NOBLE ARTIST SERIES: CHELSEA FAITH

 Meet Nashville based, small batch ceramicist, Chelsea Faith known for her signature traditional tattoo-inspired hand-thrown ceramics, shares her personal artistic journey with us today on the blog:

We understand you fell in love with ceramics after taking a pottery class in 2018, how has your relationship with this medium grown over the years? Over the years my love for ceramics has grown. I was afraid at first that turning my art into a business would ruin the fun but it has done the opposite. I feel so lucky to be able to share my art with people around the world. Not only that but I have built amazing relationships with other ceramic and non- ceramic artists near and far in these last few years. I have had incredible opportunities like speaking to aspiring artist and teaching ceramic classes. I feel so lucky and delighted that this is what I get to do with my life.

Do you have a creative routine or flow while gearing up for a day working in your studio? My days have changed drastically since my son started school. Its been an amazing adjustment for me since it gives me more structure. I always start my day with a walk to Elegy, my favorite coffee shop that’s next door. Since I’m in there almost daily, I have built relationships with the staff and love to have a little chat with them before I go to my studio to work alone all day. Ha! Once I get in my studio, I turn on music or a tv show, light incense, change my clothes and get to work. Those few small moments make such an impact on my day and mood.

With you throwing / hand building these pieces and your partner A.J. tying in his traditional tattoo hand-painted style— what have you learned during this experience of owning and running a creatively fueled business with your partner all while raising your son? Phew, I/we have learned so much! Mostly, that you can’t do it all. In the beginning it started with us both being very hands on and creating everything together. We quickly realized that it was exhausting but mostly exhausting Aj since he’s also working full time as a tattoo artist. I have since learned how to do everything from beginning to end with my ceramics. By making that change we learned it was better for our relationship and that we needed some boundaries so we weren’t working all the time. More recently we stopped working when Feltons out of school and this has had such an impact on our family.

Tell us your favorite ways to unplug and be present with your family + friends in Nashville, TN? With my family, I try to plan activities we can do together at home. Usually that means baking with Felton, playing a video game together or doing something artsy - like coloring or drawing. We also love to walk around the Opryland hotel, since they have a wonderful arboretum or grab dinner at one of our many favorite small restaurants near us. We are frequent visitors at our favorite ice cream shop, Soft Serve Station. With my friends, I’m typically grabbing dinner with them at a new restaurant, checking out some live music or chilling at each others houses listening to music and chatting.  

I have this issue where I fall asleep whenever I try to read. While most of the podcasts I listen to are about true crime or self help, I can’t say they inspire me much. I find most of my inspiration when I take walks outdoors or when I am driving around looking at nature and architecture. The colors in nature are what inspires me most, even when seasons change to this gloomy season we are in. More recently, I have been inspired by my therapy sessions. We have been diving into EMDR and doing work that’s been really enlightening. Its made me more excited for the future and its helping me gain a new appreciation for the work I’m doing in my studio.

FOLLOW ALONG WITH CHELSEA HERE: WEBSITE & INSTAGRAM