Chelsie’s work, documenting some of MN’s most beautiful homes, has been featured by big brands like Room and Board and Arhaus. But her talents don’t stop there. She also creates lifestyle content for the beauty industry and many other projects she’s passionate about.

“I partner with businesses to communicate their story primarily for the purpose of online sharing. The best part for me isn’t the opportunities for creative expression, rather its the important role of learning about my clients’ businesses and creating visual content for them to share with their followers.”

As a photographer specializing in interior photography, what drew you to this industry?

The photographer life chose me, I didn’t choose it! 🙂 My calling should have been obvious when I would come home from weddings in the early 2000s with 200+ photos on my personal camera… but it wasn’t on my radar AT ALL! In fact, I was shooting professionally for at least 6 years before I felt comfortable calling myself a “photographer and videographer.”

After college I worked for the Minneapolis Association of Realtors where I did marketing and member relations. With the CEO and my direct manager’s belief in me and an “everything is figure-out-able” attitude, I started taking photos and creating videos for various needs and also created courses to educate Realtors about social media for business. So as part of the job, I networked with real estate agents and related industry professionals and business owners constantly.

After meeting a talented interior designer at an event, I began creating some visual content for her. She helped me see my potential (shout out Cindy Montgomery!). She bought me my first laptop and I learned so much from all the jobs and opportunities to creatively market her services through photos and videos.

What does the phrase “empowered women, empower women” mean to you and how do you live this in your professional life?

What comes to mind is that it takes nothing from my work when someone else creates something amazing. I love to cheer on fellow female creatives, and doing so has the power to strengthen the entire professional community! It also just feels good to be a cheerleader for others. I would way rather default to “wow that is amazing work!” instead of comparing it to my own- I truly do believe comparison is the thief of joy.

In my professional life, this looks like sharing, supporting, referring, second shooting, sharing tips and tricks, helping resolve issues, giving advice, etc – even “potential “competitor’s” work and even for people who don’t necessarily reciprocate. I’ve found that this mentality is a big part of why I don’t really market myself but I stay incredibly busy.

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out?

Honestly, I dont think so. I love my unique journey and everyone who gave me opportunities to learn alongside their businesses. Learning and improving will forever be at the core of photography and videography- so making mistakes then fixing them for the next time and the constant practice of trusting myself to “figure it out” is all I ever needed to grow.

Chelsie, for quite some time now, has been a huge inspiration of mine professionally. I remember when I first met her on the set of a photo shoot she wore these trendy aviator style glasses paired with a neon beanie and I thought, “Damn. She is cool. I want to be her when I grow up.”

I can’t thank Chelsie enough for being a part of our Women’s History Month interviews. Keep an eye out for next week’s interview with Dian Mullis from WINC but most importantly, Pro Concrete Countertops.