We recently connected with Kelly Angelovic and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Working as an artist brings up all your sh*#.

The obstacles that get in our way as creatives (I’ve seen this time and again) are often the same opportunities for healing and growth that we face in our day-to-day lives.

For example (though I have done a lot of healing around this), I still wrestle with feelings of being not quite good enough. This was affecting every area of my life: as a mother, a wife, as a friend, in how I felt about my body, and of course, in my work as an artist. Recognizing with crystal clarity how this was holding me back in my business, was when I finally decided to face and work with this limiting belief.

So I spent some time focusing on becoming aware of when I was feeling ‘less than,’ and then posing the question to myself, “Is this true?”

Is it true that because I didn’t cook a healthy dinner for everyone tonight that I am not a good mom? Is it true that I am less worthy because I am not a size 2? Is it true that I am a talentless hack because my last social media post only garnered 20 likes? And on and on and on.

Spoiler: None of it is true. I picked this pattern up somewhere in my developing years and it’s been playing in my head like a cassette tape on repeat ever since.

This feeling of ‘not good enough’ still comes up, but now I’m ready. I acknowledge it–welcome it even: {Hello! So nice to see you again. Please come in. You can have the seat waaay back there in the corner.}

Next I add in a heaping dose of self-compassion and encouragement, the power of those feelings of ‘less than’ already weakening. I am still a messy human and this is a practice. It takes self-awareness, repetition, and consistency.

By showing up this way again and again though, I am no longer held hostage by an unconscious, reflexive pattern. On my better days, I have set myself free.

Kelly, 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?

I can’t draw.

Or at least that’s what I thought while I was growing up. It wasn’t until I first became a mom (at the tender age of 33) that I finally found my path.

I have always been creative. My mom was a graphic designer, so I grew up in a household where artistic endeavors were encouraged. Like I said though, I was under the misguided impression that I wasn’t any good at drawing or painting.

My daughter Hazel was a bundle of joy (and a firecracker from the get-go), and when she arrived she absolutely turned our world upside down. Needing a creative outlet as a new mom, I started drawing while she slept. In those short pockets of time, it was like a light switched on and I haven’t looked back.

Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects. I was commissioned to create a mural for Boulder when the pandemic first hit. I have designed a voting activity kit for kids. You can find my work on books, puzzles, planners, calendars, dishes, fabric, and many, many greeting cards.

Much of my work has been about amplifying and empowering the voices of women. We’ve made progress in this country toward gender equality, but we still have a long way to go. I want both my kids but especially my daughter, to know the strength of their own voices, of their power. I also want them to grow up understanding the importance of valuing all people, regardless of gender or skin color, or anything else that separates us from one another.

My business has grown and evolved with my kids–my daughter is now 11 and my son is 8. About 2 and a half years ago (right before the pandemic hit), feeling called to serve my creative community I started working with artists in a coaching capacity. This was equal parts terrifying and exciting when I started. Helping fellow creatives tap into their own authentic power is some of the most fulfilling work I do now, and I can’t imagine my business without it.

Realizing your dreams…It doesn’t ever go how you think it’s going to. If you keep an open mind though, if you don’t give up and you listen to the whispers of your heart, you’re in for the ride of your life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We’ve all been through good times and bad. When the pandemic hit, suddenly I had two kids at home and my clients had all but disappeared. My story isn’t unique and frankly many had it worse than we did, but in that moment everything changed.

Working as an artist is never the easy path, and I refuse to give up when things get hard.

This is an incredibly important lesson with almost any kind of creative work: it doesn’t happen overnight. Do you want to be a painter? A writer? An actor? It takes determination, perseverance and some hustle. A sprinkling of luck doesn’t hurt either ;)

Dream chasing while raising two amazing kiddos is also so much harder than I thought it would be–and I don’t think we talk about that enough in our culture. My mom owned her own graphic design studio in Denver for over 35 years. In my eyes, she pulled this duality off with such grace that I never questioned my ability to have my own business while also being a very involved mom.

I learned long ago that balance is a myth, that some weeks you are more mom, and some weeks you are more artist or entrepreneur. You are constantly pulled in at least 10 different directions–and that never really lets up, so you tend to what needs your attention the most in that moment. Working creatively serves my soul though, and I’m a better mom for it. I’m more patient. The world makes more sense.

If I show my kids that it’s possible to make my own dreams come true, maybe they’ll have the courage to do the same.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission has always been about women, encouraging them and amplifying their voices. For a few years, right around the time when Trump was elected and really as a result of that election, my work was very focused on women’s rights. I was doing more hand-lettering than anything at that point, and using my voice to speak out helped me process my emotions around putting such a blatant misogynist in office.

Since then, my work has evolved. I am painting more than I am working digitally for the first time, and my voice has…softened. It’s still in honor of women, but it’s more about putting something beautiful and interesting out into the world.

Creativity coaching has been an extension of that as well. My clients are overwhelmingly female–(though men are of course welcome!). I find immense joy in helping my clients realize their unique creative visions by stepping into (and claiming) their own authentic power. We are living in very challenging times. Rise and shine, sister. The world needs your light.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KellyAngelovic.com
• Instagram: @kellyangelovic