Conversations with the Inspiring Kellie Chambers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Chambers.

Kellie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been interested in art, but I didn’t see my potential with it until my junior and senior year of high school. I took all of the art classes my high school offered and created a portfolio that got me a full scholarship for an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design. A few years after graduating college, in 2014, my husband and I moved to Flagstaff, AZ from Alabama for his new job with W.L. Gore and I took a retail position at World Market. I had been working in retail for two and a half years prior to moving and spent another two years at World Market where I moved up in the company quickly. I was very good with the merchandising side of retail, but never really felt like it was fulfilling, and I had been making and selling artwork as a hobby for quite a while and I knew that’s where my heart was happy. In October of 2016, I put in my two weeks’ notice and focused all of my effort and time into my Etsy shop Thistle and Doe Company. I finally feel like this is what I was meant to do, creating things that bring joy into people’s lives.

What should we know about your business? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I like to create things that will make a person happy. I’ve never consciously wanted to create art that could cause discontent, sadness, or anger, I feel like there is enough of that already in the world. I have always been into more “nerdy” things (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Doctor Who, etc.) and I wanted a way to incorporate little bits of these beloved fandoms into home decor. I like decor that at first glance doesn’t scream “I’m from this certain fandom” I love creating something that is a bit more subtle and can almost fit in inconspicuously with any decor. Another huge inspiration in my life is Disney, more specifically Walt Disney World. I completed a Disney College Program internship at Walt Disney World in 2012 that changed my life. A few years later, I painted little oval wood plaques resembling the cast member (Disney employee) name tags and gave them as gifts to my roommates/best friends that participated in the internship with me. My friends shared these gifts on various social media platforms and they became popular for other people completing their internship to order as little mementos and keepsakes of their internship. Lately, I have been very interested in and inspired by the natural world around us by painting landscapes and little old cottages that are being taken back to nature with vines and other plants.

Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
I am so lucky that I have a very supportive husband with a stable enough job to be able to do what I love, without him I’m not sure that I would be doing what I am full-time. Finances (or lack thereof) are something that are always on my mind, but I know that it takes time to grow a business and I can see that growth happening bit by bit. If I had any advice it would just be to save every bit that you can, which can seem impossible at times. There’s also nothing wrong with having a full-time or part-time job to help out while you’re growing your art business. Just making something you believe in and putting it and yourself out there for others to see will grow your business and bring in costumers, word of mouth is such an important and integral thing in starting a business. I believe that if you are passionate enough about your art then you can find ways to make it work and put the time and effort into it that it deserves.

Contact Info:

• Website: etsy.com/shop/thistleanddoecompany
• Email: thistleanddoecompany@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thistleanddoecompany
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThistleandDoeCompany/
• Other: etsy.com/shop/thistleanddoecompany

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