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

Chloe, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I think one of the biggest risks I’ve taken in my creative career was deciding to take that path in the first place. Growing up, it was “weird” to be different or do something that wasn’t within the norm. If you weren’t working a 9-5 in a dreary office, what were you doing? That sort of job provided security. You certainly can’t make a living off of something that isn’t a “traditional” career.

Taking risks was not safe. You had to look a certain way, act a certain way, be a certain way…otherwise, your future was doomed. I remember thinking how miserable that sounded. Was I really supposed to do something I hated for the rest of my life? Was I really supposed to look a certain way because that’s what everyone ELSE wanted? What about what I want? How I want to look? What I want to do?

My journey with chronic illness (ulcerative colitis and a colostomy bag, which I talked about more in depth in my last interview) definitely helped me to become more confident within myself, within my body, and within my overall life decisions. It taught me that life is short, and tomorrow is never promised. Having moments where you think you are going to die (to put it bluntly) really opens your eyes—why on earth would I want to stick to what society deems “normal” when I have the opportunity to do something I really, truly love?

The whole “being a creative isn’t a real job” narrative is silly. Being creative is as rewarding as it is successful—sure, it’s more of a risk, and not always do you get an immediate reward, but once you’ve established yourself enough and really put in the work, the possibilities are endless. This is certainly something you can do to provide for yourself for the rest of your life.

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

From a young age, I’ve known that I wanted to contribute to the creative community in some way. Art, music, and self expression are some of the things that were (and still are) important to me growing up. You can communicate so effectively through art.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at age thirteen, and given a colostomy bag at age sixteen.
That disease robbed me of my teenage years and nearly put a complete stop to my dreams and everything I stood for. For years after, I struggled immensely with body image issues and my self esteem. Life wasn’t fair. I was doomed to face my reality—stuck in a body I didn’t want to be in and operating on autopilot in a life that was taken from me.

Living with a chronic illness and a colostomy bag soon became second nature to me, despite those feelings I was having. I started meeting other folks who had similar lifestyles, and learning more about who I was outside of my disease.
Slowly, I began gaining back my confidence. I knew that I had to take my life back. That was no way for me to live—there was a purpose to all of this. That only fueled my creative fire—I had to educate. I had to be a voice for those who could not yet speak. I had to turn something that I once thought was hideous into something beautiful.

Bringing awareness to and “normalizing” things brought back a sense of normalcy for me. Getting creative with my ostomy (decorating it, using fun bag covers, incorporating it into outfits) was an engaging way for me to not only educate an audience, but to help bring back the confidence I once had. I was using my own body as a medium for art and creativity.
I am also a firm believer in bodily autonomy, which leads into my career as a body piercer. I love helping people feel good about themselves, and being able to provide someone with such an intimate and special service is very important to me.

What I think sets me apart from others is my ability to adapt and understand on a very intense emotional level. I was dealt a pretty bad hand in my early years, but I have used that experience to help shape me into who I am today. I feel as though my experience made me more confident, more willing to listen and learn, and to be more appreciative of my creative side. Without that creativity and drive, I believe I would still be stuck in autopilot mode. I wouldn’t be able to provide folks with my services had it not been for my disease.

I’m most proud of my resilience. You have to be able to withstand and overcome many obstacles. My career as a body piercer and role as a voice for folks with IBD would not exist today had I not battled through those dark times in my life.

The main take away that I’d like folks to leave with is that I’d like to be able to provide you with a service that will make you feel good—that will help you explore your own bodily autonomy and aid in your own self confidence. I’m here with you, not against you. I’m here to be a voice, a friend, a shoulder to cry on…my goal is to build you up. I want you to walk away from our appointment together feeling confident.

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

I think a great example of my own resilience was finally just not giving a f*** about what anybody had to think or say about me. A hard pill for me to swallow as a people pleaser was realizing that not everybody is going to like you, and you can’t make everybody happy. The minute that switch flipped in my brain, I feel as though I became unstoppable.

The way I look at it is this: do I really want to spend my time trying to earn the respect of folks who wouldn’t support me or share my work? Is it worth it to try and mold myself into something unrecognizable, just for the sake of others? The answer is NO! Why? Because I am surrounded by a community of folks (family and friends included) who will support and love me for who I really am, no matter what I look like or what career path I choose to persue.

I spent so much time stuck in my own head, worried about what other people would think or say about me because of my ostomy and because of my disease. I remember thinking I’d never find love, I’d never be able to wear, act, or be a certain way because of my medical conditions. I have continued to prove myself wrong in all of those assumptions and worries. The piercing community is so welcoming and accepting, I don’t have to hide who I am at work or in front of my clients.

I can educate folks on social media with my stories and my art without the worry of judgement or scrutiny, because most of the audience I have built and created are willing to listen, to learn, and to provide support. I truly believe I was able to achieve this because I stopped focusing on other people and started focusing on myself. Sometimes, it’s okay to be selfish.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is helping others. Through piercing, I am able to provide folks with a safe, sterile, and educational environment, and have them leave our studio feeling great. Not only that, teaching my clients about the importance of consent and bodily autonomy is SO rewarding.

I can only hope my clients understand that their bodies are a safe, sacred space…I want each and every person I come across to feel confident in themselves. Providing folks with safe piercings is my priority, but so is making sure my clients feel safe, comfortable, and secure.

Through my art, stories, and experiences I share on social media about my illness, I hope to provide the public with education and understanding. I think being able to have someone who isn’t scared to share those intimate parts of their life is so important—you never know who might really need to see that.

Some folks struggling with the same ailments as myself might not have the confidence to speak about it publicly, or even ask questions, and that’s okay. That’s why I believe it’s important to be that person that shares those things. I don’t want folks to feel alone, and I definitely don’t want someone to ever feel the way I did in the beginning.

Contact Info:

• Website: chloe-ray.com
• Instagram: fvtherchloe
• Facebook: Chloe Ray

Image Credits
Chloe Ray (myself) Brooklyn Caldwell Matthew Borsa