This story is part of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which details how people around the world earn, spend and save their money.
Orissa Kelly has a unique talent — and she's turned it into a six-figure career.
Last year, the 28-year-old brought in about $130,000 performing as a "foot archer." Although she lives in Nashville, Tennessee, she performs around the world.
If you've never heard of a foot archer, it's probably because it's a skill Kelly taught herself. She uses her feet to shoot a bow and arrow while in a handstand position. Sometimes, the arrows are on fire.
"I basically shoot flaming arrows with my feet in handstand and I perform that for a living," she tells CNBC Make It. "My act involves me doing a variety of acrobatic trick shots and handstands and contortion."
Kelly previously lived and performed in England, where she's from originally, but decided to move to the United States in 2020 while visiting.
"One day I was meant to get on my flight home to London. And I realized I see a really big opportunity for my career here," she says. "I decided, 'This is it. I want to live in the U.S.' And my career has just blown up since."
Kelly is self-employed and charges anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 for shows. In addition to private events, she's also performed on television and during NBA halftime shows.
"I want to make sure that I'm accessible and can perform such wonderful events, but I also have to value my work and how hard I train," she says.
From gymnast to acrobat to foot archer
Before becoming a foot archer, Kelly did gymnastics, starting at age 3. Growing up, her family didn't have a lot of money, so gymnastics classes were one of the few luxuries her parents could afford.
"Paying for my gymnastics classes was the best my parents could give to me," she says. "I'm so grateful that they managed to pile their money to do that because that's the reason I have my job now."
After her dad passed away suddenly when Kelly was 12, her mom took on three different jobs "just to pay for us to be able to eat," Kelly says. Still, her mom found a way to be able to continue to pay for her gymnastics classes.
After her dad's death, it became clear to Kelly and her family that life is short, she says. When it came time for her to start her career, her mom was "absolutely adamant" that she do what she love, rather than settling for something more secure.
"As long as I was happy, and going for my dreams, she's been the most supportive person. She's my biggest cheerleader," she says.
Kelly did gymnastics until she was 18, but felt she couldn't "just stop" and not do anything physical anymore. So she tried aerial silks, which involves performing while hanging in mid-air.
Her instructor helped her book aerial gigs, but she wanted to do something "even more different," she says. That's when she taught herself how to do archery with her feet.
"I bought a bow and arrow. I went to a cricket field, which is like a baseball field, and I just taught myself," Kelly says. "I trained six hours a day every single day for six months until I hit my target."
She still continues that training regimen. Although her act lasts just five to 10 minutes, she puts in up to six hours of practicing archery and handstands every day. She also runs three times a week and stretches "constantly" to stay flexible enough to perform.
It's as much physical training as it is mental. In order to hit her target and not injure herself or the audience, Kelly's moves need to be precise. If nerves cause her to shake too much, that affects the bow and arrow and could cause her to miss her target.
When she first began performing, Kelly says her nerves sometimes caused her to miss. But those early failures helped her learn how to control her nerves and use them to help her get better.
"When you fail so much publicly, you become so focused and so strong and so determined," she says.
How she spends her money
Here's how Kelly spent her money in January 2023.
- Food: $1,110 on dining out and groceries
- Transportation: $571 on Uber, Lyft, car payment and gas
- Housing and utilities: $300 payment to friend who rents her a room in their home
- Insurance: $280 for car and health insurance
- Phone: $96
- Discretionary: $53 on books
- Subscriptions: $20 on audiobooks and Spotify
Kelly enjoys going out to eat and sharing meals with friends, and doesn't mind spending money to do so. "Spending money on food is a big habit of mine, and it's probably not a great habit," she says. "But I have so many nice experiences, either meeting people or hanging out with my friends, that I don't regret it."
Her monthly income can be unpredictable, so it's important to her to have a healthy savings account. It's a habit she learned from her mom, who taught her to always have a minimum of $5,000 in savings in case anything were to go wrong. As of January, she has saved more than triple that amount and has about $16,000 in savings.
Growing up in England, planning and saving money for retirement wasn't a common topic of conversation, she says. It wasn't until she arrived in the U.S. that she started to learn about 401(k)s and other retirement planning tools, and plans to sign up for one eventually.
On top of her regular spending, Kelly has a number of business expenses. In January, she spent around $3,500 purchasing her equipment, makeup, costumes, material to decorate her target and her training space.
Another regular expense for Kelly are pedicures and manicures. "Pedicures could technically count as a business expense," she says. "I like to use that as an excuse to get as many as possible."
Looking forward
Although she loves what she does, Kelly knows she won't be able to perform as a foot archer forever.
"It's something that I've known since I began my career, that there is a shelf life — and I'm completely fine with that," she says.
When her foot archery career begins to slow down, Kelly plans to focus on different ways to make money online, such as through writing e-books or creating online courses. She wants to help others make the most of their careers, she says.
Regardless of what the future holds, Kelly is optimistic. "I don't know where I'll be in five or 10 years," she says. "But I do know that I'll be doing what I love, and as long as I'm doing that, then I'm happy."
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