We recently had the chance to connect with Chele Archer and have shared our conversation below.
Chele, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I don’t know that I’ve been afraid to do it; it’s more that I’ve put it on the back burner. I’ve put myself on the back burner, and I know how easy that is to do as a mom, a wife, and a creative business owner. But I also see it in artists and business owners who don’t have kids or families. It’s just part of the creative struggle.
As artists, it’s easy to get stuck in our own heads. We’re often our own worst critics, harsh, unforgiving, and sometimes even verbally or physically abusive toward ourselves. Verbally, our self-talk can be incredibly demeaning, and I’ve said horrible things to myself that I would never say to another person. My best friend and I have both been known to say, “Don’t talk to my friend like that,” when we hear each other’s negative thoughts slip out.
Physically, it can look like unintentionally starving yourself during a project, going without sleep from stress or overwork, or skipping out on fun activities because of depression. You name it, I see it within my circle a lot. We are not kind to ourselves.
I travel with a lot of amazing artists and creators, and I’ve noticed that 2025 has really beaten a lot of us down. Many of us are empaths who feel things deeply, and everything happening in the world affects us to our core. It has impacted us even more than 2020 did. You know it’s bad when you’d wish for a rewind to 2020!
2025 is a storm of declining sales, increasing tariffs, and people in general being mentally “off,” rude, and you can feel the collective struggle. Most people keep quiet about it because everyone is in a tough spot right now. There are a few brave souls who speak their truth. I applaud them and their courage, and I try to share when I feel like I have the capacity to do so. I hope that as my journey continues, I can.
I’ve tried to be honest about my own mental health journey, but it’s hard when there are so many keyboard warriors ready to tear you down at the drop of a hat, to tear apart your craft and your character without knowing what’s going on behind the scenes. Because of this, I’ve made it a point to go back to therapy and focus on becoming a better me. I realized I can’t keep going the way I have been. This year, I’ve felt like I’ve been drowning slowly. You can only tread water for so long, you know?
One thing I’ve come to understand is that hurt people hurt people. I don’t want to be one of those people. My goal through my art is to help change that, to bring a little joy and light into a dark world. I hope that when people think of me and my art, it brings a smile to their face.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Chele Archer, and I am the founder of The Boo-tique, a product-based shop that specializes in ‘Appropriately Inappropriate Home Goods’. The Boo-tique operates as a pop-up nationwide at expos, is featured in boutiques across the U.S. through wholesale accounts, and is available online. The brand grew out of my passion for connecting customers with products that make them smile, spark conversation, and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
In addition to The Boo-tique, I run Archer’s Arrows, a branding and consulting venture I founded in 2015. Through Archer’s Arrows, I help small businesses turn ideas into reality with what I call “On Target Branding.” My goal is to guide fellow entrepreneurs while continuing to grow and evolve my own creative ventures. After finding my passion within my own business, I wanted to do the same for others. Why build someone else’s dream when yours is in the palm of your hand? I would rather take your hands and help you create something amazing with it.
I began my entrepreneurial journey while working as a corporate wellness director and general manager for a group of gyms in Northern Colorado. I slowly felt my soul leave my body during this time, and knew that corporate wellness was not where I wanted to spend the rest of my days.
In December 2015, after exceeding company goals, our CEO gave me a personal bonus with one request: “Just do something that furthers your personal goals this next year.” That act of trust inspired me to take the leap into entrepreneurship, and I’ve been building my businesses ever since. Our CEO was a true leader, and his act of kindness and heart of giving has stayed with me since the beginning.
The Boo-tique is at the heart of my journey. It’s where my creativity and vision come alive, allowing me to connect with people through products that bring joy, humor, and a little light into the world. You can find me behind the black and white stripes, slinging my home goods at many Oddities and Curiosities Expo events in multiple states. It is my favorite expo we travel with. We started with them at their first show in 2017. When we are not with OCE, we tend to stick around the Tulsa, Oklahoma area at ‘home town’ shows or Denver, Colorado ‘home town’ shows for smaller events. Our tour schedule can be found on our social media or our website.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Haha, I love this question. When I turned 40, I realized that my “Give a F*ck” button must have broken, or maybe the keyboard got stuck shortly after hitting the big 4-0, because I just don’t care about certain things anymore.
