’s nothing like the sweet warmth of knowing someone is walking away with a physical piece of your artistry. Plus, in-person connection over art is so special. Social media is amazing in the way we can support artists from across the country and even the world if we’d like. There’s definitely a creative cyber ecosystem that exists and is thriving in art circulation and innovation of new materials. But I’ve never been a huge social media person. I think screens should be used as a resource to help connect with people, promote events, and even sell work, but shouldn’t be a defining characteristic of your worth. It’s a double-edged sword trying to get traction on Instagram without getting engulfed entirely. While the two can co-exist, I always strive for in-person and local support – community is key.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Trying to narrow this down is difficult, but my self-expression forming my reality is huge. It’s the way that I am myself in everything that I do. I’m my own boss and I have free reign when it comes to creating. It’s gritty and difficult at times, but that is also beautiful to me. Since I was a young kid, I’ve always been the most independent being, and I’m still seeing that through to this day. I knew art would be in my life for a long time – it is simply who I am. But I know young Chloe would be astonished that she gets to make a living off her art and operate within such a rich community of artists. That makes me proud of the work that I’ve put in, and appreciative of the support I’ve received. I take a lot of pride and deep care for the people around me. I’m in a constant state of gratitude for those who see view my work and remind me of my worth. With self-expression also comes doubt, which is inevitable sometimes. The journey hasn’t always been the clearest – I’ve found myself riding the wave a lot of days. I’m big on working hard and resting harder because life is playful and so is art. But that feeling when the path does clear is truly unlike anything else. You just gotta stay true to yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chloehphoto.com
• Instagram: @chloealexisham