Introducing this weeks creative,

Family Filmmaker and TV Editor.

Sophie Hurry, TV editor and filmmaker, chats about her creative journey, from working on I’m a Celebrity Allstars in South Africa to launching her own filmmaking projects. She shares how challenges—like managing mountains of footage or balancing creative expectations on low-budget shoots—shaped her approach to work.
Motherhood, she says, was a complete transformation. Becoming a parent expanded her capacity for love and creativity, describing it as a “maiden-to-mother arc.” It changed how she creates, thinks, and prioritizes her energy.
Sophie opens up about pushing through hard days: affirmations, mentorship, small resets, and learning to switch from “sprint mode” to “marathon mode.” She also explains the hidden effort in filmmaking—how even a few seconds of polished editing can take hours of care.
For anyone looking to work with her, Sophie’s on Instagram (@SophieHurryFilms), with her website and mailing list launching soon. Whether you’re a parent or just curious about creative processes, her insights reveal the patience, intuition, and heart behind the work.

Q1: Introduce yourself.
A: Sophie is a TV editor (mainly edit assisting and assembly editing) and filmmaker. She highlights her experience in both commercial TV and personal filmmaking, noting the unique pressures of working professionally.
Q2: What is your favorite project ever and why?
A:

• TV: Working on I’m a Celebrity Allstars in South Africa, pre-recorded post-COVID. She loved the location, wildlife experiences, and learning to manage unexpected challenges with large volumes of footage.
  
• Filmmaking: Model calls for her filmmaking business. The second model call was her favorite, as she knew what she wanted, learned patience during a three-month editing process, and was rewarded by a happy client.
  

Q3: What are specific challenges in your work?
A: Managing huge amounts of footage efficiently, high standards while editing, low-budget projects, and balancing creative expectations with limited capacity (e.g., during pregnancy). She describes herself as a “sprinter” adjusting to “marathon mode” for longer-term projects.
Q4: How do you push through hard days and know when to take a break?
A:

• Push through: Affirmations, motivation from her child, mentorship, caffeine or tea, and small resets during the day. Reframe doubt positively.
  
• Break signals: Task paralysis or physical signs like droopy eyes indicate burnout. Ignoring them can lead to overwork.
  

Q5: What do people often misunderstand about your work?
A: Editing takes far longer than it appears—small moments require intense care. People often underestimate the time, effort, and creative intuition involved.
Q6: What moment changed everything for you?
A: Becoming a mother. She describes it as the “maiden-to-mother arc” or “mother-maiden-crone” transformation. Motherhood expanded her capacity for love and creativity, drastically changing how she approaches life and work.
Q7: How can people hire or contact you?
A: Sophie is on Instagram (@SophieHurryFilms). Her website will launch soon, and her mailing list is active. She emphasizes patience and that building a professional presence is a marathon, especially while parenting.

If you are able to subscribe to me on YouTube - I would appreciate that so much.
​Thank you.

