We recently connected with BreAnna Washington-Weatherford and have shared our conversation below.

BreAnna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have always dreamed of pursuing art as a career. However, I had little guidance on how to apply that dream meaningfully. I attended art school until my second year of high school, when my parents began inquiring about what I was seriously considering as a career path. “What are you going to do to make money?” Of course, your parents want the best for you, and with Artist being the only profession with “starving” in front of it, looking back, I can innerstand their concerns, but at the time, I was deflated. Gratefully, I attended art classes after school with The Mint Museum Grier Heights Youth Arts Program, which continued to nurture my inner Artist, my love for community, and my dedication to studying History. I ultimately pursued my degree in History with a minor in African studies. It wasn’t until my senior year, when I met my husband that it became easier for me to see the possibility of pursuing art professionally. Post-graduation, I was welcomed as an intern at The Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. Immediately after, I served in an interim role at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C. It was the ‘Never Abandon Imagination’ exhibition, exploring ‘The Fantastical Art of Tony DiTerlizzi,’ where the thought of being a professional artist crystallized in my reality. That same year, I collaborated with an author to help produce the first illustrated book of my career. Since then, each book has carried me into the next.

BreAnna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Putting myself out there and saying yes to what speaks to my soul has allowed me to lean into an art-centered lifestyle. Keeping art close to my heart has been my guiding light in my illustration career. A close connection to my community and a sincere dedication to learning and preserving history inform and inspire my work and connect cultures across generations. As a trained researcher and educator, I’ve had the opportunity to learn, practice, and share with children and their families the power of artistic expression as a vehicle for meaningful and lasting change.

My role as an illustrator extends beyond creating art. I am also privileged to serve as the co-coordinator and lead educator of the same afterschool program, which was instrumental in encouraging me to explore different mediums of expression and introducing me to local and international artists who shared my background. Now, I have the opportunity to do the same for our rising students, nurturing their creativity and passion for art. This commitment to education and community is a cornerstone of my artistic expression and is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career.

My company, BeeThee.LLC is guided by these principles. As an Illustration and Educational company, we focus on developing high-quality, relevant, and sensational artistic experiences for children and their families. We aim to encourage literacy through creative self-expression, which helps to foster a love of reading and, more importantly, a foundation of core memories built upon love and lifelong learning.

In my years of floating between traditional and independent publishing, I pride myself on helping childhood development specialists self-publish more children’s books to teach big lessons, introduce students to notable heroes, and navigate complex topics and experiences. With book bans rising and culturally relevant and inclusive curricula being stripped, silenced, and shut out of classrooms. Our nation is becoming more susceptible to ignorance, selfishness, and hate. We are responsible to our children – to ensure they know the truth about themselves, their culture, and their potential through self-publishing.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2020, I was diagnosed with Herpes Zoster, more commonly known as shingles, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. There is no “cure” for shingles, and though I don’t remember having the pox as a kid, anyone who has had chickenpox can present with shingles.

I was in the middle of illustrating the second book project of my career when everything stopped.

My face broke out in blisters.

My eye was swollen and leaking.

The pain felt like someone ripping my hair out strand by strand at the follicle.

The itching was insatiable.

I thought I would go blind.

I thought my illustration career would be cut short right then and there.

This experience inspired me to branch out beyond illustration and embrace the full spectrum of independent children’s book publishing.

In 2021, I re-committed myself to my studies: I attended every free webinar and invested in more than a few mentorships, publishing communities, and courses. I spoke at my first conference and connected with many inspiring authors and illustrators I still collaborate with today.

– I designed, curated, and managed my website, and established my business as an LLC.
– I spent entire days crafting and sending hundreds of emails to school leaders and librarians, working on expanding my platform through artist presentations and workshops.
– I found joy in consulting, recording, researching, and answering as many Facebook questions as possible.

Some of the same questions came up, but the most notorious of all … I’ve written my children’s book. Now what?

In 2022, I received one of the most exciting emails of my career: an invitation to present for my first multi-school book tour. The district ordered over 7,300 books from the author I collaborated with and advertised the event for months.

I knew it was time to turn up the heat. My husband’s support taught me how to prepare for my first school visit!

I studied the art of public speaking and created freebies, activities, coloring sheets, keepsakes, and order forms. In this spirit of creation, I compiled’ 10 things you need to self-publish your children’s book’ to hand out to interested educators and parents who attended the evening sessions.

The district canceled the tour 24 hours before it was scheduled to begin because, in their eyes, the book was “too controversial.”

That was a little over a year ago, and now my new book, The Creative Composition Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Children’s Books: a 3-in-1 Reference Guide for New and Aspiring Children’s Book Authors, is making its debut.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my view, society can best support its artists and creatives by taking the time to research and invest in local artists and creatives, including us in your long-term expansion plans, and bring us to the table, the board room, and on stage to center art and creative expression as a catalyst for longstanding social change. Art builds bridges across cultures where words cannot. Visual and audible art makes learning and growth more accessible, engaging, and memorable. Making art more accessible encourages a more thoughtful and more peaceful world. Art is an act of sustainability, and by investing in human artists, you are investing in the longevity of your communities structurally, socially, and economically.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beetheeart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beethesage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeeTheeART
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwashi11/
• Twitter: https://x.com/beethesage

Image Credits
Jeffery Boston Weatherford Shayla Locke Oxana Erokhina