We recently connected with Bethany MacLachlan and have shared our conversation below.
Bethany , appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
A huge risk I took was embracing my multidisciplinary identity rather than choosing just one creative avenue to pursue. I became the landscape designer who also runs a crochet boutique and writes poetry.
On the surface none of these creative outlets tie into one another, and for a long time I struggled to create a brand from that. It wasn’t until I realized that my brand is me, not my individual creative pursuits, that everything came together.
Bethany , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Creativity is second nature to me. I grew up on a farm, surrounded by plants and nature, and was lucky enough to have a mother who taught me to crochet and encouraged my creative pursuits. As a teenager, I discovered poetry and fell in love with writing, using it to process my angsty teenage emotions as well as the world around me. At the same time, I got my first part time job working at a garden centre, not knowing that I would one day pursue a career in horticulture.
After working in the landscape industry for 25+ years, while continuing to take custom crochet orders on the side, I decided to pursue my passions full time.
BEX was created as a design company offering bespoke landscape designs, planter arrangements and interior and exterior holiday decorating services.
Under the same umbrella, I’ve launched my own crochet patterns, continue to accept commissions and stock my crochet items in stores across Southern Ontario.
Last year, my debut poetry collection, Ruin and Reclamation, was published and it’s a testament to the culture I’ve created, that some of my landscape clients were the first to purchase a copy of my book!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is I get to do what I love every day. There’s a saying that goes: Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
And while it’s true that it’s taken an incredible amount of hard work to get where I am, it’s work that I’m passionate about and enjoy, and that’s what’s made it worthwhile. I’ve created a life I don’t need an escape from.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to live the most unapologetically creative life I can, and to do so authentically. I was one of those kids who never knew what they wanted to be when they grew up and had a hard time fitting in, never feeling like any of the labels fit me.
It took me a long time to realize that as a multidisciplinary creative, I’m not meant to fit into a box. I’m a bridge between boxes. And I make sure to share my journey publicly as an example to anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t fit in, that you can be different AND successful. Your journey doesn’t have to look the same as anyone else’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bexdesignco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bex.design.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bex.design.co/
- Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/bethany-maclachlan-039549b7
Image Credits
Timed Right Photography