We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chad Rea. Check out our conversation below.
Chad, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
Standing up for myself and holding healthy boundaries is something I practice every day, and it isn’t always easy. Living in a close-knit community means people notice when you choose a different path, and sometimes that can invite misunderstanding. But I’ve learned that integrity matters more than approval. The brighter your light shines, the more some will try to dim it—and that’s okay. My job is to stay true to my values, keep creating, and keep showing up with joy. I’d rather be the flame than the moth. The right people will always find their way to the light, and truth has a way of revealing itself on its own.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a conceptual artist and creative director who spent decades creating buzz-worthy campaigns and activations for brands like Nike, MTV, Target, and Starbucks before realizing my favorite brand might be joy itself. That realization led me to launch Cult of Happy earlier this year in Lockhart, Texas—a small town better known for barbecue than art that feeds the soul.
Cult of Happy is an art-led joy rebellion that reimagines what a gallery can be in the 21st century. It’s part showroom, part membership community, and part emotional-wellness lab—a living canvas where art, design, and community come together to spark connection and hope. Inside, you’ll find original paintings, limited-edition prints, wearables, and interactive works, all created to uplift and disrupt cultural negativity with human insights and humor.
My background in unconventional advertising, higher education, and spiritual psychology informs everything I do—from functional art to public installations to my weekly Cult of Creativity radio show. Whether you’re a collector, a brand, or simply curious, Cult of Happy is proof that creativity can transform spaces, communities, and lives—and hopefully leave you a little lighter than when you walked in.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
The first person who comes to mind is my stepfather, who taught me that if I wanted anything in life, I’d have to work for it. My grandmother fueled my creative side from the very beginning, encouraging me to draw, paint, and imagine without limits. Much of the way I write was shaped by my first creative director in advertising, who showed me how to be poetic, provocative, and philosophical in as few words as possible. Beyond those influences—and there are many more—most of what I’ve learned has come from fearless trial and error: observing, experimenting, figuring things out by doing, and occasionally failing spectacularly.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
All. The. Time. I mean, not completely, but I pretty much quit something every day—and if I’m not quitting, I’m probably thinking about it. It’s an art form. As Kenny Rogers said, ‘You gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em,’ and I’m still figuring that out as I go. Sometimes I’ve quit too soon—like a business idea that was just a few years ahead of its time. Other times I’ve stayed too long, like in a job that didn’t value my worth. And occasionally I quit something only to circle back later; I do that a lot with paintings. In the end, quitting isn’t failure—it’s just a series of choices on the same twisting, turning path we call life. Go on, be a quitter. You can always quit that later, too.
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. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Authentic self-expression. Full stop. There’s nothing more important to me than protecting the right for every person to show up as who they truly are. Nothing lights me up more than helping others share their gifts with the world in a way that feels honest and uniquely theirs.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
Honestly, I don’t know what my legacy will be—or if it even matters. I think it depends on where someone was in their own life when our paths crossed. Like everyone having a human experience, I’ve just been doing the best I can with the tools I had at the time, and I didn’t always have the right ones. Earning a certificate in Advanced Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica gave me some powerful tools a few years ago, but the work is never finished. Healing is like peeling an onion: every time you release one layer, another one appears, inviting you to go deeper. If anything, I hope it’s that I left more joy, creativity, and possibility in the world than I found—and that even when my approach wasn’t perfect, my intentions were always rooted in wanting people to grow and succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cultofhappy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cult.of.happy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadrea/
Image Credits
Stevan Alcala (Portrait)
