We recently had the chance to connect with Chellis Baird and have shared our conversation below.
Chellis, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
For me, it’s dancing. I take ballet regularly for pleasure and exercise, but I also love a spontaneous night out moving to music. The act of physical movement feels essential in today’s digital age as it reconnects me to my body, breath, and sense of freedom.
The artist Louise Nevelson once said, “Dance made me realize that air is a solid through which I pass, not a void in which I exist.” I’ve always loved that sentiment. Like Nevelson, I use dance to inform how I think about composition and space. Movement reveals balance, rhythm, and tension which are all qualities that contribute to my artistic process. In motion, I find both grounding and release; it’s where I lose track of time and ultimately find myself again.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Chellis Baird, a New York based artist whose practice explores the intersection of painting, sculpture, and textile. My work examines how daily actions and gestures like tying, weaving, or scrolling shape the social fabric of our time. Drawing from my family lineage of quilters, seamstresses, and painters, I transform traditional materials into tactile, dimensional compositions that blur boundaries between mediums. Currently, I’m developing new work that continues this exploration of motion, texture, and color inviting viewers to experience painting as something you can feel, not just see. I’m also working toward several museum exhibitions in 2026 and 2027, which will expand on these themes in new and immersive ways.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
My grandmother taught me the most about work. She was a painter and seamstress, and from her I learned that creativity and discipline go hand in hand. She worked with her hands every day with sewing, painting, mending and treated each task with care and pride. That sense of daily dedication continues to guide my studio practice. Being an avid dancer since the age of five also shaped my understanding of work ethic and time management. Dance taught me consistency, patience, and the value of showing up which are lessons that echo in the rhythm and structure of my creative process.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
Failure has taught me to see flexibility as a form of strength. Early in my career, I believed success meant following a clear, linear path of finishing one piece, one show, one milestone after another. But after a few projects that didn’t go as planned, I realized that experimentation and uncertainty are where the most growth happens. I’ve learned to let go of perfection and embrace process. I’m naturally hard on myself, and learning to give myself grace and space is an ongoing challenge but it’s also an ever-evolving part of my practice. In both art and life, what feels like failure often becomes a turning point, a chance to rebuild with more clarity, confidence, and curiosity.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
One truth that guides me is that consistency creates freedom by showing up in the studio, in class, in life, builds the foundation for creativity. I also believe that everything is connected: movement, memory, and material inform each other in ways that can’t always be explained, only felt. Beauty, too, has power not superficially, but as a form of connection and resilience. Much of my work comes from researching process and the history of materials, exploring how I can best use my natural tools and strengths to expand these forms. It’s in that exploration that the originality of my work emerges. These truths are rarely spoken, but they’re central to how I make and live.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I deeply understand that the work is never truly finished and that every piece is part of a larger whole, constantly evolving. Most people focus on results, but I see beyond that, recognizing how each gesture, material, or mark contributes to a broader, ongoing dialogue. Growing up in a family of quilters, seamstresses, and painters, I learned early on that creativity is a lineage and a conversation across time and hands. Being an avid dancer since age five has also taught me rhythm, patience, and the importance of showing up consistently. These experiences shape how I approach both my art and life, where process, connection, and evolution are as meaningful as any final result.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chellisbaird.com
- Instagram: @chellisbaird
- Linkedin: Chellis Baird
- Facebook: Chellis Stoddard Baird
- Youtube: @chellisbaird7843
Image Credits
Parker Calvert photographer
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