Chelli Look.
“Time because it’s mysterious, precious, and pregnant with potential. ”
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Happiness is entirely circumstantial; so my idea of perfect happiness is when I’m playing. Playing while creating or while I’m with the people I love; or even more perfectly… When those two things happen together.
What is your motto?
Leave everyone better than the way you found them. Leave everything better than the way you found it.
What is your current state of mind?
Clear and decided.
How would you like to die?
Knowing I’ve stewarded all that I’ve been given; wisely, passionately and generously.
What is it that you love most about what you do?
Connecting with people. I have a deep experience when I meet people; who they are, the story they are, all that’s in them. Occasionally, I have the words to articulate it, but more often I get to create something that contributes to who they are in life.
If you could have a conversation with anybody (alive or dead), who would it be?
Myself around 80 years old. I would want some words of wisdom, not the details of my life. And I would want to spur her on for the final 20-ish years she has left; encourage her with my 30-year- old zeal.
When did you realize that you wanted to be a creative?
I don’t know that I had a realization; it’s a healthy mix of nature and nurture. I have been designing and making by any means necessary for my entire timeline of memory; some painting, some drawing, lots of cardboard crafting, making or adjusting clothing, etc. While predominantly a homemaker, my mother is an artist; I recall beautiful drawings and paintings happening any time she made the space for it. Two of my grandparents were art professors and I remember watching them paint, draw and sculpt in their studio and classrooms; attending museums was our leisure.
What motivates you?
Time and the law of sowing and reaping.
Time because it’s mysterious, precious, and pregnant with potential.
Sowing and reaping because I am accountable to my actions; it helps purify and humble my heart.
What do you love about being a woman?
Women are fruitful beings. We cultivate and nurture what we are given. The way we are designed biologically is stunning and it clues us in on what we are excellent at, non-biologically.
What is your experience of being a woman, while also being a creative?
(Context rules with this question.) When I silence all the external voices (and I’m learning to do this as a daily practice), my experience has been incredibly dynamic. I believe I am a created being, a created woman; so as I engage in creativity, I learn about myself because I learn about my Creator. I gain revelation about the process of creating. I was an idea before I was made. There was a purpose in mind before I was made. I’m not an accident. My Creator is highly intentional, deeply passionate about process, and is keen to every detail, every facet; nothing goes unseen or unattended to and is done with vast delight and relentless joy.
Being a woman and being
