Meet Chelsea Pierce

We recently connected with Chelsea Pierce and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsea, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I remember the first time someone told me I was resilient. It was after both my brother and father passed away on the same day, under different circumstances. During a tough therapy session, my therapist handed me a tissue and said, “You are very resilient.” At that time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant, but I realized that the same fire and determination within me that got me up every day on the darkest of days, also allowed me to believe I could accomplish anything I set my mind to,

In my early years, I was placed in various foster homes, and after being adopted at the age of four, I discovered a love for baby dolls and enjoyed coloring and drawing people from magazines. These activities used to soothe me as a child, and now, at 41, I still find comfort in them. I am very proud that I was able to translate both my passions into a career.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My lifelong passion for infants and artistry began in my early years. I could never have imagined that my creative journey would lead me to the complex work of painting dolls to resemble real babies. 
Having been placed in and out of foster care, I lacked toys that felt genuinely personal. It was only after my adoption at the age of four that I received my first baby doll from a family friend, Cindy; this gift became my most cherished possession. She was an EGEE vinyl baby doll with a cloth body, and this doll went everywhere with me. I remember drawing veins on her legs with markers, even then I wanted to make my doll more realistic. 

While art has always captivated me, I initially struggled academically—I earned a C in my first-semester college art class. I also struggled with following directions and was advised by a teaching assistant that I lacked the eye necessary to be taken seriously as an artist.
After graduating in 2006, I found myself in various jobs that did not fulfill me, realizing that working for others was not what I wanted. The loss of both my brother and father on the same day in 2008 profoundly impacted my perspective on life. This tragedy inspired me to commit firmly: I would embrace living fully and authentically regardless of where life’s path took me.
Since becoming a mother in 2009, I have been motivated to seek opportunities that would allow me to balance time with my child while generating income. My introduction to reborn dolls came in 2015; these dolls are initially sculpted from clay and subsequently produced as vinyl kits for artists specializing in their painting. The realism of the finished product largely depends on the artist’s skill level. My longstanding fascination with hyper-realism led me to take the decisive step of creating my first doll in 2018.
From that point onward, I became deeply engaged in the reborn doll community. Before this realization, I was unaware that one could actively learn and refine one’s artistic skills; I had always assumed such talent was inherent. The level of craftsmanship evident in my dolls today directly results from six years of dedicated practice. My artistry distinguishes itself from other reborn artists due to my focus on creating dolls with birthmarks and perceived “imperfections.” These unique characteristics contribute to the individuality and beauty that is in everyone.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities that helped me the most in my artistic journey were being willing to be really bad at something, making lots of mistakes and learning from them, and asking questions.
When I first started in 2018, I certainly made a lot of scary dolls. The thing is, you have to create terrible art to get better art. Keep at it, and try not to compare your chapter one to someone’s Chapter 900. We all started somewhere.
I would tell someone who is starting to make many mistakes and learn from everyone offering a tutorial or a technique. I am still learning daily in my craft, especially if another artist inspires me; I might even reach out to them and tell them how much I love their dolls. Many artists will happily tell you what they did if you ask.
Be Teachable and patient, and keep practicing.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I love this question! I would love my birthmark babies to get into the hands of kids or adults who want one, especially any kiddo who doesn’t feel seen. I also specialize in scars and other perceived imperfections.
I like to create dolls that allow everyone to feel special.
Please contact me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear your story and see what we can create together!

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