Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Beth Wicker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Beth, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Probably the best advice I ever got was from my Dad, who took me for a “drink” before I went to college (I was under age so it was an iced tea!). He told me “You are not going to college to learn all the answers – you are going to learn how to FIND the answers to questions that you will have throughout your life.” That was priceless. In graduate school at Cranbrook Academy of Art the most important thing I learned was not about making art – it was about THINKING. How to THINK creatively, and analytically.

Those things have been crucial to my process of learning – both learning what I wanted to do, and learning how to do it.

I think pre-conceptions are probably the biggest obstacles – what we think we “should” or “shouldn’t” do, or how we think we “should” or “shouldn’t” do it. Or who “should” or “shouldn’t” be doing it. Lose the pre-conceptions! Do not assume you cannot do something any more than assuming you can – KNOW you can TRY! Keep trying. Over and over.

If you don’t gel with an instructor change instructors. Everyone doesn’t teach the same way any more than everyone learns the same way. I found great benefit in learning from a range of instructors with a range of backgrounds – each approached things a bit differently, allowing me to figure out what worked for ME.

Think about how you learn best – do you need to touch it? Hear it? See it? I have learned through live classes, workshops, books, magazines, videos, online workshops – a whole range of methods. I personally don’t do as well with audio only learning – I need to see it, and preferably feel it also! So I do better with in person learning. I do some online workshops, but need to back those up with in person hands on learning. Knowing how YOU learn helps you find the best learning opportunities for YOU.

Looking back, I wish I had been able to do some in-depth in person learning that I never had the chance to do. I think it would have upped my skills and knowledge immensely – but it never worked out. We have to juggle learning around the demands of life – and sometimes it takes a back seat.

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 have been creating my entire life, from childhood on. Creating is not just a joy, but a need for me – I NEED to be making things! I get quite cranky if I haven’t been in the studio for a while ;)

My art is largely inspired by nature, but not necessarily in the obvious ways people expect. Nature is full of patterns and textures if you look closely, and my work follows from that. I do create some things that are clearly from nature, but a lot is abstracted from nature.

I make most of my pieces entirely by hand, starting with sheet and wire. I love creative problem solving, and figuring out ways to hand make whatever is in my head, or for a custom order in my client’s head. When doing custom orders I send process pictures to make sure what I am creating is aligning with what the client wants. Whether I am taking family heirlooms and repurposing them into new pieces of jewelry to be worn instead of stored, or starting from raw materials to create a piece for a special occasion or in memory of a special trip or moment or person or animal – using metals, stones and other materials to turn ideas into wearable art is a true joy.

Most of my work is One of a Kind – unique pieces that I make only once. They often involve making several pieces on the way to the final piece as I try different approaches and solutions to reach “the one”. Some pieces are completed fairly quickly, but some take months as I experiment and try different ways to get the desired result. I limit the number of commissions because of the slow nature of the process.

I love seeing the glow on a client’s face when they get their final piece – that “YES!” look that says I really “got” what they wanted! So rewarding!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think the biggest things some non-creatives struggle with are understanding the time and the effort it takes to make something by hand, and understanding the uniqueness of that finished item. When I’m at a show and I hear someone say “I could buy that cheaper at WalMart” – I explain, no – they can’t. I don’t sell to WalMart. They usually give me a blank look that tells me they simply do not understand the concept of hand made.

When I first started offering workshops my late husband asked didn’t I worry that people would want to make the items themselves instead of buying from me? I said no – that I thought this would help them understand how much knowledge, time, effort and skill it took to make the item, and they would appreciate it more. I was right :). I had multiple students tell me that they had no idea how long it took, or how much knowledge and skill it took, to make that bracelet, or ring, or the pair or earrings or the pendant. They often said they thought I had my jewelry priced too low after they understood what went into making it.

One of the things the internet and social media have done is allowed us, as makers, to SHOW the process we are going through, so more people begin to understand the time, knowledge, skill and tools as well as the creativity it takes to be an artist or craftsperson.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The joy for me is both in the making – in seeing the raw materials become what is in my head – and then seeing the look on the face of the person who buys it, who gives that item a loving home. This is especially true when I’m doing custom orders. I really love working with clients to create the piece of their dreams from scratch, whether they want to celebrate a special occasion, a memory, a milestone, a person or an animal. Taking that dream and creating a physical piece of jewelry or small sculpture that meets their goals and brings them joy is wonderful. I also particularly love working with clients to repurpose family pieces that for whatever reason just sit in a drawer somewhere. Taking elements from those pieces and turning them into new pieces that will be worn regularly allows the memories connected to those pieces to be enjoyed every day – not be hidden in drawers and boxes under beds or in an attic. There is tremendous satisfaction in that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethwicker.com
• Instagram: threecatsandadogdesignstudio
• Facebook: Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio – Beth Wicker and Mary Elizabeth Walters
• Linkedin: Beth Wicker
• Twitter: @bethwicker
• Youtube: @bethwicker

Image Credits
All photos by Beth Wicker