Rising Stars: Meet Bella Chen of La Crescenta-Montrose

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bella Chen

Hi Bella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a tiny island village surrounded by nature, as an only child with busy working parents, I spent countless hours outdoors in nature and expressing myself through art. I dreamed of becoming an artist, but in those days, such aspirations were often seen as impractical. And by 8th grade, I set my paintbrush aside.

Fast forward two decades, I found myself in California, thriving in a fulfilling career as a psychotherapist. During the pandemic, the profound transformations I witnessed in my clients inspired me to reconnect with my childhood dream. Once again, I was drawn to the beauty of nature around me, this time, the landscapes of Southern California, but also, to the beauty of our journey towards accepting and embracing ourselves. Picking up the paintbrush after all these years felt like coming full circle.

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?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. For much of my adult life, the hardest part was letting go of my passion for art due to external expectations and the guilt of possibly disappointing my family, who worked so hard to support me. This loss left me feeling incomplete for years. Reconnecting with art made me feel whole again. Now, my biggest challenge is balancing my role as a psychotherapist, which I deeply love, with my pursuit of becoming a professional artist. I believe that how we serve is how we are most fully realized as our true self. My ultimate goal is to serve — pointing others toward beauty both inside and out. Both paths allow me to do this while staying true to myself, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
If you check out my website or Instagram, you’ll find palm trees, birds, and skies in bold, vibrant colors—full of Cali vibe! Over the past year, I’ve been working on my “California Dream” oil painting series, inspired by the views you catch on the freeway heading home. I wanted to add a touch of imagination to these everyday landscapes and bring the beauty of where we live into our homes. Recently, I’ve created fine art canvas prints of the series, now available on my website. I hope they bring creativity and good vibes to every home they touch.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
On August 23, 2024, the day before my website launch, I shared an Instagram post about ‘success.’ The post featured an image of me sitting in front of my art prints, smiling—a moment that perfectly captures my personal definition of success:

“Tomorrow is the day. I’ve been reminiscing about the joy I felt when this photo was taken, and it brings back memories of a time when I lived in the opposite side—fear. Fear of not being enough, not doing enough, not achieving enough, and ultimately disappointing my family and everyone who had high hopes for me to follow a certain path…For the most part of my adult life, art=fun=guilt.

I once believed that I only deserve happiness when I became whom they called ‘successful’, yet I had no idea what ‘success’ truly meant. I drifted further from myself, eventually got lost. In the past year, creating ‘California Dream’ has shown me that real happiness and success come from accepting who we are, even if we don’t fit neatly into society’s constructed model of success. And if we dare to pave our own path, stay connected to our passion, and pursue it even just a little each day, happiness becomes not a distant luxury tomorrow, but our truth today.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bellachenfineart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellachenart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093390362722

Image Credits
All images belong to Bella Chen Fine Art.