4 Questions & a Photoshoot with Chloe Peterson-Foust
4 Questions &
a Photoshoot
with Chloe Peterson-Foust
Chloe Peterson-Foust is multifaceted artist residing in the Southwestern part of the United States.
She is a professional ballet dancer, model and has a background in clinical mental health counseling and early childhood education.
Today we’re showcasing my most recent photoshoot with Chloe, as well as an interview with her that is part of my “Open Hearts, Adaptive Minds” series.
Question I
What’s something you’ve learned that helped you live a better life?
“I think the hardest but most helpful thing I’ve learned is to let go of the idea of control. As someone with OCD, control has been a big comfort (but also a big hindrance) in my life. For a long time, I felt that if I could plan for every possible negative experience/moment/outcome, I could either prevent it from happening or prevent myself from feeling hurt if it did. I think that closed me off from a lot of opportunities, but it also created pressure for myself and other people around me to essentially be perfect. I still struggle with the idea of relinquishing that control, but allowing things to play out as they should is so much less stressful and rigid. Even though it’s scary, understanding that I can’t control everything in my life has come with a lot of peace, understanding, and accountability. It’s opened the door for much more exploration of who I am and how I can interact in the world and with others, and it’s allowed me to grow in change in ways that weren’t possible before.”
Question II
The world often teaches us to close our hearts, what’s a lesson you’ve learned in how to keep your heart open?
“I am an exceedingly open person, and I have been since I was a child. I often tell people I have no secrets, but if I did, you would be able to read them on my face. Obviously, that’s an exaggeration, but I’ve always found it easy to connect with other people because of how much of myself I am willing to share with them. I think there is a healthy balance between how I’ve shared myself with others and how society teaches us to guard ourselves, but I genuinely value the connections you make with people when you are willing to be open and honest with them. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned about opening your heart to others came from my mom: “You can let people on your front porch, but don’t let everyone in your house. Some people will rifle through your drawers and break something.” Because I’ve always been so willing to be open, I’ve struggled with allowing people to step past boundaries that ensure my wellbeing. Opening your heart is important. Having genuine, real connection with other people is essential. Allowing people to rifle through your drawers and break your stuff isn’t a burden you’re responsible for carrying. You have a right to set boundaries to protect yourself, and that doesn’t make you less open. Part of opening your heart up to others is opening your heart up to yourself. Understanding your own experiences, viewpoints, and emotions is just as important as learning those things in relationship with other people.”
Question III
What’s something you do to help other people and the planet thrive?
“One thing that I do to help other people and the planet thrive is to avoid using generative AI. The impacts of large data centers on our environment is significant, and I believe it is irresponsible for the general public to have so much access to AI. I work at a large university, and I am already seeing how LLMs and other generative AI tools are being integrated into software and learning systems. I’m very concerned about this because I believe that daily usage stunts the learning of hard and soft skills that students often learn in the classroom. I also am worried that these tools will encourage professionals to value these skills less, and begin to lose them themselves. The integration of AI tools in the workplace also suggests a society shift where larger workloads are put on employees with the assumption that AI will contribute to their output. If someone can’t complete their work without the help of AI, they have too much work to do. As an artist, I can also see how generative AI content is polluting art spaces and reducing the “value” of human-made art in our society. I try to encourage those around me to reduce (or completely eliminate) AI usage in their lives, engage with hard things, and appreciate art. The human experience lives in all of those things. Allow yourself to move through challenges, connect with others, and experience beauty created by others and nature. We are all creative, strong, capable, and smart enough to get through life without generative AI- we just have to remember that.”
Question IV
Can you recall a time where you had to quickly adapt and change your mind on something that ended up benefitting you?
“Life is a lot of quick decision making that results in consequences and benefits. I generally think very hard about decisions (even down to what I want for dinner), so I feel that a lot of the opportunities I’ve pursued have actually been the result of a quick decision to change my original choice. I do struggle with feeling a lot less efficacy in areas of my life (what I look like, how qualified I am, my abilities to achieve things, etc.) so I often “talk myself out” of situations because they scare me. I work really hard to push myself to try things that I’m afraid of failing at because I have a lot more ability than I believe I do. This has given me some of my best friends, opportunities in dance/art, jobs, and overall life experience that I never would’ve had otherwise. As I’ve explored more of life, I’ve realized how much I could miss out on simply because of the narrative I create in my head. I believe part of finding yourself is learning to trust your own decision making. Learning to know yourself allows you to learn how to push yourself. Growth isn’t always linear, but I’m proud of the steps I’ve taken to pursue it.”
You can follow Chloe on Instagram at @Chloe_Peterson_Foust and keep an eye on the publication for future photoshoots and interviews with her.
Till next time,
-Oliver Endahl