We recently connected with Kelsey Schaffer and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

If you would have told me three or four years ago that I would be a small business owner and live painter, I would have thought you were nuts…

I was born and raised in Ohio, and my life was all about sports, with crafts and painting as a hobby. I wanted to go to art school as a kid, but the fear of being a “starving artist” set in right before high school graduation. So, I made a major detour and went to college for health care and graduated in 2016 with my bachelor of science in athletic training. I practiced sports medicine for five years, and rarely picked up my paint brush.

When planning our wedding back in 2019, I became infatuated with the early wedding trend of a live painter. My husband and I choose to have a destination beach wedding, and got goosebumps thinking of a painter perched on the dunes behind our ceremony. My parents gifted us the live painting, and it remains a highlight of our wedding and favorite keepsake. After we got married, friends and family encouraged me to try live wedding painting myself, but the thought of trying something new was too overwhelming.

Once 2020 rolled around, I was already unhappy with my career and had a sense of doubt that this was what I should be doing with my life. The COVID pandemic was basically like pouring gasoline on my mental fire. I felt lost and miserable, but my husband continued to encourage me to paint again. After finishing up a few paintings and restarting my passion for art that spring, I dedicated the summer to practice painting live for weddings and events. My small business, Art by Kelsey Rae, was born.

I continued my career as an athletic trainer in 2021 , while juggling live wedding painting on the weekends I had off from work. My art business quickly grew and I felt I had purpose and drive again. By the end of the year, my small business showed a lot more promise for me than athletic training did. At the start of 2022, I quit my healthcare job and became an artist full-time! That year, I painted at a total of 51 live events across the country ranging from weddings to baby showers, concerts, and corporate events.

I truly feel like my business grew the way it did because at the time of COVID, the workforce shifted from traditional, in-office jobs, to more small business, at-home makers. All the social gathering restrictions were being lifted, so wedding world started booming again and with even more excited. There were very few live painters in Ohio at the time, so we were in high demand. I worked very hard to spread the word about what live painting is and trying to get my name out there. It’s a constant challenge, but I like the competitiveness of growing a business. All my hard work has aligned with being in the right place at the right time.

It’s ironic that I detoured from this path 10 years ago after having fear of being a starving artist, because I truly couldn’t be happier. I went from dealing with people on their worst day, to celebrating with people on their best day. I get to be a stay at home dog mom during the week, and travel the country painting live on weekends, all while providing more for our family financially. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Kelsey, 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 have been painting my whole life, but started live wedding painting in 2020. I practiced speed painting outdoors and in front of people in public places, and had friends send me their wedding photos to paint from. Once I felt I had a grasp on the concept, I reached out to venues, photographers and planner to offer live painting at styled shoots. This helped push my name and service in the wedding industry.

Painting live is very different from the comfort and peace of a studio. It’s fast paced, your environment constantly changes, and there is always an unpredictable circumstance that’s out of your control. My background in healthcare prepared me for this. I’m used to being a single provider for hundreds of high school athletes, the game day performance, all eyes on me evaluating an injury in front of the whole stadium, and emergency preparedness is what separates me from others. It reflects in my calm and cool nature at weddings and producing a product under a time restraint and people watching. I love it, I live for it.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I am very lucky to have my husband as a partner in my small business. It would not have been as easy for me to grow my business if it weren’t for him, because I spend all my time and energy in painting and marketing. He has the tax and business background, so he manages the finances and dreaded tax returns. I have other art friends who are weighed down by the tax side of owning a business, so I am truly blessed to not have to worry about that myself.

I have another business partner; her name is Chloe Campbell. She is the creator and owner of Cloud Studio Agency, a team of live event artists who are located all over the country. The team is a tight-knit group of artists, where we can socialize, learn from one another, and support each artist through their live painting journey. I love being a part of the team.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is the lifeline for all small business owners and artists!! Almost all my exposure and clients come from social media. It’s a love-hate relationship though and sometimes the bane of my existence. I love how easy and fun it can be to make connections, but hate the algorithms and time it takes. Be persistent and provide fresh content. I do have to always remind myself though that the number of likes and followers I have does NOT dictate my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.cloudstudioagency.com/
• Instagram:@cloudstudioagency
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/NEWartbykelseyrae
• Other: TikTok: @artbykelseyrae @cloudstudioagency

Image Credits
Kelley Elyse Photography for my headshot