Today we’d like to introduce you to BethAnn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us BethAnn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
WOW, I don’t think there is any part of my life that has been brief? Getting back to art B.A. has been a long and winding road and one I continue to morph in. I would start by saying; I worked for 10 years in the corporate industry. Working for Equifax garnered a lot of misery but it also allowed me to finish up my second college degree and do some world traveling and for this, I am thankful.
My next career choice was becoming a licensed massage therapist. After finishing my studies and graduating at the top of my class from the Atlanta School of Massage, I had a very successful practice for a little over 20 years. I really, really enjoyed being a massage therapist and found that I was more motivated by changing people’s lives and being a positive influence than I was by money in a thankless job. However, the world traveling took a hit. While that was a bit of a bummer, I could not deny how happy I was and how much less stressful my life had become. Blissed, I was and continue to be.
It was during my massage years, I accompanied my mom and her husband to the Tucson Gem show. That BLEW my mind wide open. This show is GIGANTIC. I always had a thing for rocks but… ZOINKS!! It’s like the size of three, six-flag amusement parks. No middlemen, you buy straight from the producer. What I was experiencing, was just flat out crazy. Anyway, I bought a couple of stones and headed back home. They sat dormant for a while and then I attended a lecture on healing stones. A woman spoke about her path with cancer and how she used her gems to help her move through that journey. She was also selling some of her necklaces/bracelets. I couldn’t help to think, nice but I would do it differently. The next full moon, I made my first three necklaces. After that, my massage clients were buying them right off my neck and that is how my business, Natural Healing Stones ~ jewelry for the meditative spirit, was born.
I threw myself headlong into researching the healing properties of stones, running stone charts on clients, learning how to spot genuine stones from fakes. I became a level two Reiki therapist, built my first website, become a photographer and started doing art shows. I went to several more Tucson Gem shows and I even won Creative Loafing’s, Readers’ Choice Award for best local jewelry artist. I was ecstatic, as well as super busy. 12 years ago, I made the decision to close my massage practice in West Cobb and work closer to my home in Woodstock. This change also allowed me to devote more time to my NHS business.
In 2013, I introduced mixed media art to my bag of magic tricks and I guess you could say my next career was born. Natural Healing Stones was still thriving but it became apparent with the economy crash and the Hobby Lobby/Michael’s jewelry craze, fewer people seemed to be interested in quality. Feeling this out and realizing China was in it to win it, I decided to really delve back into my art background.
As a child, I excelled at art and was in the “Target” programs and in college, I majored in art. I found, I really missed it and was excited to get back to that B.A.! I feel as if I have come full circle and that I am living my true authentic self. This is the person I was meant to be before social norms get in the way.
During this period, my work was being shown locally at a gallery on the Marietta square and I was selling my pieces around the globe from Ireland to Japan, to Holland. I am thrilled to say this is also when my work made it to a charming little shop in Knaresborough England called, Country 2 Western and continues to be sold there today.
In 2015, so that I could devote all my time to my many art endeavors, I closed my massage practice. During this time, I also started donating my time once a week, to teaching the seniors at ELM. This is a wonderful organization with its campus located just off Marietta Square. They are dedicated to keeping seniors active and learning and have some really amazing and wonderful classes. I encourage everyone to check it out. They are always looking for volunteer teachers and new students.
Finally, in 2018, I made the big plunge and started the arduous task of rebranding myself as, All Things BA Art. Natural Healing Stones is my cornerstone and my first love; I just needed a bigger umbrella to encompass all the diversity that is moi! This also meant I had to build my second website.
The take away from all this; the self-employed evolve constantly and never rest, ever.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth roads do not achieve greatness. Smooth roads do not allow you to overcome great adversity and know your core power. I would never want a smooth road; there is no learning in that. I am a child of two entrepreneurial parents. They didn’t teach me struggles, they taught me winning spirits.
The greatest challenge in my life was coming back from the dead. When I was 20, while out jogging, I was struck by a car. A “struggle” to me looks like; a coma, life support, two months in the hospital, being told you will never walk again and then years of physical therapy.
Allllll this other stuff is just learning curve material. It has allowed me to morph into the artist I am today. Yeah, the economy took a dive and the majority of people became frugal with their money. Yeah, my 3,000.00 shows turned into 20.00 shows. Yes, social media pretends to be your friend but continues to morph into a waste of time. Yeah man, it’s hard to spend countless hours creating something you take pride in, love with all your heart, put a fair price tag on and have someone say “wow, you think pretty highly of yourself!” or under their breath to their friend, “I could do that.” You sure could do that… but you won’t! And yes, I do think highly of myself. This shiznit did not happen in an hour, an afternoon or even overnight. It’s a lifelong process and deserves a little respect, my friend. There is a vast difference between crafts and art. I am finding that line gets blurrier by the day.