Z: Hello everybody. Today we've got Sophie, and we've also got Baby on speed dial just in case.
S: On speed dial.
Z: This is ready to pipe up when she, uh, yeah, we're going to get to a really poignant moment and tell me more about that, and she's like "MUM!" She probably heard that, to be fair. We can't laugh too loud just because it wakes her up. Um, welcome to the third one. Thanks for being here.
S: Of course.
Z: I forgot to send you them ahead of time. Or did I?
S: No.
Z: No. Are we just going to freeball it today?
S: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's what I'm doing most of my days at the moment anyway. So, I'm glad to hear it.
Z: I mean, is there any change from the rest of your life?
S: No.
Z: Nice. So, introduce yourself first, 'cause I think that's probably the best way to start.
S: Okay. Hi, I'm Sophie. Uh, I'm a TV editor and a filmmaker.
Z: Beautiful. I think I love that. We'll do the drop-in underneath in the description bit—all the places you can find Sophie.
S: But, um, many, many places. Many places. Don't Google me. There's stuff from my past that, you know, like--
Z: You make it sound like you've killed somebody.
S: Yeah. There's just, you know, those days of the internet where you were just posting anything willy-nilly.
Z: I think they're sweet.
S: There's some sweet stuff. Yeah. Some of them's really sweet.
Z: What do we not know about?
S: I don't want to mention—this isn't weird, by the way—it's just like a certain clothing website that we used to post outfits.
Z: Oh, and you used to take photos of--
S: Yeah. And I cannot get rid of them for love nor money because I can't remember my login details and I contacted customer support like, "Please take these photos of me away."
Z: Is the one where you would put like a mood board with all the—possibly. Anyway, the properly posed and a little--
S: Yeah.
Z: It's just baby Sophie. It's just baby S. She's just doing her thing. It's just baby S. It's just that the digital footprint for our generation is vast. Wild.
Z: Well, we'll go straight into question one, which is: what is your favorite project ever and why? It's a biggie. What's your favorite?
S: I see why getting these in advance would have given my brain cells time.
Z: Would you have had the time to look at them?
S: True.
Z: Fair.
S: Absolutely not. Fair. Um, okay. So, I suppose I can answer in two different ways. Obviously, I've got two things going on in the sense that I've got my TV work, which—I say I'm a TV editor, but predominantly my career in TV has been edit assisting, assembly editing, like junior editing. I was working my way before I had Revy to being an editor. But that's what I say I am. And obviously the filmmaker side of it, although it's been a part of me since very, very young, I probably wouldn't— not that it's not all valid—but I wouldn't count it in a sense that as a practice I probably would only count the recent project with my business as like my filmmaking. It takes on a different weight when you're doing it for work.
Z: Yeah.
S: When you're doing it for money, it's real. You know, it's always real. But it just definitely takes on a different kind of pressure. Anyway, I'm not answering your question. It's fine. I feel like the whole thing's going to be like that, and I'm really okay with it. They've all been like this so far.
Z: 100%. And I'm here for it. So, favorite project and why.
S: Okay. So, I would say when it comes to TV, there are two that really jump out at me. One of them was when I was media managing, which is kind of wrangling all the cards on location. I did a lot of location work while I was traveling abroad. For one, I did "I'm a Celebrity Allstars." Normally it's live, which I don't do, but for some reason, post-COVID fallout, they did one in South Africa because they wanted it pre-recorded just in case. So, I ended up being on that. It was actually a really difficult job because they hadn't really done it pre-recorded before. There was a hell of a lot of footage they didn’t anticipate. We were told we were going to get a certain amount of stuff to deal with and we got a totally different amount—a lot more. So from a day-to-day perspective, it was a very demanding and difficult job. But the location was incredible. I was there for my birthday, went on a safari—well, they call it game drives in South Africa—and visited an elephant sanctuary, fed elephants, got close. It was a sanctuary. That opportunity of being somewhere so different with people so different was just amazing. I did a little jaunt with my friend afterwards to Cape Town. So, from a life experience point of view, less about the actual job—it was challenging—but what it afforded me was unlike anything else.
For my filmmaking, I've done a lot of model calls recently.
Z: What's a model call?
S: So a model call is when you basically offer your services for free in exchange for the rights to use what you create for advertising, promotion, etc. They're getting a free product, but I can use it. Especially when it comes to children and babies, some families might not feel comfortable with sharing the work. I need these model calls to show people what I can do.
Z: Yeah.
S: I'd say the second model call I did was my favorite. The first was beautiful, but I was nervous. By the second one, I knew more what I wanted and came away feeling really good. The edit was long, over three months, because Revy had a sleep regression, classic four-month-old stuff. Some days I just couldn’t create. Best thing was to rest. I’ve struggled with switching from sprint mode to marathon mode. I want everything done now, but now I’ve learned patience. That time actually helped me reflect, and fresh eyes are valuable. They were so chuffed with it when I gave it to them—they sent me flowers. Amazing family, all good vibes.
Z: I think you've answered question one and two and started to add in little bits of the others as well.
S: Checking baby monitor—she's in there, not crying, so we're good.
Z: Um, for South Africa, what was a specific challenge?
S: With media manager work, it’s not really creative. We were inundated with camera cards—SD cards full of footage. There were GoPros everywhere. We had to back up, ingest, sync, LTO archive—all before the cards could go back. They didn't anticipate that amount of stuff, yet expected the same turnaround.
Z: No wonder you say you're a sprinter, having to get used to marathon mode.
S: I was incredibly good at it. Being a sprinter made me efficient, got creative stuff done faster.
S: A very challenging project—I was pregnant, editing a development project. Shot loosely, low budget. The producer had high standards, wanted polished edits for the channel. I had limited mental capacity due to pregnancy. Very challenging, but rewarding. I walked away thinking, “I can edit a full show.”
Z: Question three: how do you push through on hard days? And question four: how do you know when it’s time to take a break?
S: Push through: affirmations help. My kid is motivation. Remind myself I’m doing this for her. My editor friend and mentor passed away—what would he do? Embodying him motivates me. Caffeine or tea helps too. Small reset points in the day are valuable. Pushing through doubt: replace thoughts like, “What if it fails?” with, “What if it goes right?” Anxiety is worrying twice.
Break signals: task paralysis—ADHD brain stacks everything at once. I freeze when it’s too much. Droopy eye tells me I’m reaching a drain point. If ignored, like during my dissertation, it leads to eye twitching—a sign of burnout.
Z: -Sophie brings in Reverie, her baby daughter-
S: Seven and a half months, and she almost dribbled in my mouth—a turning point for me.
Z: What do you wish people knew about the process?
S: The smallest things take the longest. A 3-second shot in editing can take hours. You feel what it needs, you can’t always see it. People don’t understand the time, value, or effort to get it right.
Z: Last question: what moment changed everything?
S: Her being born—obviously huge. Every mother or parent would say that. From a creative standpoint, it was like going through a portal. The maiden-to-mother arc. You go through this portal and it's like the maiden to mother arc, isn't it? And you literally do transform and change--
Z: This is the tryptic thing. The mother maiden crone. I'm not even kidding. – talking about a ring –
S: So many synchronicities. Look at it. Yeah. So, from a creative standpoint, I forever changed, but I also think, um, because that's the obvious one and I, I, I know me and I'm trying to find—I'm trying to get you a juicy kind of like, you know, hidden uncovered one that's less.
Z: Sometimes there isn't. It's fine.
S: It's true. Sometimes there isn't.
Z: There's not been like I even wrote in the original question that it doesn't have to be anything big. Like that's pretty big.
S: Well, that's the thing and almost—it's a classic me thing. It's like I don't like to go for the big obvious stuff. I like to go for the nuance and I like to go to the more specific things that people might not know, you know? All right. I like to uncover. I like to uncover and have my hair pulled, obviously.
Z: Um, she wants the long hair. She's wearing it like a wig.
S: She is wearing like a wig. You'll get your own hair soon. I think I don't think I can think of one. I think it has to be that the moment she was born, I changed as a person. I felt like I was walking around with my heart working at like 5%. And you don't realize, you think that's your 100%. You think, I've got all the love I can give. I've got all the creative energy I can give, you know, and then you create a human who loves you unconditionally and suddenly you've got 95% and it's amazing and it's incredible. So yes, I've never been—I've never felt so creative. I've never had so much creative energy. Um, and how I create has changed as well.
Z: Yeah, exactly. So, I think we'll have a soft end, which is just if people want to hire you for family film, where can they go? And if they want to work with you in terms of editing, how can they contact you?
S: So, I'm on Instagram, SophieHurryFilms, and I'm hoping that in the next few weeks, like the end of September, my website will be ready. So, I say to people, go to my website, which feels a bit fraudulent right now because my website's not ready.
Z: No, because your mailing list is on there.
S: And that's—my mailing list is on there. It's so true. Yes. So, I haven't… Yeah, we're waiting. Yeah. Sign up to my mailing list on there. Um, but like marathon, not a sprint. I had all these expectations that when I would start opening my books that my website would be ready, everything be shiny, complete, perfect. That's not how life works. It's definitely not how things work with a baby. So yeah, my website and my Instagram and my email, which is [email protected]—just the one hello, which, not too hurts. Don't worry, I just wanted to add some little bit of jazz to it, didn't I? Yeah. A little bit accent. Yeah.
Z: I think it's the end.
S: I think it's the end. I think too. Yeah.
Z: Thank you, Sophie. I think it's the end. Thank you. Thank you, Revvie. You've been wonderful.
S: You've been catching a vibe.
Z: She's been catching a vibe. You've been catching a vibe. I will put all of the stuff underneath and go check out her stuff. Go sign up. And you might not have a baby, but somebody you know might be having one and those—that time we were talking to Chris and he was like, time is going very fast, so anything that we've got to kind of encapsulate that.

