We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kaci Beeler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kaci below.

Kaci, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

When I started out at 18, choosing what kind of university I wanted to apply to and what kind of major I would pursue – I was incredibly confused about what my future could be.

I knew I wanted to continue making art. All throughout my public school journey, I had taken art classes and I was often making pieces on the weekends and during Summer break. But I also wanted to continue with theatre and acting in some way. At the same time, BOTH of these pursuits made lots of well-meaning friends and family nervous for me. In the end, I couldn’t stay away from either discipline and I still can’t.

That’s the thing most full-time creatives will say, “I couldn’t stay away. I HAD to pursue my passions.”

I ended up getting an art degree while acting and performing outside of school. My improv company Parallelogramophonograph (PGraph is what our friends and fans call us) started hosting a weekly show (and actually, we still have it!). Then I got an acting agent. This was something I had wanted but didn’t know how to apply for one. I was scouted at an improv festival in LA. At first, I thought it was surely a scam, but no, the offer was real and I began to act in a professional capacity in between all of my college stuff.

Being a realist as much as a dreamer, I did think about what full-time creative jobs existed that I knew of. There were repertory actors (but that model is outdated and not often seen anymore), gallerists (which is more for art history buffs than fine artists), teaching (which is great but not the same as creating), and perhaps most of all a 9-5 in-house graphic design or sign painting position. There just wasn’t much talk of what WAS possible at that time, just a lot of what wasn’t.

When I graduated at 22, I was on the team of people taking over The Hideout Theatre from its previous owner, which included my fiance Roy in the mix. Suddenly, I was out of school and working almost full-time in a creative capacity – As the Director of Design – but the salary wasn’t a full-time living yet. I didn’t even know my worth or how to price my deliverables. Luckily, Roy had a 9-5 tech job that allowed us wiggle room to pour the rest of our time into running this theatre and traveling to perform and teach.

In the other hours of my week, I would take commissions for fine art pieces, graphic design, and I would regularly audition for parts in films, TV shows, and commercials. Some quarters were great and some were scant. I use to think I would always be a little raggamuffin Austin artist with a hundred tricks up my sleeve for saving money. I didn’t know how to advocate for myself when there wasn’t a rate set by some industry standard and I definitely priced everything very low. It still felt amazing at the time to sell work or get hired based on my portfolio – but it wasn’t the dream -yet-.

When Roy and I separated (we’re still close friends) that’s when reality really hit. My earnings weren’t enough to pay rent as a single person. I left my position at The Hideout and took a 10am-6pm (+ some nights and weekends) producer/admin role at a local live event production studio. I negotiated my salary this time and it was more money than I had made in the past. I knew I could cover rent and then some. I could have some real savings. Do the 401k thing maybe?? Lots of possibilities were opening up, I thought.

But here’s the hard part. The job wasn’t creative enough for me and I was crushed.

I had done it – found the livable creative job and it WAS NOT LIVABLE. I liked the job when I was a contractor who popped in for a few hours, but full-time felt like I was being squeezed from the inside out. I cried every night and every morning. What was happening to me?

Six months later I left the job and jumped without a net into being a full-time freelancer. I found work on Craigslist for weeks that were light on referrals and I put up a website with all my offerings and portfolio. I was still performing and auditioning. I was open for business.

I DID ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING for a time to stay afloat:
– Appeared on a Japanese game show shooting in Austin to eat fried pickles
-Went to a dark warehouse during SXSW to paint signs for a street art display
-Appeared in a dude’s scooter review Youtube channel reviewing different rentable scooters
-Drove out to a random guy’s house in Pflugerville to film an electronics ad in his living room
And this was all in the same month.

Yeah, I know it sounds sketchy as hell. But it was actually all innocent, legit, and paid. And yes, it was also all very weird. But I was determined to make it work on my own and it felt like the world was opening up to me.

The biggest saving grace was knowing I could do web and graphic design for a higher hourly rate than if I wanted to work in retail or admin. After a few months of wobble – work just flowed and I said yes to so many things. I raised my rates. I had repeat clients. There was word of mouth. Even during the Pandemic, I found work online – teaching kids improv through Zoom, and leading virtual corporate improv workshops. And the art commissions never really stopped. I was still probably not charging enough but I was making it happen and I had time to breathe.

Fast forward to 2022, where I landed an ongoing acting job (doing voice-over at the National level) and am doing better than I ever have in my life. Seriously. I am living the dream. It still feels new to say it. I’ve now begun the process of culling what I do down to a “hell yes” level. Or at least, I’m trying. Hustle habits are hard to shake.

Do I have any regrets? Not really.

I honestly just wish I had trusted the vision I had for myself sooner. My gut was always right.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Kaci (she/they), a multi-disciplinary artist, actor, designer, producer, writer, and improviser. Maybe it’s easiest to just say I’m an unstoppable creative in many fields. Literally, I don’t want to stop making things.

Performing fuels me, writing inspires me, and painting soothes me. I used to take on almost any creative project for any kind of client and I loved being a jack-of-all-trades but these days I get to be pickier.

I’ve produced a lot of events and stage shows in Austin. Created murals and fine art, colorful graphics, websites, digital paintings, t-shirts, and logo designs. Wrote original plays that were performed and published. I’ve been commissioned to write at least 4 murder mysteries for live audiences to guess “who dun it” – which is funny because I was never the kind of person who liked to go to that kind of show. But when I’m writing the script? It’s much more fun for me.

These days I’m focusing on my acting and writing work above all else. My writing partner and I have several comedy and genre pilots we’ve been cooking up. We’d love to write on a more comedic show or series with a strong tone.
On a very limited basis, I take on paintings and murals if the project is a good fit. I spend a fair amount of time in the studio doing ongoing voice-over acting for a large National company. I’m always on the lookout for the next exciting thing and I usually post about my latest work on my Instagram.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson to be unlearned: Be realistic at all costs. Be reasonable by default.

Let’s be real, when you desire to be a full time creative, there is a LOT of fear. We even tell young children, “You can be anything you want! But probably not an artist or an actor!” There’s so much talk of what is reasonable and attainable. There’s always talk of having a backup plan. A Plan B. A Plan C. And look, I love a good plan and a well-rounded view of the world. But here’s what they don’t tell you:

When you have the deep desire to do something BIG or UNUSUAL or RISKY, no number of hours clocked doing the safe thing is going to satisfy you.

You don’t just wake up one day happy you did the well-meaning thing your parents wanted you to do, no longer caring about your dreams and aspirations. For me at least, the gnawing feelings of my purpose and passions never went away. They’re still here, and they love to be fed. In fact, I have the most success when I move toward them, instead of away from them. Sure, I worked a dozen jobs to make sure I could keep moving toward my goals – I do want my creature comforts – but being “realistic” doesn’t mean letting your dreams die or taking what you think is the “safe” route.

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

When I’m working on a piece, whether it’s a painting, poster, audition tape, voice acting session, improvised play, or screenplay – I tap into deeper, yet simpler, parts of myself. I definitely go into a “zone” where I am fully present and not thinking of the past or future. My mind is quieted. I am content yet completely energized.

And then afterward, when I am finished or on hiatus from working and making, I feel relaxed and fulfilled in my downtime.

It’s a kind of peace I can’t get anywhere else. Not from alcohol or socializing. Not from vacations or buying nice things or watching TV. My favorite breaks are the ones I take right after I’ve spent time tapped into that magical zen-like creator zone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kacibeeler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kacibeeler/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaci-beeler-21386056/

Image Credits
Arthur Marroquin, Jon Bolden, Hideout Theatre