Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Darling.
Hi Chelsea, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Perhaps the most common thing acquaintances will say to me about my career is that it’s surprising. That someone like me is a metal artist… I think people have a mental image of a large bearded man standing over an anvil and can’t quite imagine that I would be doing the same work as him.
On the other hand, the most common thing that people who really know me will say is that I can do anything I’ve set my mind to. Because despite whatever I look like to the uninitiated, I’m tough, and I always find a way.
To tell you a secret though, I’m a little surprised to be where I am today, myself.
Metalwork was not my first career choice. When I was 15, I was dead set on being a graphic designer. And not just a designer: an *extremely good* designer. I taught myself everything I needed to know to start freelancing that year. The next year I was doing internships. By the time I went to college, I already knew most of the major coursework. Soon I was working downtown in a respectable advertising agency and even lived in NYC for a little while working for an agency that was as large as a whole city block.
I was ambitious. I was succeeding. I was also so incredibly bored.
It’s not that I didn’t try to challenge myself in my first career. It’s just that sitting at a computer for eight hours a day was deeply dissatisfying, no matter how intellectually or creatively challenging I managed to make it. Submerging myself daily in the virtual experience of digital work became progressively alienating to my spirit. Something deep within me wanted to return to the physical world and create real things that have weight, both materially and meaningfully. And so, despite my original confidence in my first career, I eventually leapt into blacksmithing in 2010 through a series of jobs assisting metal artists in Atlanta.
The part of my story where I fully transitioned into professional metalwork is more complicated than I can easily convey, full of cross-country moves, business ventures, artists, circuses, and more often than not holding down 4-6 jobs at once to compensate for the fluctuating nature of creative work. Eventually, I did find my way into a more standard career in metalwork, fabricating, machining and forging my way to leading whole departments for midsize fabrication companies. And along the way, I formed a supportive community of friends, without whom I simply would not be who I am today.
I’m both grateful for the chaotic life I’ve lived and grateful for the relative simplicity of my life now. I have just one job: running and growing my own business, Darling Metals, to the best of my ability. I know resolutely, having tried most other possible vocations, that creating metalwork is what I am here to do. But I am also beyond lucky that my years in design and entrepreneurship have uniquely prepared me for the challenges of running a custom metal art business. How I got here might not look like anyone else’s path, but it makes me the creative, experienced, and disciplined artist I am today. It’s not easy, but I always know I will find a way, and my friends will help me get there.
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?
I won’t tell you all the obvious challenges about running an art business. If you’ve ever known an artist or a business owner, you just take their struggles and add them together.
Too many responsibilities and not enough time? Yes.
Constantly explaining why high-quality custom work with skills I have been perfecting since childhood costs more than what you can buy at Target or Home Depot? Ah, all too familiar!
The near impossibility of bootstrapping in this economy? Yep, that one too!
But everyone has challenges; if I didn’t have these, it would be something else. It’s almost dull to talk about the usual obstacles to starting and running a creative business. What’s more interesting to me is the challenges that I actively choose to involve myself in because when I step back and look at it from a larger perspective, those challenges make me a stronger person:
– I am proud to take on the challenge of designing things that make people deeply happy on a daily basis.
– I am proud to push myself to accomplish the physically demanding work required to produce metal art, and see my mind and body grow stronger every day as a result.
– And even though it takes a lot of energy up front to create work with a high bar of quality and integrity, the energy I get from knowing I have done my best always pays exponentially more than my original investment.
And so, I run towards these challenges with my work every day. These practices form the foundation of my strength and resilience: everything that allows me to succeed.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make sculptures and ornamental metalwork that combines traditional forging with modern fabrication techniques. My large-scale sculptures can be found all over the country (have you seen my elephant at Zoo Atlanta?) but I also make custom ironwork for homes and businesses.
As a designer and a craftsman, I go the extra mile to design pieces that really fit the place and people my works are made for before building them. It takes a lot more work on my part to handle both roles, but I find that the pieces that come about from this collaboration between myself and my clients create the most meaningful works possible. For me, it’s really an honor to create things for people that they will love that much.
What does success mean to you?
I consider myself successful when:
– My business is profitable. I know that is a tall order for an art business, especially when beginning with zero startup capital. But I’m completely dedicated and have done surprisingly well so far, considering how difficult it is!
– My clients are happy with what they receive. Generally, they’re more like *ecstatic*, which is an incredibly good feeling!
– I have a healthy relationship with my work. Yes, I work very hard, but I also prioritize my health and wellness. The balance of my life is top priority, and while it doesn’t sound like the biggest deal to say, “I sleep 8 hours a night!” I consider that an enormous marker of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: darlingmetals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darling_metals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darlingmetals/
Image Credits
The photos of me with the horse, the arch and the elephant are mine. All the rest are taken by Becca McCoy of Leafmore Studios, https://leafmore-studios.square.site/