I said to Dale "I can't think about what to write for the last post of September!"
And he grinned and jokingly said "ME!".
But I replied "That's not a bad idea".
I have no idea if he remembers that conversation or not - but hey - this one's for you!

How many artists, creatives and self employed business owners couldn't do what they do - or have started out - without their second in command?

I sneakily took the above picture - we'd gone out in search of (another) September birthday gift and some groceries.
And came back with groceries... and canvases.
One so big I could barely carry it.
Hence the photo.
But it encapsulates it perfectly.
The quiet support alongside making whatever it is you do that keeps you going when you've got nothing left.

It's our anniversary on Sunday - so Happy Anniversary you wonderful man.

I think of how many other people out there were able to make the leap supported by the person (and people) who love them.
Through all the money worries and meltdowns and moments of doubt.

I set up ZDAAP again in March after a long, long time of not getting anywhere with interviews.
I could not have done it without him.
I remember asking him early on - "you believe me right? - I've got this - I'm gonna make it happen"
and he said
"Zoe, if I didn't believe in you - you'd be working in a supermarket right now".
(this is by no means meant as a disrespect to supermarket workers - it just meant - you'd have chucked it in and gone back to job searching if I didn't believe in you.)
​Anyway - it's a blue post it stuck in my prereferral vision to a board.

We went to see an art exhibition early on in the revamp.
That's when I truly knew he was onboard team support.
Absolute trust that we get this thing going and don't let go until it supports us both one day.
We saw an exhibition of work that proved it was possible - I think we all need regular injections of that to stave off the doubt demons.

So, thank you.
Thanks for being you.
Thanks for being the best office partner around the corner.
Thanks for the coffee.
Thanks for the tea.
Thank you for keeping us afloat whilst I've been building steadily.
Thanks for your honest comments and for saving your high praise for when you really like something.
Thanks for the logic to balance out the chaos.
Thank you for the following comments on my recent work:

"It makes me want to play Skyrim"
"It looks like a portal out of Minecraft"
"It looks like something out of the Witcher"

​Dale I am sensing a theme here.

Committing to that 'desired' aesthetic of burning the candle at both ends to live and die for your work-
​gets you burnt twice.
​
Me, I said that staring at you who is working too hard.

"I decided to become an artist when I was about your age. I liked to draw so much, I almost hated to go to bed. And then one day, all of a sudden, I couldn't draw anything. Everything I drew, I didn't like. I realized that my art up to then was a copy of someone else, things I had seen somewhere. I decided I had to discover my own style. It's still difficult. But then, the results...They seem to be a little better than before."
​
- Ursula explaining her picture to Kiki

Also Studio Ghibli - incredible.
The best kind of film to put to on to slow the day down and land somewhere beautiful.

Burning the candle at both fuckin ends.
I literally can't.
​My body can't cope with it anymore.
I remember the moment I realised I couldn't 'do it like I used to' - I mean, there's been a few - but one in particular was midway through the last set design I did. I was laid up on the sofa and all my joints weren't working properly and I was trying to get ready for another day of hard physical labour and my Dad caught me and told me to lay back down.
I would not have finished that last set without the help of family at all.

I force myself to clock off.
Take breaks.
​Even though I love what I'm doing.

This is not a bid to say
Stop having fun
Stop being spontaneous
Stop being young
Stop anything joyful - or whatever else your brain is trying to read instead.

It's me saying to anybody who might need to hear it:
You have permission to slow down.
Slow sustainable growth beats burn out every, single time.

I'm at it - I've reached the:

stage of the process.

This is the part I often allow myself to turn off the camera filming my bts content so I can just be.
My face looks like this usually at this point:

Hilariously - if you get your Sherlock Holmes on - you can see I hadn't even started the face at the point I took this - which means I've been at this point... a while.
​
I am not about to very serious in this blog post.
I am clearly writing this to avoid painting the painting on my easel.

My theory is that my head is full of gremlins that purely thrive on the lifeblood of anxiety and stress.
They are subdued by calm, peaceful painting - but the moment things start to move towards the messy middle - they are alerted.

Ears prick.

Snouts sniff.

Evil grins spread across their little faces as they eye each other to gather.

This is their moment.
​
As one united army they arrive to the brain centre and begin their war cries.
A brain gremlins war cry, though united in feeling, is chaotic in delivery.
They all yell at once- different iterations of panic, hate, misery.
They have been waiting all week for this.
Meditation kept them at bay.
So did that lovely walk and that fussing of a dog.
​But they have their moment to shine at last and they want to take full use of the opportunity.

(What do you mean your head isn't full of gremlins.
I'd go see the GP mate.)

I was born understanding a gremlins war cry so well- I thought myself part gremlin.
But one day I was gifted a mirror and saw I had no snout.
No pointy ears.
And when I grinned - I was not evil.
A warriors heart non the less - but a gremlin I was not.
Armed with this new information I began to see the strategy of the gremlin nation.

I observed the war cry and the cult-like nature of the gremlins.
Stood aside and saw that what they yelled was not truth.
Gremlins fear peace and calm.
For in the peace and calm their very own inner demons take over.
Like a vicious cycle of misinformation and chaos.

I decided on a new movement - I would listen to each gremlin - a third party.
I would stamp it out with the angry gremlins.
Cry with the sad gremlins.
Breathe deep with the panicked ones.

Sometimes we blasted angry music and painted anyway.
Sometimes we took a nap.
But I stopped hating the gremlins. 

Gremlins are great at what they do.
They're loud,
They're proud and
they're excellent tacticians.
They're a practiced army that protects by keeping things small.
Even armed with my new 'I'm not a part of this' mentality - some days they won.

