We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bri Betts a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My path in my career never seemed to make much sense to me until recently. I tend to chase things that I have interest in until the end of their path. Typically when I have immersed myself and learned a new skill – a new path appears!

I recently pivoted from being just a business owner (Seed and Spirits) and am now also the Creative Director of an agency that I launched that specializes in hospitality, events, restaurants, etc.

Learning to do what I do started with just letting myself have interests even if I didn’t’ see the through line. I studied Advertising/Copywriting in college while bartending, became a florist, worked with interior design and now I found myself in this place where all of those skills brought me to sit a seat where I can utilize them all.

I always shamed myself for not choosing one path. As if my attention span wasn’t calibrated. I would never speed up the learning process or change things because that’s what roots my confidence in what I do. Knowing that I truly followed it’s path til the end to learn the skill.

My most essential skill definitely has to be my ability to pivot and adjust. I can jump into mediums and keep my head above water because I am so used to trying new things.

The only obstacle that I have standing in the way of learning more is time and rest. Whenever I have the time, I will dive into something new, but I also think there is great power in sitting still more. Not always jumping at my next interest. I am looking forward to sitting in this Creative Director role a bit to learn the lessons it has to teach me before I evolve next!

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

My name is Bri and I am a multi-disciplinary artist that has a niche in both events and media.

I have many years in the wedding/events industry as a local, organic bar catering business called Seed & Spirits that also provided floristry, decor, arbors, etc. I got my start in this industry when the florist at the place that I bartended got fired and I asked to give it a try! I had grown up on a farm and always loved flowers amongst other arts. Eventually, I learned to merge the world of bar and floral together which birthed my first company.

I spent many years working busy wedding seasons and now I am in a more settled place working Farm to Table dinners where I harvest most of my product from the hosting farm. I truly love this craft and will always have a place for it! I am most proud of finding my home here where I feel like my bartending can feel good. I make alcohol option, medicinal herb drinks that bring healing instead of the opposite! Being a bartender can mean a lot of things. My love of herbs and plants brought a healthy spin on something that can sometimes mean: Hangover.

My typical clients are a blend of anyone who wants to have an event and offer a healthy alternative to drinking or the venues that want to provide that option!

Behind the scenes for many years – I also worked in media. As an Advertising major in college I dabbled in writing, graphic design, etc. Slowly, I learned my craft and have found a home as a Creative Director today. I managed social media pages in my off seasons of events and started to style photoshoots here in Portland. My floristry background really helped me learn what looks good but it looks completely different on a camera. I always had a camera to do my own social media client’s work but eventually I knew it was time to level up because I had a desire to pick up video.

My food photography no longer scratched my creative itch in this area. I needed movement and behind the scenes. I loved that video added a layer of realness to my work. I think that being great at any job is the desire to always grow. I am most proud of my willingness to always grow and take on new clients, projects and mediums which fuels this Creative Director path.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Honestly, it would be to remove goals or missions! The enjoyment is the whole piece. I tend to not let myself enjoy mediums once I started to profit off of them. It’s hard to keep things to yourself when you do it for work.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think the thing that built my reputation within my market was truly just being human with everyone. I treat everyone the same no matter the “caliber” of the client. I have never really been someone who likes to share my client list or details about someone’s private home. While I got to work a lot of beautiful and fun parties – I respected the privacy of someone’s home.

That same respect and care also trickled into media. I think when you care about your client’s they feel it. I often go into things with the intention to do a good job and enjoy it. This has made it tough for me to make money sometimes (LOL) but also I think it builds trust for people having me in their homes, representing their businesses and working closely.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seedandspirits.com
• Instagram: @seedandspirits
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianalynnbetts/
• Other: I am currently offline with social media but it exists! I just needed a break. You can find me on Tik Tok though. :)

  @seedandspirits

Image Credits

Katelyn Mallett (@katelynmallettphoto)