Meet Kelsey Gonzales of Lovekelseyrae in Lakewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Gonzales.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelsey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I loved art ever since I was little. I took classes here and there and eventually got a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal State Long Beach. During college, I didn’t really have a unique style or voice. I was constantly creative but I never had a ton of passion about the things I was creating. Then, my church asked me to sell my art at a women’s conference they were hosting. It was the first time I ever sold my art, let alone having my own table to do it! That was a huge step in me becoming confident with my art and wanting to go full force with it. As time went on, I started experimenting a lot more with different mediums and began trying things and gaining more of a style. I immediately became addicted to Resin Art and basically haven’t stopped since!

Along with loving resin, I always considered myself an abstract artist. So resin allowed me to be relatively abstract with what I created. On top of that, I had nice handwriting. I never took any sort of calligraphy classes, but I began writing verses and quotes onto my pieces and it added a unique and one of a kind touch! I don’t know if I necessarily have one specific style, but I’m definitely feeling more like myself with all the projects I’ve been trying out as of late. And I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am 100% an abstract artist through and through!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I can’t lie, it hasn’t been easy. There are times where I completely second guess everything I’m doing. I’ll start to think, “Am I doing enough? Can I really make a living doing art?” etc. There are constantly moments of highs and lows but I’ve learned that the highs make it all worth it. I am doing what I love and I am living out my passion. I don’t think my road was meant to be easy and I think there’s a meaning for why we go through what we go through. I don’t think it ever suddenly becomes easy even when you become successful and “make it”. So it’s good to remember to enjoy the journey and to look forward to all the amazing opportunities that will come!

Please tell us about Lovekelseyrae.
I haven’t ever thought that I had a very distinct style. I can list tons and tons of different types of art that I do, but ultimately I like to think that I make custom art pieces. That probably sounds ridiculously silly but to break it down, I really feel connected to making pieces for very specific reasons. For example, recently a customer’s father had passed away. She asked me to incorporate her father’s ashes into a resin beach scene so that she could always remember him. Another example would be a different customer of mine was deeply connected to a specific bible verse and wanted me to write it on a piece for her so she could see it everyday. Stories like these are really what I want my business to be about. These stories are much bigger than me trying to “make it big” or “make tons of money”. It’s bigger than all of that and it brings me so much joy to be able to do something special for people that are really needing it!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The classic answer would be, “I would never change anything I did because I have no regrets!” But honestly, something I would’ve done differently would be collaborating more with other artists and asking for help when I needed it. I used to be afraid to be dependent or to bother people with my needs, so I struggled a lot in the beginning with getting things started.

So I would definitely stop worrying about being a burden and just get all the help I needed at the time! I would also spend more time getting to know other creators and collaborating. I do that all the time these days and I think it would’ve been fun to do it even earlier in my art career. Being an introvert, I tend to keep to myself and stay relatively reserved. Even though I’m just as introverted as I was before, I would’ve made more of an effort to get myself more into the art community and make friends, even if it’s online!

Contact Info:

• Email: lovekelseyrae@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lovekelseyrae

Image Credit:
Acacia Circle Tray photographed by @king_collective

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