We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Betts recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew from a very young age that all I wanted to do was create fantasy worlds. I loved stories, particularly ones from books and video games. When it came to video games, I was enraptured by the environments, the character art, and even details like how certain characters decorated their houses. All throughout my childhood, I loved drawing, writing stories, and dreaming of what it would be like to become an author or a video game concept artist.

And when I graduated high school and it came time to make a choice, I chose to study Biochemistry in college. I liked science, and I thought it would be a safer option than choosing something creative. I spent most of my twenties working as a lab tech and quietly enjoying my creative pursuits as hobbies only. In 2018, I discovered cross stitching in the form of stitching pixel art from video games like Stardew Valley and Pokemon. I thought it was a fun hobby to do in my spare time. I had no idea then that I would end up becoming a full time cross stitch designer only a few years later.

I do wonder where I’d be now if I’d had the courage to pursue a creative path earlier on in my life. If I’d studied art or writing in college instead of picking what I thought was a “safer” choice. But in the end, I think it’s really amazing to know that you can start something new at any point in your life.

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

In 2020, everything changed for me when I became a mother. I quit my job as a lab tech to stay home and raise my daughter. It was then that I started trying to think of ways I could earn a little extra money. I was aware of cross stitch shops on Etsy as I’d purchased patterns from several of them by that point, and I decided I would try it. The barrier to entry was quite low from a financial perspective. All I needed was a cross stitch design program and some inspiration to get started.

It took me a few months to design my first batch of patterns, and I hesitated opening my shop for a few months after that. In August of 2021, I finally opened FlossyFoxShop for business.

Nothing happened for a few weeks, but eventually, I managed to make a post that brought some views to my shop and I made my first few sales. That gave me so much motivation to keep working harder and keep improving my skills. Over the years, I’ve created over one hundred cross stitch patterns and expanded from Etsy onto Patreon as well.

My designs are all about peaceful, colorful, and whimsical worlds that are full of magic. A lot of my inspiration comes from video game pixel art, and I try to make designs that tell stories just by the details. I also run a yearly Stitch-Along (a pattern that is revealed in pieces across several months), and I write short stories to go along with them.

My design philosophy is that I just want to make patterns that would make people smile.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It can be really hard to put yourself out there as an artist, but you have to keep trying if you want to have an art business. My main advice would be to not be afraid to experiment to find out what works and learn what sort of posts you like to make. It’s ok if it starts out slowly, just don’t give up!

Try to find some other similar artists and support each other. If you can build some relationships with other artists, it makes the process much more fun, and you’ll have people to trade advice with.

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

I think the most rewarding thing about this work is being able to see people really enjoy the things I make. Seeing a review that someone loved making something from one of my patterns with their own hands really makes my day. It’s just really nice to have found a setting where my whimsical daydreams can thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flossyfoxshop.etsy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/flossyfoxshop
• Other: https://patreon.com/flossyfoxshop