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

Katy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?

Meeting people in-person and building relationships have been two keys to my success as an artist. It’s how I signed with two agents.

I met my first agent at an event in Naples, Florida. It was an “Agent’s Day” hosted by the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. It was a 4 hour drive there and back, but ended up being worth the effort. I was able to present my portfolio in-person to an agent and spend some time chatting with her. She liked my work and a week later, emailed me asking if I’d like to be represented.

After several years, I ended up making some big life changes (new job, new state) and decided to part ways with my agent to really start fresh. At my new job, I met a well known illustrator and we became friends. He eventually left but we stayed in touch. About a year later, he reached out and told me he had become a literary agent and wanted to know if I’d be interested in being represented.

In both instances, I believe my luck was a result of showing up, being professional, and being a friend.

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?

My name is Katy Betz, I’m a children’s book author/illustrator, college art professor, and gallery painter.

My studio motto is “Creating Space for Imagination”. Through pictures and stories, I invite others to join me in imagining what it would be like to be someone or something else, in perhaps a different time or place. Within this imaginative space, curiosity and empathy are engaged to develop an emotional connection to the subject. It is my hope that through engaging with my work, others will experience delight, appreciation, and wonder, which are keys to lifelong learning and love for life.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A few years ago, I reached a point in my career where I felt completely dried up. I was burnt out from teaching, was not enjoying the freelance illustration work I was getting, and felt directionally lost. I remember sitting down at my desk to draw and saying, “what does my agent want to see?” I realized in that moment that I was not doing what I loved, but what I thought others wanted me to do.

After that realization, I decided to make some changes. I applied for a sabbatical and parted ways with my agent, which was scary because I felt it gave me a “status” that I needed to be successful.

I also had this weird urge to turn my studio into a cocoon – a place that felt safe to explore and try new things. So I did something that felt really extreme. I painted my studio walls black. Everyone thought I was crazy, but the black walls weren’t depressing or heavy. There was plenty of white accents and light in the room to make the space feel larger, and yet at the same time like a dark, cozy cocoon. I started calling my studio “my primordial playground”, and gave myself permission to make anything.

Long story short, I was granted a sabbatical, and during that time wrote and illustrated a middle grade fiction novel and began making assemblages, incorporating found objects, sculpture and wood working. It did wonders for my soul! Some time after that, I got a new job and moved to a new state and even got a new agent who encourages me write and draw what I love. All the risks were worth taking!!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Relational Intelligence, by Steve Saccone – this book really helped me learn how to build relationships and connect with others on a deeper level.

Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive, by John Eldridge – this book opened my eyes to the larger story being told through the stories we tell…and it has inspired much of my own work.   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katybetz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myprimordialplayground/