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

Hellie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Anything done in life will always have the positive and negative sides to it. A creative full-time career is something I’d always dreamed of since I was little. Being able to turn those dreams into a reality, I wholeheartedly believed that I would never have a bad day, as long as I woke up every day doing something that I enjoyed. ” I’d rather be poor doing something I love, than be rich doing something I hate.” is a quote I have always heavily referenced when it comes to working. When I first started Hells Oddities, I was mainly making pieces that I enjoyed as a hobby with the mindset of “if they sell, that’s cool, if not, that’s cool too.” Once my business started to grow, things quickly changed from just being a hobby to being my sole income. This change is when the negative side of being an artist started to show its face. Nothing really prepared me for how bad the burnout or art block was going to be when my art is what pays my bills. There’s been days, sometimes even weeks that I’ve just felt so burnt out and have struggled with complete lack of motivation to work and create; social media has both hindered and helped with this issue. The constant pressure to stay up to date with trends, consistently create and post, and stay relevant in the online world can be incredibly overwhelming in times I’ve felt like I just needed a break. The times I have chosen to take that break, it felt as if the apps have punished me for my inactivity and my posts were only being shown to a fraction of the people they were to begin with. As someone who relies so heavily on these apps to promote myself and share my work so that I can afford to live, it can be incredibly frustrating and even discouraging.
The very same online world that makes me feel so pressured and discouraged, is also the only place I’ve found to help me out of those dark times of feeling burnt out. Being constantly surrounded online by other creatives in different hobbies and lines of work really pushes me to step outside of my comfort zone or “norm” to try new things. When I start to feel unmotivated it has really helped me to dive into another creative hobby and taking inspiration from others as a break, where I’m able to still post about it, and share my interests without completely disappearing. Although that is only a temporary resolution and even then, isn’t always dependable. I think learning to adapt and being resilient is just something that is necessary when being a creative and working for yourself, because I don’t think there will ever be a full resolution to those issues. When simplifying it all the way down, the root of all the stress, pressure and anxiety is money and just trying to afford to live outside of the box in a world that wants to see you fail.

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?

Hells Oddities is a one person ran business. I specialize in artwork and jewelry with bones and other animal remains, hence the title ‘Artist of Death.’ The most important thing to me is ethical sourcing and being able to essentially give the animals “another life” or as I sometimes say, I “bring the dead back to life though my work.” Everything is done with the upmost respect to the animal and the life that once resided within the body and remains. I started my business back in November 2020 when I had just turned 18 a few months prior. I will be turning 20 this July, and never would have expected to have had reached so many milestones so quickly and it feels like this is still only the beginning of what’s to come.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve always known I wanted to live a creative life. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved drawing, writing, painting and just creating. Growing up I didn’t have a lot of support when it came to my aspirations. My ideas would always be shot down or I’d hear the “being an artist isn’t a real job” line. Having these ideas ingrained into me from such a young age, in a way really motivated me to work harder. My main mission/goal that drives me, is me. I wanted so badly to prove to myself and everyone who was in my life that I was capable and that they were wrong. I think I’ve finally just reached that point, but I don’t think I will ever fully be satisfied or content with where I am in life and my creative journey. I’m always going to want more and try harder to continue to grow artistically and provide myself with the life I’d always dreamed of.

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

I am only 19 coming up on 20, but in the short amount of time I have spent on this earth, I feel that there were so many odds against me to fail. I grew up in an abusive household, by the time I was 15 I had dabbled in just about every substance, from ages 13 to 17 I was in and out of juvie and other long term “problem teen” programs, I was on probation until my 18th birthday, from 14-18 I was in an abusive relationship with someone way older than myself, and I dropped out of high school. I truly didn’t have anything going for me, at least that’s what it had felt like. Once I was finally free from the state, I worked a few different fast-food jobs, but could never keep a steady one because I’d always end up quitting. November of 2020 was genuinely a life changing month for me. Earlier in the year, January 2020 my stepdad had passed away. He had left behind a few framed skull projects he never got around to finishing, which are the pieces I ended up completing in his absence in November which was the very beginning of Hells Oddities. I had posted them to my very small art account at the time and the support and interest on those pieces is truly what changed my life in the best way possible and I have everyone who’s supported me along the way to thank for that. Less than 2 years later I have my own place, my work is my full-time job, I’m surrounded by other amazing creative people on a daily basis, and I am sober.

Contact Info:

• Website: HellsOddities.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/HellsOddities
• Twitter: Twitter.com/Hellsoddities
• Other: Tiktok.com/HellieHorror Tiktok.com/HellsOddities

Image Credits
AllHallowsProductions for personal photo only