Meet Chelsie Kliese | Artist + Owner of House of Ivy

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

Hi Chelsie, how do you think about risk?
Maybe not 100% of the time, but I think risk is a necessary component for success. I’ve personally found that all of the best things in my life, both personally and professionally, have come from outside of my comfort zone. Taking risks is what consistently brings my life to new heights.

Don’t get me wrong, you have to understand the difference between optimistic risk and a downright bad idea. But if there’s an opportunity that I’m considering or idea I can’t yet convince myself on – I think about what is the part that’s actually scaring me into hesitation..?

If the questions I’m asking myself are things like “what do I have to do to make this work?” or “how can I possibly achieve this outcome?” I know that those are questions I can dig into and answer to ultimately help me achieve my goals.

Alternatively, if I’m asking myself things like “why don’t I feel good about this opportunity” or “what would be the benefit in doing something like this?” Those are indicators that my intuition already knows something isn’t right.

Ironically, I tend to be a worst-case thinker. So when considering risk, I naturally come up with the worst-case scenario. To balance that out, I also consider what the best-case and middle-of-the-road scenarios are. This helps me get a better picture on what all the outcomes could be, so I can consider the risk and make a well-rounded and educated decision.

Being that I am a full-time artist/entrepreneur, my entire career is built on risk taking. I took a chance on myself and my ideas when I quit my corporate job and took my business full time. I took a chance on having my expenses out weight my profits when I applied for out of state markets. I took a chance on myself when I left my long-term relationship and assumed 100% of the financial responsibilities for my home and pet. But in addition to taking the risks, I did the math and assessed the situation. I thought about what is the bare minimum that is required of me to achieve those things and once I defined what that was, I made a road map to achieving it. Want to know what happened? I always did better than hitting the bare minimum.

Although the phrase is wildly overused, which makes it wildly undervalued, I think it’s important to understand that with great risk comes great rewards. As long as you make sure it’s risk with a calculated plan of attack, and as long as you know that you can do very hard things – you will accomplish whatever it is that you want. Sure you’ll have some failures along the way, that’s just life. Every “yes” is diluted with 20 “no’s.” Every successful idea is diluted with 10 failed ideas. Every time you come up with an idea, you have 40 instances where you couldn’t. Don’t let the fear of dilution get in the way of your achieving great things.

When in doubt, always bet on yourself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is all hand-poured concrete decor. I choose to create pieces that are both beautiful and functional because my ideal home/space is one filled with only things that serve a purpose or make me happy.

What I believe sets me apart from others working with concrete are a few things.. my color choices, the shapes I choose and also the manner in which I conduct my operations. I choose all very neutral colors that can go in even the most eclectic of spaces, but together they’re all very calming and soft colors. The shapes I choose are mostly soft and rounded which I love because it’s a stark contrast from the traditional ways we think about concrete and how harsh and tough of a material it can be. The manner in which I operate my business is always conscious and considerate of the environment. I try and create as little waste as possible, maximizing the use of my materials and try to keep my operations as plastic-free as possible.

I got to be where I am today because I set my heart on a goal of leaving the corporate world to make art full time, and never let anything get in the way of that. It wasn’t easy, it look a lot of reprioritization of my daily schedule and understanding how to break down larger goals into smaller ones. It took a lot of learning about the value of investing in myself and my business. It wasn’t necessarily easy but it was simple.

There are a few big lessons that I’ve learned along the way. I’ve learned that there is a lot of power in the people the people that you surround yourself with. When you come to a hard time and need some encouragement, advice or support, who you are surrounded by can make all the difference in how you come out of that. Even in your good times, if you don’t have the right people cheering you on and reminding you of all you’ve accomplished, that can be detrimental to your growth.

I’ve also learned to value my time. It’s crucial to understand what areas of your business deserve priority (the most important things being the ones that can move the needle forward for your business) and then spending appropriate amounts of time on things based off of their priority level. You also have to value your time in terms of understanding what things are better being outsourced. Should you spend 4 hours filing your taxes or should you use that time for your business while paying someone to do your taxes?

What I want the world to know about House of Ivy and myself personally, is that we’ll never see a plateau from my studio. We won’t plateau because I promise to always learn more about my medium and constantly think of new ways to incorporate concrete into our spaces in the most innovative of ways. There will always be a flow of love, art, curiosity and creation coming out of my studio, so we will always be learning and seeing new opportunities.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A good time to me always includes good food and good company. Every day would start with a local coffee shop and either home for a homemade breakfast or out to one of my favorite spots. Jake’s Bagels is my favorite casual spot for a quick breakfast sandwich on the BEST bagels made fresh daily. Otherwise a homemade chilaquiles will be on the menu!

Assuming the weather is nice I love to be outside. Take a drive in the Jeep with the roof off or go check out a local farmers market. My best friend and I love to support other small businesses so we may go check out the local candle bar to make a fun candle or do a little thrifting!

Evening always ends with a home cooked meal. I love to cook so I try and cook either my guests favorite meals or something they don’t have access to where they live. I love to cook lots of Mexican or vegetarian dishes!

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?
I’d love to shoutout Miranda, my business and marketing coach from Marketing for the Uninhibited. Without Miranda, I genuinely don’t know that I would be a full-time business owner today. I’d probably still be grinding my wheels and working both for my business and my corporate job. She helped me think in ways that I hadn’t yet unlocked and she’s shown me so much about what parts of my business need to be valued in which ways.

She’s become a good friend of mine and I’m so very thankful our businesses brought us together. Her guidance has been second to none and I genuinely appreciate everything she has done to help me grow my business so I can live out my dream on a daily basis. Everyone needs a Miranda!

Website: Www.houseofivy.shop

Instagram: @houseofivy_shop

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsie-kliese-602b30275