We keep a big scoreboard in the break room - it's waist height so they can reach it.
I'd say I'm winning this year - but honestly, I think they're cheating.

Sometimes you gotta shake up the fear of failure with a little absurdity.

Sometimes you gotta remind yourself you don't have to take everything seriously.

I'm keeping the first piece from The Archway Series close by to help me remember I can do it.
When the gremlins tell me "YoU Got it RIGht thatttt time"
I say "Guys, pipe down - that's a finished piece. Go make some coffee or something".

So, today we celebrate the wonderful
​

Social links:

Chloe at work on the 'Twilight' mural.

Zoe Davey  0:00  
Hi, welcome to the first video of this type on this channel. It is linked to a blog. And if you've been following my creative journey recently, you'll know that I've been making a blog every single Friday, and recently, I reached out to my mailing list because I knew there's some wonderful creative people on there that I wanted to hear from, and figure that other people might want to hear from too. And and someone replied, It was Chloe, and I was so pleased, and I'll always be so pleased and thankful for her being the first interviewee. Enjoy the interview. It's long. We go off on tangents, but I love to listen to that kind of stuff where creatives talk to other creatives. They go off on tangents, and they don't apologize for it. I've done the best I can with the audio. It will get better in time, but for now, is what it is. It's scrappy. I've done the best I can with it. I've really enjoyed this interview. We talk about what you tell her younger self about what she's doing now, we talk about what her favourite projects were, and why they were her favourite projects, and how she pushes through on the really difficult times. It's heart-warming, it's wonderful, and I hope you really enjoy it. And now there's just one more message from me before we carry on. So it turns out, if you screen record a phone call, it doesn't necessarily record the audio. So this is the video of me apologizing for not being in the corner of the screen because I turned my camera off by accident and the audio doesn't work. So we live and we learn. That's what I'm going to say.

We'll get better from our mistakes.

Chloe C  1:32  
Lady, right. We are going to make an attempt at an introduction. Okay, this is the first one of these, my honoured guest, Chloe Chicarelli, here she is all the way from America. Thank you for being the first one. Thank you for being

Always down to be your test guinea pig, whatever you need. I love this. This is so awesome, amazing.

Zoe Davey  2:01  
Um, we've basically got how many questions are we doing today? We are doing eight whole questions. But the amount of me and you like to talk this is going to be, like, six hours long. So buckle in, everyone.

Chloe C  2:14  
Shut me up if I start yapping.

Zoe Davey  2:19  
No that's the point. Is, if I'm yapping too much. I need to be reined in, because I'm the one that's supposed to ask the questions and then shut up.

Chloe C  2:26  
That's fine. I am definitely more of the listener in a relationship than us than the talker. So...

Zoe Davey  2:32  
Well, it's your turn to have the spotlight put on you. I don't know how you feel about that. Try well, for anybody who doesn't know Chloe, she is a mural artist and general creative person, I will link her stuff on her website, because it looks amazing. My favorite piece, I think that you've done, I've written it down here so I didn't forget was the Downtown Box. Like it's a huge side of the building with the birds in it, and they're like the Heron, yep. It's amazing. That's really nice colors. And that's the picture that I'm going to put in there. 

Chloe C  3:10  
A little segue into question one. Then, fantastic.

Zoe Davey  3:15  
I didn't even plan that. That's perfect. Let's what is question one. Question one is, what's your favourite project you've ever worked on? And why? 

Chloe C  3:23  
Oh, my goodness, crazy. Yeah. So Twilight, that one was called, and it's actually the biggest project that I've done to date. And funnily enough, it was only my second ever mural. So I used to work a nonprofit in downtown Dayton, and I just completed the first one. They just kind of said, Hey, did anybody want to do this mural? Nobody really wanted to paint it. The design had made. So it was already like, ready to go. And I was like, I'll do it.

Zoe Davey  3:59  
That's the dream, there, right? 

Chloe C  4:01  
Like, you're pretty good at this. I'm like, thank you. Like, any other opportunities that you've got, like, thrown my way, I'd absolutely love that. Definitely no money. This was, this was before. This was definitely getting my experience. Yeah. So yeah, the owner just approached me one day, and she was like, Hey, we're going to be doing a really big project. Would you like to be the lead muralist? And like, no hesitation. I was just like, let's go. And then she kind of proceeded to, you know, go. Just explain a little bit more about what that would all entail. It was actually a program with the Montgomery County Juvenile court system. So they it's juvie kids, you know, just under 18, kids who have, you know, maybe kind of done something they shouldn't have. They're in bad situations. It was one of them. Most like humbling things I've ever done. So they have a project called the halo project, which is helping adolescents achieve long term objectives. So it just gave these kids, you know, something to do that kept them out of trouble. A lot of them were, like, really, really good artists, and they just, you know, I'm so happy that they finally had something where they could be themselves. It was a little bit scary. I'm not gonna lie, I had a couple of like, 18, 17 year olds who were like, I'm a run. I'm a run every day. And I'm like, please don't run. I've got so much of the stuff that I have to do with this, but it was such an eye opener. I was the lead muralist on that one, so I kind of really got to understand, like, the inner workings of it all, you know, like, I didn't get too much into the budget side of things, but just kind of like all the working parts and everything that it takes to make something like that go and I just, I loved it. I loved being able to orchestrate stuff, you know, getting out there doing actual work. The design was actually done by a local, famous artist called gay Hilton. So I was just like, super stoked to be doing her work, getting it all done. It was, it was really good. It really could, really cool, really good, really cool. 

Zoe Davey  6:34  
You can see it on your website, and that that side of the building is absolutely massive as well. I think you've got, like, a panel over there and before and after.
I didn't know that they had been painting it with you as well. That's amazing. Like, I mean, to throw you in at the deep end, like, obviously you said yes, not only that, you you're also in charge of these people, making sure that they like, on task, doing their thing. And you nailed it anyway. No wonder it's your favourite.

