Meet Chelsea Ward | Artist and Stationery Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Ward and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As a maker who has always had her business at home, finding a work life balance has always be challenging… if not outright impossible.

Part of the problem is that I really enjoy my work! I’m doing this interview on a Sunday and as soon as I’m done I plan to grab my pencil and start working on more artwork for my 2024 calendars. I definitely recognize when burnout is coming and do my best to take breaks and get away from work-work but because I love painting and the business I’ve built, I don’t mind when my weekends are spent doing things for my business.

Especially when you’re a business of one, it’s not like I can just hand off my to-do list to another employee. The tasks don’t just disappear at 5 pm on Friday, and my studio doesn’t just magically lock up and disappear from my home over the weekend.

One way I’ve found a ‘balance’ is taking time to enjoy the irregularity and flexibility of my schedule. My husband is also self employed so we can take long afternoon lunches or finish up emails and work from a brewery or coffee shop. We may be working but our ability to work anywhere helps me feel less chained to the studio.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My artwork is all done with watercolors and hand-lettering on paper. In the last year I’ve been playing with more digital drawing in very small doses but I primarily do all my painting on paper, then scan and edit on my computer before sending it off to the printers.

Going forward as my business grows, I fully plan to continue watercolor painting the majority of my illustrations. As much as I love digitally created artwork, there’s just some tactile feel that painting on paper has that I love and I think helps my work stand out from other makers. And in a world that’s becoming progressively more digital everyday, I think people will continue to appreciate and respond to things done the slower route.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I could stay busy right here in Highland Park! I’d probably start with brunch at Kitchen Mouse (I’m addicted to their dandy latte at the moment) and then walk around Figueroa thrifting and checking out Sunbeam Vintage. I also would have to stop in at Civil Coffee for an iced Arroyo.

After brunch, I’d take them on a bike ride through the Arroyo Seco bike path. Especially after all the recent rain, it’s amazing to see the normally dry river channel have water running through it. Then we could bike over to York and reward ourselves with Magpies and some shopping at Shorthand and Crush and Touch.

We’d end the day with a beer and pizza at Macleod’s and then some arcade games at Barcade

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Louie has definitely been pivotal in some of the moves I’ve made for my business the last few years. During the pandemic when we were both stuck at home in Berkeley, he became my only sounding board and almost a co-worker in how to keep my business going, growing and thriving.

Website: https://sketchynotions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sketchynotions/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcARTjE1ZR8Dptdv0bSEEaw

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sketchynotions

Image Credits
Headshot photographed by Amal Iqbal