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

Hi Kelly, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
The concept of “balance” has influenced my life significantly, especially within the past few years. Growing up, like many creative entrepreneurs, I felt the need to overachieve in every aspect of my life. This mental drive allowed me to accomplish a lot artistically, academically, and athletically, but I felt like I was always trying to outrun myself. For me, everything that I have done has served as a building block to get me to where I am today. I began acting at a very young age, and from there I found my love for many other pursuits such as fitness, crafting, sales & marketing, hiking, and even pole dancing. After I graduated from Emerson in 2018 (BFA, Acting), I felt the need to go after every opportunity in LA. Eventually, in addition to being an Actress, I became an ACE Personal Trainer, improviser, dancer, and Founder of HIVE Market. HIVE allows creatives, innovators, and performers to come together and share their crafts and passions. Without the help of my amazing vendors, staff, community, and loved ones, HIVE Market would not be what it is today. Many of my varied pursuits came to fruition after negative experiences opened new doors. Each of my endeavors compliments the other ones; I am a better Actress because I have skillsets in fitness and entrepreneurship. I am a better Business Owner of HIVE because I know what it’s like to work from the ground up in various creative industries. I am a better Personal Trainer because I know the struggles that actors (especially women) can face regarding body image and how demanding working in our society can be. However, it’s very important to understand that each person only has so much energy, and for many years, I overworked myself to an extreme and wasn’t properly managing my mental health (especially my OCD and General Anxiety). Eventually, I burnt myself out and had to reevaluate my strategy towards work-life balance. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have intentional balance in life. What I mean by this is that when I engage in self-care activities, I try not to just mindlessly check off the “self-care” box on my to do list. I ask myself, “what is my intention behind this action?” When I push myself for an extra long workout, am I doing this because I genuinely feel energized and excited to exercise? Or am I punishing myself subconsciously? This thought process helps me a lot when I struggle with daily balance. Because I often engage in a lot of “all-or-nothing” type thinking, I really need to make an extra effort to slow down and check my intentions. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to push and motivate yourself! But balance is key with everything.
For me, this is especially important because I recently completed a treatment program for Bulimia Nervosa. At first, I was embarrassed that I worked in entertainment and fitness while struggling with an eating disorder, but after opening up to my HIVE staff, fitness clients, friends, and family, I realized my strength. I connected on a much deeper level with my HIVE vendors and staff as well as my fitness clients. I understood from a different point-of-view the mental stress that many individuals (especially actors) face regarding body image.
Many entrepreneurs will tell you how their personal adversities made them who they are today, and that’s definitely the case with me. However, my support system of friends, family, and professionals really helped me to get where I am. I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dreams without all of the incredible people in my life.

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 artistic career has certainly been unique, and I have many mentors and loved ones to thank for that. I have been acting on stage and screen for over twenty years, and during that time, I found my love for other creative, athletic, and business-oriented pursuits as well. In 2018, I graduated from Emerson College (BFA Acting), and then moved to Los Angeles. While studying Acting in college, I started a fashion blog and personal styling business, Fashionably Theatrical. I also worked in management at White House Black Market and MKO. As much as I enjoyed fashion, I really enjoyed helping clients. As my acting career progressed in Los Angeles, I began working with kids and got my ACE Personal Trainer Certification. I kept up with side passions of Personal Training, yoga, hiking, fashion, improv (including teaching kids), and business until COVID-19 hit. Since my jobs were all in-person, I needed another way to make an income. (Special thank you to my incredible partner Joe who really got us through the pandemic together). I began using scrap crafting and packaging material and created various miniature light-up dioramas. Friends commissioned me to make personalized creations, and Fashionably Theatrical Crafts was born. Later, I learned to wire wrap crystals and added jewelry making to my creations. As more pop-up markets emerged, I joined as a vendor around LA. As businesses began to open, I did some management work in pop-up markets, crafted my own work, and worked as a trainer, all while balancing my acting gigs, improv performing, (and competitive pole dancing on the side because, why not?).
In mid-2021, life threw me some curveballs, and I found myself in the position of working entirely for myself. Many community members and colleagues with whom I had worked encouraged me to keep going on my entrepreneurial journey, and HIVE Market was born. HIVE (Hollywood Independent Vendors Exchange) Market is an outdoor pop-up market that runs two Sundays (10:30-2:30) and one Friday night per month. At HIVE, I wanted to have a space for small business owners, creators, and innovators to share their passion for their businesses and come together as a community. What sets HIVE apart I think is definitely the community atmosphere. We have a space in the center of the market with giant games on turf, seating, and live local performers. The semi-circle setup allows each vendor to feel included. HIVE allows me to work remotely while acting and training clients. Most importantly, I absolutely would not be able to pursue these endeavors without the support of my staff and loved ones. Right after the launch of HIVE, I unexpectedly ended up seeking help for a long time struggle with Bulimia Nervosa. Without the support of everyone around me, there is no way I could have balanced everything, and the most important thing I did was cut out a lot of my working hours. I slowed down and found more balance.
I’m forever indebted to my loved ones, colleagues, clients, and staff for helping me every step of the way. Leaning on my circle of support was crucial and finding my own balance helped me to be where I’m at today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Personally, I love hiking, so I would take them on a few picturesque trails around the Santa Monica Mountains, and especially Runyon Canyon at sunset. When you hike some of the steeper Runyon trails when it gets dark, you can see incredible views of the city lights!

Of course, I’d also recommend some of the typical excursions like the Santa Monica Pier and driving up the PCH.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this Shoutout to my incredibly supportive friends, family, clients, & community members. Specifically, Roberto Williams for nominating me and being an incredible friend, my awesome HIVE Staff (Stacy, Abi, Dom, Lawrence, & Will), my love Joe, my parents, and of course my absolutely amazing support system who have helped me through some of the most difficult times (I am endlessly thankful).

Website: www.hivemarketla.com; www.kellyhutt.com

Instagram: @fashionably_theatrical; @hive_market_la

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyhuttactress/

Other: www.facebook.com/hivemarketla

Image Credits
Deidhra Fahey; Pole Sport Organization

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.