We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anastasia Saenz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anastasia below.
Anastasia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
When I was a young adult in my early twenties, I thought owning a small business would be enjoyable and that creating something with my artistic skills would make me feel accomplished. I remember going to shops with my family and friends and seeing all the cute things that were in style. My family would say, “This is so cute. You can do this. You love creating art!” I enjoyed making things so I thought I would try and start a business. However, I did not know how to start one or what its purpose would be. When Etsy first opened as a place for selling handmade products, I thought, “Here’s my chance. It should be easy to start an Etsy shop!” But this was far from true! I had no idea what kind of shop to open or what its purpose would be. It was so difficult for me to come up with an idea that I ended up putting that goal aside for the time and instead focused on going to school and getting my degree in Art and Education.
It wasn’t until after I began teaching that my business idea finally came to me. It was my first year as an Art teacher and I was excited to start planning my days and weeks with my brand new teacher planner. I went to all the online and in person stores hoping to find fun planner stickers for Art teachers, but I couldn’t find any. Everything I found was either too generic or it was meant for Generalist teachers, not Art teachers like me. After searching for months, I decided to put my Art skills to the test and designed my own stickers. For the first few years, I just made stickers for myself, but when I went to Art meetings with other teachers around the city, they all loved what I created. They shared the same difficulties as me of being unable to find anything specific to their needs that would help them plan their lessons, conferences, art shows, parent teacher meetings, and other events unique to them. They asked if I would be willing to make some stickers for them. That’s when I knew I had a product that could actually help people.
I set up my Etsy shop soon after and have been making stickers and other products to help teachers ever since. My business has expanded from planner stickers to waterproof stickers, lanyards, badge reels, T-shirts, and even earrings that are specifically for teachers and that can’t be found anywhere else and that make teachers feel special and unique. I continue working to expand my product line to include every type of teacher, whether they be Art, Music, Math, English, Speech Specialist, Geography, Special Education, and others. My goal is to be the number one shop for all the cute and unique gifts for teachers that make them feel special and valued.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I began my business journey in November 2019, right before the pandemic. I was an Elementary Art teacher for 11 years and I had a passion for teaching young artists the basic Elements of Art, Principles of Design, Art History, and how to use various art mediums. I wanted to show my students that Art isn’t just something to do for fun, but something that can help them pursue their future career. I also liked everything to be organized in my own creative way. I loved color coding and labeling my art supplies, teaching materials, and most of all, my teacher planner. I remember when planners became popular and came with cute stickers; I imagined there had to be stickers for Art teachers. However, there was no such thing. This is what made me start my small business, Art & Soul TX Design.
When I started this small business, I started slow and created my own Etsy shop with just a few products only for Art teachers. I remember feeling nervous when I first opened the shop because I had no business background, just an Art and Education background. I wasn’t much of a techy person either. But, when other Art teachers and colleagues saw my stickers in my planner, they loved what I made and thought it would help them plan their busy days. This is what inspired me to keep going.
Next, the Music teacher on my team loved my planner sticker idea and requested a custom design just for her. Then it was the P.E. coach, then the Counselor, Librarian, and pretty much everybody on my team! As my business started to grow, teachers in my family requested that I make things beyond the Discovery team and make English and Computer stickers for them. This is when I began to think, why not make stuff for all teachers, specific to their classroom needs. Over time, I realized teachers didn’t just need stickers, but also needed other things to make them feel cute, stylish, and unique, such as lanyards, badge reels, vinyl stickers, and even T-shirts! I now make ALL things for teachers.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn the habits of being a professional artist and had to learn to become an amateur one. Here’s why. In college, I got my Art degree with a focus in oil painting. I learned all the techniques for making two-dimensional shapes into a three-dimensional perspective, for mixing colors, adding tint and shade value, and including textures, all while building layers on my canvas. My art style was bright, colorful, and realistic still-life portraits. I loved painting and expressing my feelings on a canvas. However, I wanted something more than just creating art. I wanted to teach Art to young educators from early childhood (EC) through fifth grade. So, I received my Art teaching certification and became an Elementary Art teacher in 2011, where for 11 years I taught students the basic Elements of Art, Principles of Designs, Art History, and various art mediums. I wanted to show my students that Art isn’t just something to do for fun or as an elective, but something that can help them pursue their future career. Art can lead to many careers from architect, videogame designer, interior designer, movie director, book illustrator, Art teacher, and more.
I loved my job and was happy to teach my students and see them thrive, but then the pandemic hit in 2020 and we all had to stay home and do virtual learning. This was my introduction to becoming a digital artist, something I never thought I would say. From teaching in a hands-on, in-person environment to an asynchronous virtual learning environment, I had to learn how to use various tech apps to communicate to students, parents, and guardians and know what kind of lessons to instruct due to the limited supplies they would have access to at home. To create an Art lesson, I learned how to attach my PowerPoint presentations into a movie story, how to record myself reading the slides while the slides were playing, attach a recorded video of me demonstrating how to make the project from beginning to end, and most importantly putting it all together to create one video lesson. Once I approved the video, I then would post it to share with my students, parents, and guardians. This is when students and even parents would participate in the lesson and send me an image of their amazing artwork they learned. Now, to the readers who are reading this, you’re probably thinking this sounds easy, but for a person like me who isn’t techy at all, I was very proud of myself. I never felt comfortable with technology even when I was in grade school. It just didn’t interest me. By the end of the school year, I felt accomplished. I will say one thing about the pandemic. It helped push me out of my comfort zone and I learned new skills that I never thought I would need.
Moving forward to today, Digital Art is now my new art medium. I decided to continue to improve my technology skills during the summer break. I began by teaching myself how to draw graphic art designs on my iPad through various tech applications. I’m not going to lie, I thought drawing on an iPad would be as easy as on paper with pencil, but it wasn’t. Drawing on a glass screen is harder than it looks. I actually had to go back to the basic lines, shapes, and colors, and it took me days and even weeks to figure out how to create just one simple image, and even that turned out awkward. Making digital art was nothing like making oil paintings, but like I always told my students, never give up and always keep trying, and that’s what I did. I continued to practice, even when frustrated, and now my digital drawings have improved tremendously. I can now draw shapes with smooth lines and edges, build and blend colors, and create one graphic image within just hours. Unlearning oil painting and learning the basics of digital art is what helped me start my small business for teachers!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My most rewarding aspect is building a business that appreciates teachers in today’s society. Because I was an Art teacher who couldn’t find specific products for my teaching needs, I knew I had to be creative and make my own. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without the passion I had for Art growing up. I remember as a child, there was never a time I wanted to stop making art. I loved to draw, make jewelry, and paint on paper and canvas, all of which I still do today. During my adolescent years, I saw art in a different way. I viewed it as an important element in our lives. I saw art just as important as literature, mathematics, science, and history. Perhaps more important because those things wouldn’t happen without creativity. Being creative can lead to possibilities, such as starting and running a meaningful business. I am proud of building a brand that focuses on educators, and for what it’s become, and can’t wait to see how it will continue to grow through my creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artsoultx.com
- Instagram: @artsoultx
- Other: Pinterest: artsoultxdesign
Alignable.com: https://www.alignable.com/san-antonio-tx/art-soul-tx-design-llc
