Story & Lesson Highlights with Charlese Annette Phillips of Delaware

We recently had the chance to connect with Charlese Annette Phillips and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlese Annette, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
One thing outside of work that is bringing me joy lately has been taking the time to read more books. It has allowed me to slow down, explore new concepts and gain broader insights on life and myself as well.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Charlese Annette Phillips. I am a Delaware based artist whose work is focused around color, texture and identity. I explore my creativity through many artistic mediums including fiber, painting, photography and more, utilizing formal training and self-taught skills. In constructing each work, I hope to connect with and inspire viewers. As a Maryland native, I graduated from Salisbury University with a BA in Fine Arts, focusing in ceramics. And received a M.Ed degree from Wilmington University. She is also a recipient of a 2023 Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
A part of me that served its purpose and now must be released is my fear of being seen. I used to shrink myself a lot, afraid that if others saw me, they’d see all of my imperfections and judge me for them. Or that if I was too visible to the world, more people would be able to hurt me or cause me to doubt myself and my dreams. It made me a pretty private person but also scared. Over the past few years I have worked on healing much of my childhood trauma, found tools to build my confidence and redefined my sense of self to step more boldly toward my goals.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me to make something out of nothing. That even when I feel there is little around me, there is always a way forward. There have been many times that I thought I wouldn’t make it out of a challenging situation or I couldn’t see the part of my life where it got better. Those were tough times, but continuing to push forward, to make something out of nothing over and over again taught me that if I look hard enough I can find a way out. And even with that, I do still believe that suffering and success are connected in a deeper way for we may typically feel that the period before success arrives is a stage of suffering. But I believe without some amount of suffering, we would not be able to recognize true success.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts by whether or not others have to know about it or see it for me to feel it’s valid. I believe a true foundational shift is something that becomes built into your character and whether others see it or know about it or not, it is part of how to operate and navigate the world. That the change is something you choose to do and maintain for you and not just because other people are or you only continue it as long as they do.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I feel one thing I understand deeply that most may not is that, we don’t get to decide the weight things hold in the lives of others. Meaning that, we can’t decide how important something should be to someone else, only they can. This is also in situations where we may feel someone should care more about something. We can’t decide that for them. We can only be concerned deeply for how we show up and the impression we leave, but also, to not try and overcompensate or “fix” the areas where we feel those around us are not excelling as we believe they should.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
(Artist personal photo).
@photographybychelseamemmolo

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