For so long, I worried about causing ripples in the water. I wanted everyone to like me and be okay with me, so I was a bit of a doormat. Enter 40: I threw on my rain boots and stomped in the water, cue the ripples. In my 30s, I learned the power of the word “NO,” which was incredibly empowering. At 40, I’ve learned that I truly don’t care what the collective “you” thinks about me after I’ve said NO. I am who I am. I was made to be wonderfully weird. The difference now is that I don’t care if you embrace my weird, because I do.
I embrace my weird art, my weird sense of humor, and my body. That last one has been one of my biggest struggles, all the pun intended. From early on, I remember being the “big girl,” so naturally, us big girls have to be funny, because what else do we have to offer?
The self-consciousness has served its purpose, and she has left the building.
The Yes woman has served her purpose, and she has left the building.
The doormat has served her purpose, and she has left the building.
The toxic dump station served its purpose, and she has left the building.
40 entered the building, and I am here for her. I’ve released the things that no longer serve me and now welcome, with open arms, all the goodness, love, and creativity the universe has to offer.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Sadly, yes. I almost threw in the towel this summer after some very hurtful things were said to me by a person close to me. In their mind, they were trying to be helpful, but it actually threw me into a really bad place mentally, to the point where I wanted to give up on my business, and if it weren’t for my daughter, my life.
A simple phrase about not using my degrees, the ones I went to school for, spiraled into me actively putting my resume back into the corporate world and accepting interviews. After a few interviews, and even a few job offers that made me so sick I threw up, my husband reminded me that I didn’t have to do this. I didn’t have to look for a job. My business was going on year ten this December and had never experienced a loss. I had let someone literally pry open my brain, dump negativity in it, and accept it as fact.
My best friend, also an artist and small business owner, drove four hours to talk me off a ledge, let me ugly cry, and help me straighten my crown. Between the two of them, I was able to get back on my feet and rebound into designing some truly amazing things this fall that I am very proud of.
I think I let it get to me because of who this person was to me, but also because, as an artist, I struggle with severe imposter syndrome. Being on the brink of burnout created the perfect storm that almost took me out. It is a reminder to be kind to people, your words truly have an effect on them.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
I think hustle culture is killing us. It’s burning us out and creating an unattainable image that we can never achieve. We’ve created this myth that hustling harder will get you further, make you richer, make you happier. I can 100 percent say this is complete bullsh*t. My husband and I have been working since we were teenagers, and we were always told that working hard would pay off.
Hustle culture has resulted in burnout, autoimmune disease, social isolation, stress, sleep deprivation, neglect of self-care, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and a horrible work-life balance. These are just what I’ve seen in my own life and inner circle.
I’ve seen missed birthdays, missed anniversaries, or attempts to make them up with a crappy card, a case of beer, and an “IOU” that is never fulfilled. I’ve seen people chasing sticks with carrots dangled in front of them, only to find the carrot was rotten all along—or even worse, never even there to begin with.
I’ve lost close relationships to the hustle because people lost themselves completely. This myth of ‘Hustle’ is just not it… I’m here to tell you DO NOT FALL FOR IT!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing?
I think I’ll always wonder what could have been if I had done more before my daughter was born. When I was younger, I let a lot of fear hold me back, and I allowed naysayers to have too much influence over what I did and didn’t do. I let outside voices hold me back from creating my weird, authentic art. If I had put my foot on the gas from the start, I think I would be further along today.
That said, I don’t believe in living life with regret. Life is all lessons. No regrets here. Moving forward, when opportunities come my way, I try to strike without hesitation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theboo-tique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebootiquebychele
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebootiquebychele
