Check Out Amy Sell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Sell

Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The world of chalk art was a happy accident in a way. While working part time at Best Regards Bakery there was an opportunity to redo one of their chalk signs. I figured I was artsy enough that I could probably do something. It was nice to have a reason to be creative. I really enjoyed it so I just kept asking if I could continue to do more. With each sign –I could try new things, think of concepts and practice my skills.

Since we only needed a new sign every so often and I was super itchy to keep playing; I started doing chalk art on my porch and posting them on social media. After a few months of this, I noticed that it was really starting to be something more. The boards at the bakery were getting bigger and better and it started to gain more attention from our customers.

People started asking me to do certain things and other places of business’ were having me come and work on their boards. It was if each project had a helping hand in some way that contributed to me being in align with the next opportunity . My first project outside of the bakery for was our own local Big Biscuit. It was my first opportunity to have a wider audience, work on location and work within shorter time frames. I had to work live and on the spot, versus taking a board home with me and having days to play around with it.

Once I learned that I could rock out big boards in a short time frame, it opened me up to doing live chalk art at events, which I absolutely love doing ! One of the top questions I get when I meet people out is what I do to preserve the chalk and my answer is nothing. It is meant to be a temporary art form and enjoyed for as long as it lasts. I currently have one that has been with me almost 2 years now and it still looks great.

That question brought me to the next avenue of the chalk art and that was finding a way for people that were uncomfortable with temporary art to be able to enjoy what I was creating. With a lot of growing pains I have been learning how to take my art and reproduce it into cards and prints. This has opened an incredible door for me to be able to share my chalk art with a much bigger audience and preserve what was created for a bit longer while still creating new and bigger chalk pieces every week.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has most definitely super smooth as far as new projects are concerned, mainly because I never started this for it to be anything other than me playing and creating. Each new project is always a pleasant surprise and there seems to be a huge wide world of ways to be a chalk artist that I had no idea of until I was in it.

The challenges I have pretty much only come from my own mental head games. Learning how to choose the right concepts or images for the project definatly still stresses me out, especially if its a new client and I don’t have a clear vision or idea early on in the planning stage.

I have had my fair share of obstacles in the printing world but I have realized most of that was when I was short on time and not familiar with what I needed to do.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a chalk illustrator. I use chalk as my medium to create illustrations on chalkboards or pavement to either help promote your business, your projects or just for the pure joy of creating art to enjoy . My style is defiantly colorful and whimsical. My art is typically temporary which makes it perfect for projects that need to change around from time to time or for events where live art is part of the entertainment.

I am known for my cute animals and characters and of course it all has to be colorful ! My creative business now has the addition of cards and prints which gives these illustrations a longer life !

My specialty is the chalk medium itself. There are only a few of us in this area that are chalk artist exclusively and that can move from street art to wall art to graphic art.

I am the most proud of my commitment to this art form and how quickly I progressed from a couple of word signs to doing what I am doing now –2 years later.

I believe what sets me apart is my enthusiasm for what I am doing and what a unique art form it brings to the table. There is nothing that lights me up more than when people enjoy what I create and its like fuel to my heart to keep playing in this magical world for as long as I can.

How do you think about luck?
I love this question because my favorite quote is, ” luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. I think so many of the projects I have been able to be a part of so far was from the constant practicing. I took jobs in the beginning that were presented to me and I got better. From that I was able to get more projects and I continued to improve and hone in on what I felt like I was really good at and even more opportunities presented themselves. So each time I do something new –its like preparing myself for the next type of thing that might present itself. Luck is just this sweet spot where those two forces join up over and over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amylynnstudios.net
• Instagram: @amylynnillustrations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093589443500