Meet Chelsie Tamms

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsie Tamms. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chelsie, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

For many creatives, imposter syndrome is inevitable. For me, it’s less about completely overcoming it and more about learning how to live with it. There are many helpful ways I’ve found to combat imposter syndrome. My favorite way is to always have a passion project to work on where I can use my skills thoughtfully and grow as a creative. These projects often have ties to personal interests or causes and lead to meaningful work.

I also find it helpful to remind myself that creativity and being an artist is very different from being a business owner. I continuously work to develop my skills in both areas and remind myself that there are artists far more talented than me making both way more money and less money than me and also that there are artists that are less talented than me making both way more and less money than me. I find this reassuring because the more we compare ourselves to others, the more likely our imposter syndrome may creep in and derail the creative process and our joy in art-making.

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

At Lettering Works, I focus on creating custom designs and hand lettering that help individuals and brands tell their unique stories. My work is rooted in authenticity and creativity, whether it’s crafting a logo, designing merchandise, or creating personalized artwork. What excites me most is empowering my clients to feel confident in themselves and their work as a result of me providing meaningful and impactful visuals.

What sets Lettering Works apart is the combination of analog and digital artistry. I am also an advocate for creating your own path as an artist and small business owner. I am a believer that our businesses should fit around our chosen lifestyles and meet our needs to ensure we can produce the our best work.

Lately, I’ve been exploring new ways to translate some of my favorite original designs into larger, tangible forms. This includes producing LED neon signs and layered wooden signs of my artwork. I am always adding to my growing collection of original artwork and looking for new mission-driven organizations to work with.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three skills that have been most useful in my artistic and entrepreneurial journey have been resilience, creativity, and my ability to adapt and learn.

Resilience: Entrepreneurship is never a straightforward path. I prioritize celebrating small wins and breaking large goals into manageable tasks. Working to manage my time effectively has helped to keep me resilient the many of the challenges that entrepreneurship has brought.

Creativity: This goes beyond design—I am committed to finding unique solutions and thinking outside of the box in all areas of my life and business. The key to creativity for me is allowing for curiosity and making time for play and exploration.

Ability to Adapt and Learn: I consider myself a lifelong learner and that enables me to continuously improve, making me better equipped for whatever comes next. Some of the areas I’ve dedicated the most time to learning in business are time management, negotiation, and mindset.

My best piece of advice for anyone starting out is to take small, consistent steps. Do what it takes to find happiness in your current situation while also taking time to improve a little each day. Priorities are ever-evolving, but taking care of yourself should remain at the center.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for small businesses, artists and creatives, and larger organizations to work with in a variety of ways from community-centric projects to custom merchandise to custom logos and branding to campaign design.

Small Businesses: If you are in need of a logo or custom brand development, I would love to help translate your passion and skills into visuals that can well-represent your work.

Artists and Creatives: If you are in need of support to grow your business or better understand the foundations of business, I would love help inspire you to enjoy the business side of your business.

Larger organizations: If you are a non-profit or corporate entity, I would love to design custom merchandise and campaigns with you to bring a human touch to your important message in a way that connects more deeply with your target audience. I especially love working with advocacy organizations in the kidney disease and mental health spaces.

I offer an Artist Trade Program, which helps to make my services and offerings more accessible to artists and creatives by allowing them to leverage their own artwork and services as payment for support in growing their business and brand.

I believe that my creative work customizing brands can help elevate confidence and empower the creative community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://letteringworks.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/letteringworks
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/letteringworks
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/chelsietamms

Image Credits

Cenìnye
Kara Hoganson
Chelsie Tamms