Chloe C  6:53  
It was definitely stressful. It was literal blood, sweat and tears shed mostly, I was hoping, like heavy equipment and stuff. Yeah, it was a it was one of the most cool learning experiences, as stressful as it was, and lots of egos and personalities and stuff, it was none of that mattered. Like, the moment I had done that, every all the kids were only helping on, like, kind of, like, the block colours and stuff, I just remember there was a little bit of lettering in the bottom left corner, and that was, like, the last thing I was doing. And like, it's so crazy. Like, you start something that's so daunting, and then, like, you have that final brush stroke, and then you're like, Oh, I'm doing it so weird, all of that, all of that stress, and I finally just finished, and you're like, oh, oh, it's happened. I did it.

Zoe Davey  7:57  
It was so good. So, yeah, no, that's an amazing answer. Thank you so much. If this doesn't record, because this is our first time doing this. If this doesn't record, I'll just cry, because that was a wonderful answer, and people need to hear that, because I think it's it's really inspiring to hear the joy that comes out of doing things that aren't necessarily always broadcasted as like, job type. Isn't easy.

Chloe C  8:26  
I mean, there's a couple of things, ;)  but...

-dog barks - sorry, just making sure the dog was fed.

Zoe Davey  8:36  
Important things in life.

Chloe C  8:38  
...is that, yeah, no, I just You just gotta keep going. Just gotta keep pushing. It's really cool, even when things are hard, like, I guess this,

Zoe Davey  8:52  
Maybe then after we piggyback and we go on to Question three, because that would be a perfect segue. It's, How do you push through on a hard day? Okay? And then we can go back, unless you want to do question two?

Chloe C  9:05  
What is Question three?

Zoe Davey  9:10  
Question three is, how do you push through on a hard day when the going gets tough? What? What are your ways of pushing through?

Chloe C  9:18  
Um, so David actually has this quote that he says all the time, and it's really and I want to say this right? I'm going to try and say it, and then I'm going to make sure it's right. What is it? Leave nothing for tomorrow, which leave nothing for tomorrow, which can be done today. Abraham Lincoln, oh, we like that. And I really hold it like quite close to my heart, honestly, as I continue to, like do this and start to, you know, get deeper into this, I'm a solo artist. I. Uh, the work comes out of my hands. Like, yes, there's times where I have assistance and they can do, you know, block colouring and stuff like that. But whatever I don't do today, if I want to be lazy today, I'm going to pay for that tomorrow. Yeah, I and it can really start to become a knock on effect, and that really affects me with burnout. So, yeah, I I am. It's kind of funny, like, I do feel like quite a lazy girl at heart, and it is hard to kind of push through sometimes when all you want to do is just go home and just, like, watch something on Netflix. But I just, I just know that if I don't do it today, it's tomorrow's problem, and then that will be the next day's problem. And it kind of like weirdly pushes me to keep going. It just makes me do that extra, you know, that extra 20 minutes that tomorrow, you know, and 20 minutes every single day you've lost another hour. And then, you know, that's that Friday feeling when I want to actually go home. I've kind of been through that. So I guess it's all about just trying to find the balance, listening, obviously, to your body. And I guess this does actually kind of go into like question four as well. Yes, yes, like that. I'm getting older. My body is not getting younger. I'm trying to get fitter right now. I'm trying to be better about listening to my body, but it really has been a game changer, especially for women. Following your cycle, I think is one of the most important things that you can do, because me, in my luteal phase, all I want to do is scream and cry. I don't want to be understanding to be I don't want to be dealing with bugs. I don't want to, you know, think no matter what industry you're in, I definitely think women should do that, because we are absolutely beating ourselves raw trying to keep up with men who have cortisol levels that get reset every 24 hours. We're just different creatures. And I just, I wish that every woman would give themselves the grace that I'm a bit of a hypocrite. I don't always do this. I sometimes have headlines, you know, I sometimes have to push a little bit harder. But if I could preach from the mountain tops, listen to your body. Listen to when you need rest, listen to what hurts and what you can do. You know it's like, oh yes, self care. It's just some face masks that's put some conditioning treatment on our hair. It's so much deeper than that. It's listening then checking in with yourself. Every single day, I find myself often, and more often than not, like, in a bad mood and trying to figure out the the core of that is it my body saying, oh, I need, I need to rest. Oh, my body's like, irritated, like, everything that you need is within you. I feel like, and maybe I sound like a crazy, crazy lady at this point, but like

Zoe Davey  13:01  
I'll join you!

Chloe C  13:03  
Your body knows what it needs. And I am really trying to, like, yesterday, it we had tornado warnings yesterday, and it was crazy. And I just said, okay, my body needs to rest. And I even joke about it. It's my forced relaxation. I sit there, and I will make myself just sit there, and it's like, I just wait for my body to, like, soak in and just appreciate it. I also think there's a lot of like, good with like, meditation and all that kind of stuff as well. But that's a whole 'nother. That's a whole 'nother conversation. I like it, though. Just take care of is that so obviously, yourself, learn how to listen to your body and then actually listen to your body, and then actually do the things that your body kind of needs you to do before everybody else who's up at 5am and doing this and drinking this and doing everything that's so good like Do what makes you happy? Sometimes I'm barely surviving, so

Zoe Davey  14:04  
We're just doing our best.

Perfect. Well, what was, Oh, we're going back to two then what were the biggest challenges you faced on that project? So we kind of covered them going back to the first mural project. But what was the biggest challenge for you? Do you think 

Chloe C  14:24  
Bugs.

Zoe Davey  14:28  
 Bugs?!

Chloe C  14:30  
So many bugs. There's so many spiders, outdoors, outdoors, flying creatures and like, I don't really care for them, but it was just constantly. No, that was that was definitely not ideal, obviously painted in summer, when the lights come on at night, it's 

Zoe Davey  14:58  
Oh,my God. I. Had not even considered that that's wild. I did paint outside for pretty much the first time with acrylics the other day, and there were a few, but I imagine over there, it is a little bit Wilder.

Chloe C  15:13  
I was led over to America. Was not informed about them - horrendous.

Zoe Davey  15:18  
God damn it, David, you didn't inform her?

Amazing. What made you say yes to the first mural or creative or creative opportunity that you did? What made you say yeah?

Chloe C  15:33  
Can I swear?

Zoe Davey  15:34  
Yeah.

Chloe C  15:34  
 Why the fuck not? Yeah?

Zoe Davey  15:38  
 I agree.

Chloe C  15:39  
 I just, I'm, at that point in life, like I'm a take opportunities. I, you know, we get presented with these weird and wild things every day, and some of them can feel scary. Some of them, one right now, yeah, like this is literally to be on podcasts and stuff. And I'm just like, I am not. 

Zoe Davey  16:03  
Well, you clearly are. You're doing some great answers.

Chloe C  16:08  
And if I can do something that benefits other people as well, but women like, it's kind of funny around here late. I mean, there's, there's a lot of artists who have a lot of egos, and that's like a global thing, but just trying to find people who have, like, similar mindsets, and just, we all got to eat. We all want to eat. Why can't we all eat? You know, it's like, I really want to support everybody, and it doesn't have to be like, this petty thing and like so just fucking vibe, and we all have different skill sets. Let's come together. 

Zoe Davey  16:44  
-sings- Yes, collaborate and listen.

Chloe C  16:49  
Yes. Why not? 

Zoe Davey  16:54  
Indeed. 

Number six, we're firing through these. I'm going to check what time we're on. What time are we on? It doesn't tell you we're in the zone. Excellent. What? Where's my I can't read number six. What do you-This is my favorite little question that came up with- what do you think little you as in, like you as I don't know, maybe like 6, 7, 8, would say about the work you do now?

Chloe C  17:22  
You know, I got a little bit like, when I read your questions, I like, a little bit teared. I thought that one, oh, I think she'd just be really happy that she's doing something that's just me. You know, I just feel like we all again, we take these opportunities in life. And I got to a point, you know, had my fancy corporate job, everything was good, but I just wasn't happy. I just wasn't where I thought I wanted to be in life, and I didn't know where I wanted to be. I spent my life just thinking I'd be kind of a bit of just a floater. I've never really had like a secure friendship group. I've got my family and stuff, but I've just always been a bit of a lone wolf, so I knew that whatever I did do, I needed that to kind of fill that little bit that I always felt safe, and I've always felt safe when I'm on my own, because I only have to worry about myself, and that's clearly some therapist talk. 

Zoe Davey  18:25  
I'll make a note of that one down for you.

Chloe C  18:31  
I think she'd be really proud. I didn't, I didn't even know I would live this long. Yeah, think I'd make it, and I keep seeing milestones, and it's it's really cool, and I keep pushing, and I keep making cool stuff, and I keep doing cool stuff, so better not stop now.

Zoe Davey  18:53  
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being really honest with that answer. You could have just said anything, and you gave me your heart.

Chloe C  19:00  
And that was because you said it my whole body -visibly wiping tears-

Zoe Davey  19:05  
Well, that's how you know it's true. That's how you know it's the good stuff. Yeah. So what do you wish more people knew about the process behind your work?

Chloe C  19:19  
Everything?

Just just the care, attention, love, devotion, that I will put into what I do, like I don't. There's not many things unless, like, you're a real prick to me. I'm going to give you my everything. Like you really have to, like, be an asshole to me, for me to, like, start not giving you my fault. Yeah. Wait, what was the question again, my brain just...

Zoe Davey  19:50  
 I think the question was, what do you wish people knew? Yeah, what do you wish more about the process behind it?

Chloe C  19:56  
Yeah, just the work that goes in behind. Scenes, the admin, the putting in every single receipt that I've ever spent on any kind of pain, figuring out how to be a business owner, because this is my first year full time. I still don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm figuring it out every day, and...

Zoe Davey  20:21  
...clearly something's working.

Chloe C  20:24  
I just wish people would give me the support and appreciate artists and the time and effort that does go in, because I will forever wear mug across my forehead. If I could do everything for free, I would, yeah.

Zoe Davey  20:38  
But we can't. We can't eat that way.

Chloe C  20:42  
I could do this, like, just as a philanthropy thing, that would be awesome. Maybe one day, that is where, maybe one day, because I hate talking about money, but we gotta eat.

Zoe Davey  20:53  
We have to eat, we have to pay for houses. We have to put clothes on our bags because we get arrested otherwise, you know? 

Chloe C  21:00  
Yeah, I guess that's the thing. A lot of people come to me and go, Well, I could do that. And I'm like, Well, go on. And then, well, you know, the cost of this, the cost of that, the cost of that, they can't seem to think of all the things like I, I was painting a mural, what, three days ago, and a guy came over. He was a general contractor, and I had four brushes laying on the floor. He was like, why have you got $200 just spilled out on the floor like that? And I went, Oh, you actually understand the value of things. 

Zoe Davey  21:36  
That's really cool, my friend, I saw something in my friend's story the other day that was like someone had asked, like, oh, you're a photographer. Do you just do that for fun or whatever? And then it was like, No, I just go to places with 300 300 Wait, 3000 pounds worth of equipment just hanging off me and try and make friends with toddlers for fun. No, of course, it's my job. But yeah, it's like when someone realizes how either how much time something takes, how much something costs, or how much effort and understanding and trial and error, how many times you failed before you got to that point when they recognize that, oh, that's a good day. That's a nice day. That's almost better than a pat on the back. It's a I see, I see what's going on here.

Chloe C  22:26  
I do. I mean, like, when I do my abstract stuff, a lot of people, that's where you really start to get the oh, well, I could do that. 

Zoe Davey  22:33  
Like, what the pain pouring thing, it looks amazing?!

Chloe C  22:36  
Just abstract work in general. Like, yeah, sometimes stuff only does take me two hours, and, yeah, charge you $1,000 for it, because that's how many times before, years and years and years learning all these different things to get me to that point. And it's just like anything. I just wished artists were kind of treated like general contractors. That's kind of where I feel in the same vein, yeah, yeah. 

Zoe Davey  23:05  
Never questioned a plumber. Never questioned a plumber in my life.

Chloe C  23:09  
Weird, isn't it? I can't believe we've made

Zoe Davey  23:12  
It has come to the last question, but we have, is there a moment in your creative journey that changed everything for you. 

Chloe C  23:23  
I was thinking about really, like trying to think of like something profound,

Zoe Davey  23:32  
It's okay, if there's nothing.

Chloe C  23:35  
I think it's kind of been like a slow burn more than anything. Yeah, I feel like every single little thing that I've done, I mean, I will say that working at the nonprofit, opened up a lot of doors, met a couple of people. I mean, yeah, just definitely, just through the years, just kind of, you know, building it up, building it, building it up. And like, now I'm at a point where, like, I'll go on Facebook every day and somebody's tagged me about a project, and like, I feel like just getting that reputation. And, yeah, you know, it's, I could lose that reputation in one day. I could do something, say something like, you know, cancel culture, like, and as a 90s baby, it can, it can be hard sometimes to find, like, where the wokeness is, and like what I can and can't say. I feel like, since moving to America, I was kind of given a, like, a bit of a second chance. I got to become the person that I know I am without all the past and everybody else's opinions and all that kind of stuff, you know, and it made me realize that I am a good person, and I want to do good in the world. And since that really it's just motivated me to want to do more. And I think within. Motivation comes that, you know, just it tumble. It's a big Tumbleweed of feelings and emotions to it.

Zoe Davey  25:11  
Doesn't have to be a movie moment right?

Chloe C  25:13  
 Sometimes, on and on and on, little meet cute, where everything just kind of went. You're a magical artist. 

Zoe Davey  25:21  
It's now, like, congratulations, but like, it's today, you're a magical artist. 

Chloe C  25:26  
Now, I feel like I've worked really hard over the like, I mean, I went to art school, I did all that good. 

Zoe Davey  25:36  
You did.

Chloe C  25:38  
Everything has just come out to this point where it was supposed to be. And again, I'm floating in a random country, in a random town, and my name's on buildings, and it's just, it's bizarre, but amazing. So yeah, definitely no magic firework moment, just a nice little slow Ember that's growing, and I hope it just keeps growing, because we should I want this to go to glow, glow forever with a because you're glowing right now, because this is so bright, the sun's just come out for the first time.

Zoe Davey  26:15  
Oh my gosh. Um, thank you. Thank you. That's not going to cover it. It's not going to cover it. It's it because, like, you need the people in your life who take a chance, and you take a chance of me all the time, so and now you're doing this for me. A special wish that this recorded properly. Wish with me. Ready? Please, please, please. -Chloe wishes, fingers crossed, on camera-. And then I had the little thing pop up that was like, You need to upgrade if you want to do 10 more minutes worth of speaking. I was like, I think the takeaways from this will be so lovely, because you've been so honest and so just full of joy about it all. And I think that shines through at the end of the day, even though things get really rough and like life is trying. Like, the thing that keeps shining through is that you love doing this stuff, and you love making beautiful things for people. And like, if you can keep doing that, then you're gonna pretty happy be

Chloe C  27:17  
I wanna, I want people to smile. Like, I mean, somebody almost crashed the car yesterday, and a policeman went like the wrong way yesterday, just because they're looking at my work and I that's one thing of a town where I don't think people understand general laws, but that's okay.

Zoe Davey  27:39  
I mean, that's a high compliment

Chloe C  27:41  
Oh God, Ohio now.

Zoe Davey  27:44  
So I think we'll carry on. Go, go.

Chloe C  27:50  
You inspire me again. The fact that you you have shown that you know, just because it doesn't always go the way you want it to the first time. Like tenacity, Zoe is it's all inspiring. It really we're doing this. Like, I just, we all have like things that we can, like, look up to, and like, just, I don't know, I love your style. I love how you can just bash it out and not overthink stuff, like everything that like, I wished I could do, like you just do it. You don't worry. You just do how do

Zoe Davey  28:28  
Oh how do you a how do you know I don't worry? You interview me one day. I'll tell you!

Chloe C  28:34  
You finished a painting. Zoe, 

Zoe Davey  28:37  
Oh, that is true.

Chloe C  28:38  
 I have ones, but I can finish them.

Zoe Davey  28:41  
But I'll get on you after we finish this, this interview, in a second, I'll harass you about finishing some art. How about that?

Chloe C  28:47  
Yeah, I mean, I'm getting my studio space set up right now, so I'm kind of, I can't wait to see that journey and where that all goes and my canvases have gone so like that's happening in the next you fully, fully talked, amazing, right? 

Zoe Davey  29:04  
Where can people find you if they don't know who you are or they don't already follow you? 

Chloe C  29:08  
They can find me on Facebook, on Instagram and Chloe Chicarelli Instagram at, just at, it's just because I sometimes put stuff on Tiktok. I am not the biggest social media girl.

Zoe Davey  29:25  
Want to we'll get there. You're a great example of someone who is bossing it without having to completely follow the norm. So that's okay. If there's people out there who are like, I don't know it, you're in that boat too, and you're still smashing it. 

Chloe C  29:41  
So okay, as the ex social media manager, I don't want to, I don't want to be there. And if you mural, I am International, you can go on my website, submit request, www.chloechicarelli.com,

Zoe Davey  29:57  
Oh my gosh. I want to see where this leads. I'm very curious. Trying to edit like that. All right, we're gonna end it now. Thank you for listening to everyone. Bye.

Recently I was at a life drawing 'event'.
Ok, it was a Hen Do.
But I do regularly go to life drawing classes when I can.

And the model was offering out charcoal to sketch with.
A 'proper art tool' in my mind.
The pressure was on all of a sudden.
Make something good - it's a 'proper' tool.

So I turned around and I picked up a grey felt tip pen and immediately felt a lot calmer.
Felt tips are for making a mess.
Felt tips are for expression.
Felt tips ask for bold moves but without the judgement.

I am aware this is slightly ridiculous.
You could think the exact same way about charcoal.

I fully recommend changing up your tools to see what clicks.
For years I painted in watercolour and never really anything else.
I tried acrylic and I loved the depth of colours it gave and the fast drying (I'm a little impatient - adhd).

Sketching in HB pencils felt awful.
I was aiming for a finished line art straight away - it took too long to make marks and most importantly - I could erase it.
Meaning I would get stuck in this cycle of make a mark - rub it out.
Not learning to trust what I was drawing or forgive myself for mistakes.

But felt tips - that's for some big boy moves.
And.
It's seen as a 'kids' art tool.
Somehow - in my head, it takes the pressure off.

I use felt tips a lot in my digital line art - I love the textures it brings both in the sketch and line art.
I never really got on with digital pens - couldn't find a flow.
So my digital work is like a collage of hand-drawn parts and Photoshop.

Look, I'm all one for some cool insight.
But I am aware of how much a stretch "daily yoga helped me start my business" sounds.

Up there is a post-it covered in stickers.
It's how I track my yoga practice - I hesitate to say 'daily' as that's not completely true - but I try my best to show up every day to the mat every day.

I've followed the Yoga calendars.
Done the random spin and pick.
Searched key words for what I felt I needed on that day.

On the good days - you feel great.
On the average days - it's 20 minutes that you know is good for you.
On the bad days - you still get a sticker anyway.'
On the worst days - you definitely need it the most.

I'd decided to start this practice this year as I've always been inconsistent with yoga.
I'm a big example of 'tries it for a week and then has to give up because something else comes along'.
I realised the habits I had built which stuck were the ones I did every. single. day.
(or at least plan to and keep coming back to)
The difference being  -

Yes, it's nice for exercise and a moment of calm each day.
I've done it solely for those separate purposes in the past.
But the practice undeniably soaks into the rest of your lifestyle.

I started to notice I was building mental stamina in the face of stress.
I was staying calmer in a crisis's and I was starting to believe more in my own abilities off the mat.
​The world looks different in downward facing dog.

I've been fitter.
I've been stronger.
And I've been more flexible in the past.
But what I couldn't do was stay consistent.
And that's the part that is more important to me now.

I'd like to add that your reasons are your reasons and they are perfectly dandy indeed.
​I'm not judging here.
I use Adriene because I love her nature and vibe, it's nice to tune in each day for the familiarity - you use whomever or no one - that's up to you.

So what the heck has it got to do with an art business?
Well it's that 'soaking into the rest of your life' part.
Those hard practices, new moves, consistency, gritting and breathing though bad moods, looking at things upside down, turning up every day even no one is checking.
Yep.
All of that is really useful when you're being your own boss.

Knowing your own expectations of yourself.
Being kind when you fall short of them.
And getting up the next day to do it again.

So I'm going to keep going with both.
And I'll either see you on the mat - or in the studio - same difference pal.

and a time consuming business to run behind the scenes.
Ah, the life of a self employed artist in 2025.

I want to make this clear - this is not me complaining.
I thoroughly enjoy a lot of what I am doing.
I love making reels, I love editing long form videos and I actually love updating my website. I don't see it as a chore a lot of the time - more like the extra limb to my art practice.
I enjoy writing this blog, I can find cheer in making social media posts and I adore connecting with people.
Learning the ropes for digital marketing and the absolutely overwhelming intricacies of SEO has taken me a good amount of my time so far and I still have a long way to go!

I try to remind myself daily what it's all for - so I can keep making art and being creative.
I try to keep making it my no.1 priority even when things get super busy/super tech heavy.

Setting up my art shop was not easy - I had no idea I was going to have to understand 3 different platforms in order to outsource.
The successful combination of Printful, Stripe and Weebly felt like an algebra lesson.
​I did that moment out of ratatouille where the critic yeets back to his childhood in his head. Information overload. Help! I want to draw instead! 
Trying to link it all up took a lot of brain power.
I knew setting up a non-outsourced print shop at the moment wasn't a great move for the physical space I'm in. Plus - I'm pretty clumsy and there is paint and glue everywhere in my space...
​In the future - I'd love to.

Learning what SEO is was a minefield too. It took a good few hours on a course before it started to click. I felt the resistance of all this new information on the first day - I was so, so grumpy.
I took myself for a walk like some kind of stir crazy dog.
Grit my teeth kind of stuff.​

Digital marketing also feels like standing on a stage every day going,
"hey guys. it's me again. I do art."
On rough days it's tough - just like any job can be.
I'm constantly resetting my mindset about why I'm doing all of this.

Beyond that - I can already see the potential for burn out in this type of job.
You are doing the work of an entire team.
So, I'm trying to be as patient as possible with my growth with that in mind.
Keep my work/life balance as decent as possible - sitting down each week and each day to see the lay of the land.
​
What is essential?
What can I set to post so I can have my weekend?
How long is this piece going to take?
Trying to ask the smart questions.

But I think most importantly.
What support can I get?

I am very much looking forward to working with The Kings Trust - It's free and for those under 30. (I turned 31 on the 23rd May and I made it in - phew).
- I'll post about it soon to update anyone who is interested.

Finding time and space for creativity again.

I mentioned it in the 'Bury a Friend' behind the scenes video - but making 'photoshoots' is something I've been doing since I was a kid. That - and making YouTube parodies in the summer holidays with friends. The most cherished memories. Just the kids who took a DSLR and random clothes in a bag to a field to simply make stuff.

Doing the same thing recently when I felt the need to change up my reference person (from myself) - it felt like stepping back in time - galivanting around with a bag of outfits and at one point
​- a large fake sword...

​ I've added some examples of baby Zoe and gang below.

I went through many stages with how I felt about this hobby.
I think we all go through those phases that we cringe at as we get older.
But I think I've somehow managed to come full circle!
Because, at the end of the day - it's harmless fun and childlike creativity. Not putting too many structures in place and going - hey - let's make something.

We seemingly had all this 'free time' as kids.
Our brains weren't as full thinking about bills for one!
I think time was more relative, slower even. We got this 6 week block of time we knew was coming each year smack bang in the middle of summer.
I've found the best thing is sticking the photoshoot in my diary and keeping to it. Once my brain recognises 'oh, we're taking this seriously? It's actually in the diary?' - it gets done.
Something else more important will always take over otherwise.
It's not always something more fun either.
But if I know I've scheduled in creative time then I somehow find time to do the hoovering.
They are both 'important'.