We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Betsy Beier. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Betsy below.
Betsy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I’ve been so fortunate to have many meaningful professional projects in my life, but the one that jumps out the most would have to be my most recent endeavors. I’ve just published my 4th book with West Margin Press – a series of creative, wanderlust travel guide books focusing on 4 different west coast US cities; Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. This project was truly a dream come true. It basically embodies my business and brand, Wanderlust Designer.
About the time that I transitioned from my stationery business to full time illustration almost 10 years ago, I created a prototype of this creative guide concept. Basically, I mocked up a mini booklet of folded papers where I scribbled down ideas of blending my love of travel, history, culture, creativity and art into a sort of “travel guide” to a location. My goal was to show people that exploring a location (whether at home or abroad) is not just about seeing the top sites or completing a check list, but about engaging creatively with your surroundings.
Fast forward several years to the Fall of 2018 when I met face to face with the Director and creative team at West Margin Press, a publishing company I had worked with as a freelance illustrator. At that meeting, I decided to dust off my prototype and share it with the team to see what they thought. I was taken aback by their enthusiasm and within several months was signing a contract to write and illustrate 4 books based on my idea!
I won’t lie, it was a lot of work. It included hours upon hours of research, including challenging visits to each city during the pandemic. There was also many months of writing and illustrating each page- maps, background patterns, spot illustrations, activity pages and even games! The project was a labor of love, and I am so very proud of the outcome. These books are a true reflection of who I am, a “wanderluster” who is inspired by an insatiable amount of curiosity and creativity!
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 in some sort of creative profession my entire adult life. You name it, I have probably done it! I was a graphic designer at a small printing company in a tiny mountain town and a UX architect (user experience/user interface) at a very large corporation in Silicon Valley. I worked as a story board artist on a game in New York City and designed an interactive exhibit at Epcot Center in Orlando, FL. I worked in the art department of a national publishing company and as a webmaster of virtual reality worlds at a high tech start up. I have been in creative meetings with a team at Budweiser in St. Louis and on set in Southern California helping film videos of a former presidential candidate (well before she became a candidate!)
In my current role as illustrator/author/teacher, I have had the opportunity to license my illustrations to wide range of businesses, products and spaces such as household goods, puzzles, stationery, digital media, entertainment industry, cookbooks, calendars, as well as author and illustrate 5 books. Some may see this past 30 years as a convoluted career path, but I believe it demonstrates my unending curiosity, creativity and need to always continue learning.
More recently, I have been focusing my efforts almost exclusively on teaching others how to “explore their world creatively” through online and in person art classes of all types. I see teaching art and creativity to others as truly my calling. I love helping people of all art abilities, from those who proclaim they can’t draw a straight line, to those who enjoy dabbling in arts and crafts in many forms. I’m most moved by my students who at some point in their lives were told they had not talent or were uncreative. It is so hard for me to understand how anyone could truly say that to a person, let alone most commonly to a child, as I believe that to be 100% false. We all have creative talent, we just need to look at our abilities through different lenses.
Who doesn’t remember that girl next to you in 2nd grade who could draw that perfect realistic portrait or landscape scene? And, how many of you gave up art making at that point, claiming, “I can’t do that.” Although I admire realistic art, I am also a huge advocate for more expressionistic and impressionistic styles. We are so lucky to always have a phone on hand to capture a realistic image, so I always encourage my students to give up making picture perfect art and just experiment, using their own “hand” to make art in whatever form that fits the moment.
The joy I get from seeing my students create and the smile on their faces from their accomplishments makes teaching magical. It’s these moments and stories that fuel me and keep me going to my next creative adventure!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I was once given a -1 on a performance review. (I didn’t even rank a zero!) I was once told my art proposals for a large client were “too gummy.” (Not quite sure what that means!) I accepted a full-time position at a corporation way too low for my abilities only to be told so a few months later. (I had to spend several years climbing the ladder to recuperate.) I have invested in online advertising that amounted to zero sales, and have watched my social media numbers stagnate for months and years although I post consistently and play the “game” as I’ve been told.
With over 30 years experience, I have seen my illustration work scraped and sold by a foreign company on Amazon and been offered ridiculously low wages that amount to only a few Starbuck lattes. I have also watched copycats go viral and people who plagiarize high profile licensed art work (i.e., anything to do with Disney) become insta-famous. A profession as a creative or artist can be extremely difficult, unfair and many times discouraging. I’ve had many stumbles and falls along my 30+ year art journey, but I always gotten back up, dusted off and continued on my path.
I truly believe in a world of abundance. There is room for all of us, our different abilities and our talents. I believe the most important thing is to stay true to yourself. Create your own art work, out of your own imagination. Use your own style, your own experiences, and your own passions. With these heuristics, you will always come out on top.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Without getting too much on my soap box, I believe there are 3 simple things that society needs to do ASAP to support artists and a thriving artistic community:
1. First and foremost, society must recognize that creating art is not a hobby but a profession. It takes years of investment and training to become successful in any number of artistic fields. It is a misnomer to believe one can just pick up a pen, sketch a little image, and voilà, it’s done. It takes a lot more work and training than that to create a professional, licensable or sellable piece of art work.
2. Second, society needs to pay artists of all types fair, livable wages! It’s insulting to hear some of the offers I’ve heard for my artwork and abilities. Again, the amount of time, energy, and investment I’ve placed in my career (think about everything from creating and hosting my own websites, to software/computer equipment to education) is rarely considered when someone offers to hire me or license my work. The amount of times people in our industry hear the words, “we can’t pay you, but we can give you exposure,” is ridiculous. It’s a rampant problem that plague few other industries. Paying (and demanding) a fair livable wage for art services is essential to maintaining a thriving ecosystem.
3. Lastly, I think society (and artists themselves) need to fully understand and respect the concept of intellectual property (IP.) We live in a world of images. We turn on our phones and are bombarded with them. Someone, somewhere created each of these images. To have a large corporation take the image and then turn around and sell it for profit without compensating the creator is abhorrent. It’s not just the large corporations, it’s also individuals and even fellow artists that do this type of thing. Intellectual property is a heated discussion in many circles, but it’s clear it is still abused and not fully understood by all. I hope that more people will be educated and respect the concept to help maintain a positive creative community.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.wanderlustdesigner.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderlustdesigner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustdesigner
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsy-beier-610153a/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6yCKLKcyJmxZg5ZCVXNfvQ
Image Credits
Photos ©Betsy Beier, Wanderlust Designer