We were lucky to catch up with Marina Babigian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

It’s funny because I’m not quite sure exactly how I stumbled into the idea to start Bee Street. Looking back on my education and experience, all the way back to high school even, it only seems natural that this is where I wound up. In retrospect, all of the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, in a way that I never could have put them together on the way here.

Bee Street really came to me in working with its first real client (Hi Kate!). I was freelancing a little bit at the time, just dipping my toes in the water, and met a therapist in a spin class somewhere along the way. She mentioned needing a website, I mentioned branding design, we got dinner a week later, and the rest is history! What I learned on that project, really, is the value that marketing skills can bring to therapists–who might not have had much of an education in that area before they go into private practice. They’re busy learning to treat clients, after all. They’re wildly different skills! Not often in a place to budget for agency work, therapists can really benefit from strategic thinking behind their online presence; I found a deep passion for making that strategic work accessible to them in my 1:1 design process.

True to my creative roots, I’ve always wanted to infuse all things design, photography, and illustration into making a difference in the world using marketing and strategy. Realizing I could leverage these skills to help others…. help others (not to mention tap into all of these different creative areas in that work) I immediately began to seek out clients. Luckily, the Los Angeles therapist community was receptive. Eventually, I expanded to work with other helping professionals in addition to therapists, including acupuncturists, IV therapists, birth doulas, health coaches, and even photographers. It’s been a surprise around every turn, and I love all of the projects I’ve had the honor to work on so far!

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 Marina. I’m a five-foot spitfire, usually with Dunkin’ iced tea in one hand and a pen in the other. I’m a lover of all things handwritten, sunflowers, and a well-thought plan. I own a small creative studio called Bee Street Studio, where I get to spend my days doodling up brands and building out systems to support them. I found my way to Bee Street, really, having studied both marketing and design. It only seemed natural to me to find the common ground between the two fields, although I wasn’t quite sure how they would fit together.

Basically, I work on creating distinct identities for businesses in the minds of their target audience, as part of their greater marketing strategy. This identity can then be applied to a website, a business card, a photo, really any touchpoint a business might have with their ideal client. I get to design those, too! I work hard to collaborate with my clients, and bring their business to life in a visual way that aligns with their goals.

I think what sets me apart is really that background on the cross-section of both marketing and design, as well as my focus on small business and helping professionals. I daydream in pantone, but also really vibe with a good spreadsheet. While I do love to make pretty things, they’re pretty because they work, not the other way around. I care deeply about aesthetics and the way that they impact buyer behavior, and I think that leveraging both of those skillsets as one business cuts some of the guesswork for my clients.

This also means that clients can tap into a wide net of skills that all play into the same strategy. They sometimes call me their fairy godmother. Whether we’re putting together a brand photoshoot and getting a fresh headshot, writing out website copy, or designing a logo and brand pattern, it’s all going to be consistent and cohesive since it’s coming from the same place!

I’m proudest of having built a job where I get to do all of those things, in a way that aligns with the way that I want to be a human in this world. I get to work in a way where I feel both empowered to work how I work best (admittedly sometimes the best ideas do come to me in the bath, and I have to honor that!) as well as empowered to help others in my own small but meaningful way.

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

Having had a tumultuous journey with my own mental health, I see my work as a small way to pay forward the access I had to the therapists who saved my life. In a world where the stigma around mental health is still very much present, connecting those who need help to those who can help them is at the forefront of my mind on every project I get to take on. That impact may be small, but it’s very meaningful to me, and it informs the way that I work with my clients as well as the way that I work as a creative. I like to think it leads to a stronger result, and ideally the artisanal and handcrafted sites help to alleviate the impact of that stigma of those seeking therapy in some small way.

Back when I was interviewing for 9-5’s or a “real job”, I had this bit in my portfolio and interviews I would say; I really wanted to find the overlap between “draw”, “do”, and “design”. For as much love as I had for illustration and design work, I really didn’t have much interest in doing those things if it wasn’t for some kind of objective. I’m really excited by using those creative skills in a strategic way, working towards a purpose. I think this is mine, and I find great fulfillment in getting to help my clients work towards theirs.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Do good work and be kind to people, Hands down. It sounds really very simple, but I think that the way that I approach my work has been more effective than any direct marketing strategy. I care deeply about my clients’ success, and coach them through our work together hands-on. This helps me to handcraft an experience just for them, and to really hear any feedback or concerns they might have and address those throughout our work together. I think this contributes to long term, trusting relationships with clients that not only keeps them coming back, but also passing Bee Street’s name around.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beestreet.studio/
• Instagram: @beestreetstudio