Life & Work with Chloe Haven of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chloe Haven.

Hi Chloe, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Amarillo, Texas, and then my family moved around to various places down South before moving to Bakersfield, California, where I lived throughout my high school days. Long story short, we landed in Bakersfield because my family, who has always been religious and eager to be of service, fell prey to a shady operation under the disguise of a Christian ministry that ran out of Bakersfield. But the silver lining is that I loved living in California so much that we ended up staying and making it a second home.

I fell into musical theater shortly after, when I was forced to be a part of a summer musical theater program to get me “out of my shell.” Surprisingly, I fell in love with it. That’s when I really felt like I’d found my home for the first time. I’d always had natural talent as a visual artist, drawing and dabbling in animation since I was in elementary school. But, it was very isolating to be in my own little world so much as a kid, drawing, and drawing, and drawing some more, from my school desk to my desk at home. With all of the perks of musical theater like community, teamwork, movement, etc., I felt really lit up inside for the first time. Maybe because I’ve always been embarrassingly bad at every sport known to man.

I performed in lots of community theatre productions in Bakersfield through high school. At some point, I decided that musical theater was what I wanted to do with my life. I got my Conservatory Degree from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theatre from AMDA College of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles in 2018. I entered a musical theater competition called LA’s Next Great Stage Star in 2019 at the El Portal Theatre and I ended up winning first place, signing with some of my first agents, and I got the opportunity to headline in my first one-woman cabaret show.

I’ve since booked about 10 national and streaming commercials, performed in 2 national tours and a handful of regional productions, became SAG-Eligible, and played my first roles in short films and comedies. In the meantime, I started my own portrait drawing business that’s gained almost 800 Etsy sales since I started back in 2019.

In recent years, I’ve been focusing a lot on personal growth. As a kid, my life was a roller-coaster and there were so many things that were out of my control, that created anxiety in me that I never thought I would gain any agency over. After really doing the work via coaching, therapy, yoga, breathwork, prayer, etc. I feel like my nervous system is finally more comfortable in peace and serenity, versus chaos. This has made such a positive impact on my wellbeing. I have placed a much bigger emphasis on my relationships and life experiences, versus just trying to climb the next ladder to the next biggest thing. Maybe that’s just what it means to be turning 30.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I was really young and just starting out, I hadn’t really honed my skill set and owned what I brought to the table. I was lacking in the core confidence (that I have a lot more of nowadays) to fully believe that I was good enough, therefore, agencies I was auditioning for weren’t seeing it either. I did this big showcase competition when I was 14 or 15, and at the end of it, I didn’t get a single agent meeting. Another girl from my hometown got signed and immediately booked a Burger King commercial. Back then, I took all that as reinforcement that “I’m not good enough.” Looking back as an almost 30 year old at 15 year old me, it just wasn’t the right timing, and things played out exactly how they were supposed to. I got braces, worked harder, and got accepted into and graduated from my wonderful college. The biggest full-circle is that I won first place in a similar competition and had multiple agencies fighting over me, all in divine timing, about a decade later.

What I once thought was my weakness in this industry (being quirky, not fitting traditional stereotypes) turned out to be my biggest strength. I often get cast as high-strung, neurotic characters, and I like to poke fun at myself by playing into my own natural, anxious instincts and just heightening them.

My biggest blow recently was in November, my pet chinchilla, Pink, passed away at about 14 and a half years old. I got her when she was a baby when I first moved to California. It was an extremely hard grieving process, because she had been my pet for most of my life, giving me cuddles and being my only “constant” in my once roller-coaster existence. So it was extremely jarring, weird, and incredibly sad to close that chapter of my life with her passing. It definitely affected my productivity and outlook for a long time, which is ok. I have been able to move forward in recent months because I really let myself feel all of the pain and move through it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actress, singer, and visual artist. I do mostly silly comedy and I’m a soprano, so I perform professionally in musical theater, in TV/film, and in commercials. The recent project I’ve done, that I’m super proud of, has made me SAG eligible. The best part is that I got to work with a celebrity who was one of my dream actresses to work with.

I also own and operate Chloe’s Cozy Haven, a personalized commission artwork business, where I draw portraits of pets and people in realistic styles, as well as cartoon and character styles. I’d love to get into children’s book illustration and further my visually-artistic journey at some point. I’ve been lucky with performing and drawing that when one slows down, the other picks back up.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Keeping a healthy, full life and not relying on external success to keep me feeling validated and happy has been what’s kept me going in this industry. I have fostered a great support system who has been there for me through the ups and downs. We celebrate each other’s successes like they’re our own, which I think is the only option if you want to surround yourself with mutually uplifting connections. I also got a dog a couple years ago, who gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. He comforts me and makes me laugh throughout the day, busy or slow. He is there to give me love no matter how well or terribly I performed that day, no matter how much or little I get done, and he’s taught me to love myself better. That love even multiplied and manifested itself as new, healthy relationships entering into my life.

Pricing:

• If you have pets or people in your life that you’d like made into a hand-drawn work of art, check out my Etsy store or send me a message to get your order started. My prices range anywhere from $30-$200 depending on the detail involved.
• Http://www.etsy.com/shop/chloescozyhaven

Contact Info:

• Website: Http://www.chloehaven.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloehaven/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloehaven
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChloesCozyHaven