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Top 7 Under 40 nominee Kelsey Chance is no stranger to hard work and lifting up her fellow creatives. As a photographer and business owner, Chance is dedicated to the community and passionate about creating opportunities for other young artists.

“I run Good Chance Creative, a Bellingham-based creative agency mostly doing social media marketing,” says Chance. “I work with really amazing women, a lot of creatives coming out of Western, and we’re creating content for social media channels for different clients while trying to be as creative as possible everyday — it’s really fun.”

Chance went from hobby photography to apprenticing under Dan DeWaard. Photo courtesy Kelsey Chance

When Chance lived in the Willamette Valley after graduating from college in Oregon, she realized the region had a very particular need. “I got pretty into the wine industry when I was living there,” she says. “There were a lot of different wineries that didn’t have any marketing, or never considered social media marketing, so I started Good Chance Creative and filled that niche. I’m from Bellingham originally so, in 2020, I moved up here and started the Bellingham studio.”

Photography is a major part of Chance’s creativity. “I’ve always been a hobby photographer, but I apprenticed under Dan DeWaard and learned a lot about making photography into your professional work, making it a livelihood,” she says. “I guess I sort of refocused. I was working as a paralegal after college and realized I was a little more creative than the average professional, maybe. I’ve always been a creative — I went to art school instead of law school, which was sort of the big decision in my life that determined my trajectory.”

Kelsey is passionate about lifting up fellow female creatives with her Bellingham business Good Chance Creative. Photo courtesy Kelsey Chance

Artistically inclined career paths are not always the easiest road to travel, something Chance understands on a visceral level. “It was really hard to find a sustainable job or a sustainable way to make money as a creative and so I understand those types of job are sort of rare and few and far between,” she says. “As soon as I started the Bellingham studio as a creative space, I started to pay a little closer attention to all the really cool talent that was coming out of the Western design programs. I felt there needed to be more creative agency roles for people who want to go into that work but don’t want to move to Seattle or Portland to do it.”

Through her agency, Chance has the remarkable opportunity to work with clients from all over the globe, making ad content for a variety of brands.

Chance loves the outdoors and spending time with family. Photo courtesy Kelsey Chance

In the community, Chance takes to the time to support other woman and artists, photographers in particular. “I have done a lot of photo work with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, and I did some photo work for an anti-racism community organization,” she says. “Then, I started a photo club at my studio, so that’s been a fun way for photographers to meet monthly and talk about our inspiration and our struggles — honestly, anything.”

Chance also lends out the studio to folks hosting workshops and other community events, even helping co-host an event on International Women’s Day this past March. “The community is really special to me, especially Bellingham, as I was born and raised here,” she says. “In any way that I can, I love to get connected.”

Kelsey and her husband, Spencer, love the Whatcom area and living in the PNW. Photo courtesy Kelsey Chance

Being named one of the Top 7 Under 40 for Whatcom Young Professionals seems to be somewhat of a curveball for the humble business owner. “I’m having a bit of an imposter feeling about it, but it’s pretty exciting and I’m really honored,” says Chance. “I feel like the other nominees are really cool. After having met them and talked to them, I’m very inspired.”

As she looks to the future this fall, Chance is excited to relax into the cozy weather, nursing a torn ACL and bringing new interns from Western on to her roster this month. “I’m excited to help nurture enthusiastic minds who want to get into a creative field with my interns from Western,” she says. “And personally? I am really excited to hunker in my home and cozy up. It was a crazy summer and I just had ACL surgery, so I’m going to lean into that and relax.”

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