Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Chapman.
Hi Courtney, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been sculpting since I was eight years old. It has always been my greatest source of passion in my life, whether it be cute keychains or mini statues that I auction off. I remember asking my parents to buy me polymer clay when I was young and ever since, I have always had clay with me anywhere I live. Throughout my life, I have tried to create something out of my sculpting. I’ve made two YouTube channels that are now untouched, four different attempts at Instagram accounts to advertise my art. It wasn’t until I found TikTok that I truly found my groove in sculpting as a form of outward entertainment that so reflects my inward joy of sculpting. I started my TikTok account in the summer of 2019 as a fun way to tell jokes.
I was originally BeeMoviePower, as I never thought my account would take off until I gained over 100 thousand followers the week after I joined the platform. I posted a video of myself sculpting a trend on TikTok, a tiny juul pen because I thought the memes were hilarious and wanted in on the joke. I had to look up what a juul looks like to make the video, and yet, I had gotten 1 million views in the first two days of it being up, and another 4 million on top of that in the weeks that followed. I found out that my groove was in combining humor with sculpture, fast-paced editing with funny audio clips accentuating the reveal of my sculptures. Ever since then, I have been posting videos of myself sculpting new keychains and jewelry of trending topics and memes. My most recent is the image of Bernie Sanders sitting at the 2021 inauguration. I have amassed over 350,000 followers on TikTok and 47,000 on Instagram since then and have worked with brands such as Michael’s Craft Stores, WebToon, and Arteza.
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?
There are always lulls on social media for different accounts. I always feel my account does its best in the summer, where there is more free time for younger viewers (as my audience is mostly comprised of) to watch videos. I tend to find a dip in viewership in the busy months of the years, as I also tend to fall away from making videos as a priority and focus more on my academics. I definitely find it hard to stay inspired when my main source of art inspiration are the most popular things at any given time. There are times I want to make something realistic or abstract, but I fear straying too far from my brand. I feel these are the concerns of any artist, really, and despite these struggles, I always find happiness in creation and sharing what I make with other people.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I sculpt jewelry and art pieces of popular culture trends. I use polymer clay, an oven bake clay, and I am known for my cute and sometimes “too accurate” recreation of certain memes. I am most proud of the most recent thing I sculpt at any given time. Each moment making something new is so wonderful to me, and I always find great pride in the present and what I have managed to do today. I feel what sets me apart is my joy in sculpting. I don’t necessarily focus so much on views but feedback. I love to see that people share an appreciation in a 3D recreation of their favorite memes as much as I do. It’s not in the response but in the experience of seeing something that makes you happy in a new way and being able to take it with you in the form of a necklace or pair of earrings. I use my page to advertise my Etsy shop restocks that I do a few times each year, as well!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t really see risk as a negative thing. This makes it hard for me to tell when something I would like to do is a risk or not. I have played around with new video ideas or formats and it never seems to be a bad choice. I have lost views and followers over choices I have made (incorporating more animation onto my page, more serious sculpting videos, non meme material), but that doesn’t feel like a true loss. I am trying, every day, to form a more and more accurate depiction of what I want to share with the world in my videos. I try to create a more authentic image as often as I can, and on social media, this can sometimes be a risk. But, I only see benefits in it.
Contact Info:
- Email: cosmicfussshop@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CosmicFuss
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosmicfuss/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cosmicfuss?source=h5_m