We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beth Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beth below.

Beth, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am definitely happiest when I am creating, whether that be writing, painting, or making jewelry. I love working with my hands and watching my imagination become a physical completed piece. Right now, I’m teaching at an elementary school full time and use whatever free time I have to work on my own projects when I can. I enjoy teaching the kids that creativity is a skill worth pursuing even if they aren’t interested in the arts.
Sometimes I wish that I went into a different field of work, if only for job security and finances. The first time I really thought about what I wanted to do with my life, was after I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) with my Art Education BA earlier this year. I hadn’t gotten a teaching position yet and I was really debating if it was something I wanted to do. It’s just so hard for artists to make it big right now because not only do you have to be the creative, you have to market yourself and your work, and be a business. It seems to make it as an artist, we are expected to produce constantly and make content for social media daily. And that can be too much if you don’t know where to start or how to keep up with the demand of an online presence.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Beth Anderson. I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. I’ve always liked drawing and painting. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I graduated high school, so I took a gap year and that’s when I really started painting. I started pursuing the arts when I began my undergraduate degree at UCO. I enjoy being creative in many ways so I don’t limit myself to one medium. I took all sorts of classes and genuinely enjoyed all of them. I ended up taking a break from creative pursuits and finished my undergrad History degree at UCO in 2020. Then I moved to London for two years and earned an MRes in History and an MA in Creative Writing. It was there that I started working digitally more often because of the convenience.

When I moved back to Oklahoma in 2022, I decided to start designing and selling stickers through Etsy. I also started a BA in Art Education at the same time. I had taught a few painting classes and enjoyed showing people that being creative isn’t as hard as everyone may think it is. When I returned to UCO, I still had some art classes to take before I could graduate. Two of the classes I enjoyed the most were Ceramics and Jewelry / Metalsmithing. Since those classes, I have put a lot of effort into creating in both mediums when I can. I now have a website which serves as a gallery and shop for my artwork, including paintings, prints, ceramic pieces, and jewelry. I also complete custom orders for stickers and jewelry when I can.

I’ve noticed that many people find their niche and explore their creative interests in a chosen primary medium. For me, I’ve never been able to settle into just one medium. I like working with whatever I can get my hands on. I’ve worked in sculpture with wire, clay, wood and other materials. I make jewelry, draw, paint, weave, create digitally, write, and use mixed media to make whatever idea I have come to life.

I’m most proud of my accomplishments in academia and when someone from another part of the world likes my art so much, that they want a piece of it for themselves. I’m constantly floored anytime someone from another state or country orders one of my stickers.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started my first undergrad degree in 2014 at UCO, I chose to be a studio art major. Most of the time, filling my schedule was easy, however, the further you get into the degree, the harder it becomes to organize your schedule with available classes. In the spring of 2016, I was signed up to take my first ceramics class but they canceled it due to low enrollment. I had to scramble to find a class that fit into my schedule to keep my class load at 12 credits. I signed up for a random history course that I knew nothing about. I thought, well, I like history and I do well in that subject, so this works perfectly. Taking that class changed my life.
The professor, Dr. Jessica Sheetz-Nguyen was so excited to have an art major in the class. She was determined to get me to London through UCO’s travel programs. And I went. I signed up for the London-Dublin study tour and the Applied Research class in London. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into for the research class. I was running blind at full speed. I had no idea what I was doing but she was so patient and encouraged me to find something that interested me. Once we were in London, I randomly found a book about war artists in the First and Second World War and that started a long term investment into research for me. I enjoyed the research and the writing so much that I switched majors. I still took art classes every semester, but I spent most of my time in the history department. That research took me to conferences all over the United States and abroad. I’ve presented that research in the form of papers and posters at various conferences. Then when I graduated from UCO in 2020, I applied for a graduate program at the University of Roehampton in London, UK. I moved to another country in the middle of the pandemic.

I completed the MRes History program and decided I wasn’t finished so I stayed to complete a Creative Writing MA. Even while I was there, I still put time aside to be creative whenever I could. I started working on my iPad more and that’s when I started designing stickers.

Taking that class completely changed the way my life was heading. I have no idea how different my life would be if I had picked a different class. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Taking that class and getting into history, doing research, and presenting at conferences built up my confidence. All of those experiences have made me who I am today.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the reactions of people when they see or acquire something I’ve made. Making another person happy with a sticker, painting, or piece of jewelry I’ve made makes me feel complete. I feel like I’ve impacted the world around me without the intention of doing so. I just like to make things and if those things make people happy, then it makes me happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nobodysbusiness.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nobodysbusinessco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557236551566