The guy/gal working at ______ has hardships too. My hardships don’t involve a two to three-hour commute every day, a job I can’t stand, a boss I don’t respect or a company that doesn’t value me. I’m not a hostage to that life anymore. My bills are paid; I have a roof over my head, gas in my car, food on my plate, a career choice that I absolutely love and a core group of folks that both dig and find joy in what I am doing. Those are not things to bitch about or call struggles.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with All Things BA Art – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
All Things BA Art~ is whimsy art made to inspire light spirits and happy hearts! I at times will get grief for not having a niche. The definition of niche is; a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment. Who does that any more? Why would you limit yourself to just one thing? I don’t want to be comfortable. I want to be challenged. I want to learn new things and expand. Hello, remember me. choosing not to work from a cubicle any longer. I mean, I do have to admit; jewelry, mixed media art, pottery, whimsical crochet, solar spinners, daydreamers, cooking blogs and more, are all pretty random categories. I won’t lie, my randomness has made a bit of a marketing hell for me but that is the way of B.A. and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
B.A’s superpower is; I can take anything and turn it into something. Give me a stone; I will turn it into a necklace. Hand me a drum head; I will produce a painting. Toss me a bottle, carefully; I will make you an incense burner or a fairy light. I am not fine art, I am outsider art. My many forms of art are created to speak to the spirit and bring joy.
It brings me great happiness in knowing that people come to my shows expecting to be wowed by all things whimsically interesting and original. That someone can come to every one of my shows and know there will be something new to see every, single, time! That they can visit my shop and sit for hours and always see something new. Visitors to anyone of my spaces sit back and say, “one person made all this?” That’s the hugest, best compliment ever. I know, they might be calling me crazy but… who cares, they are wowed!! I live for the WOW!!
If I absolutely had to put myself in a box or carve out a niche for myself, it would be originality/ repurposing. I don’t duplicate from Etsy/Pinterest/IG or FB. My art and my ideas are 100% organic and come from my little ol B.A. mind. I will take a class, I will learn, I will build my toolbox and then I will head to the shed to morph and create.
Nowadays, repurposing has become a ginormous inspiration in my artwork and maybe that’s my niche. I cannot understand why people would go out and buy stuff to paint on or make art out of. My husband, John “MIGHTY” McKnight is a drummer and I have successfully learned to upcycle his drumheads, drums, and drumsticks. We have several friends in the bar industry who collect crazy unique bottles for me to turn into fairy lights and zero mess incense burners. I have restaurant owners saving plastic containers for my Solar Spinners. I have contractors saving unused tiles for me to paint on. On trips, I will pick up driftwood pieces to make my daydreamers. I mean, the list goes on and on. This “stuff” is going to be around forever. If I can make amazing, functional art out of it, I don’t see the sense in throwing it in some garbage pit or having it make its way to our waterways. When it comes to my art and my day to day life, I am striving to be more mindful in this way.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Atlanta, the jewel of the south, I remember when that meant something. I moved here when the tallest building in Atlanta was the Hyatt Regency, when the Flames played at the Omni and when Hank Aaron stood for something. That stadium will always and forever be the best for me!!
I think Atlanta has a lot going for it now. I like the creative breath it seems to be enjoying and I welcome and enjoy the flavor of diversity it has to offer. I just wished that structurally, someone had been thinking long term when it hit its growth spurt. We now have a smog problem. Traffic is beyond a nightmare. Paid parking is here to stay to make everyone’s life hell. We now have sinkholes and our beautiful jewel of the south continues to find no worth in the emerald colors of lush green parks. Sad.
What is even sadder is; my little local city of Woodstock is following suit. I have been living up at Lake Allatoona before there was a Town lake or a Bridge Mill. It was just Bells Ferry, Hwy 92 and fields. I am super stoked that the sleepy little town of Woodstock is emerging into a fun, youthful and vibrant town. That little epicenter has been dead for so long. Nowadays, we are maintaining an incredible restaurant scene, our art scene is really starting to emerge and diversity is moving in.
Things that concern me about our new found growth are; the traffic, lack of thought to parking for our many cool venues, the large amounts of apartment buildings going up and just how many assisted living places do we really need? It’s worrisome. Obviously, no commitment is being given to infrastructure. There are BRAND NEW buildings that have been built and never used. They have been sitting vacant for over 15 years? Why are they building new ones? Every day, acres are being ripped up and bulldozed over for new structures. Sorry, a little bit of a rant. It is deeply concerning to me. I feel that the nature aspect of Woodstock is the key to much of its alluring charm.
This being said, our little town has really made a name for itself. I appreciate the city incorporating the arts into the scene. The new shops, music venues and local breweries offer an exciting nightlife and we were most certainly in dire need of the now variety of restaurants, with their culinary feats. Bravo, Woodstock Bravo!! It’s good to be one of you!
I would be remiss if I did not make a comment about my fellow neighbors. This little area has some of the most talented and supportive folks around. I have to give thanks to Marty, Shannon, and John for putting my name in for this interview. I was so surprised. You all mean so much to me. Some days are downers, you all and several others in this area help me to maintain a steady course and feed my insanity. That means so much to me. For those people that come out to my shows, pop-ups, host a show or just support me in the social network capacity, thank you. You all keep local artists like me alive and thriving. For all the folks that keep me in supply of my upcycle materials, thank you. You are also a very important piece of my process. Every single one of you helps me to lead the life that I want to lead. It’s a great gift and an honor. Peace, Love and Rocks Y’all!
Pricing:
- Handmade jewelry with the finest silver and genuine stones. 50.00 – 600.00
- Hand-painted drumheads 40.00 – 150.00
- Daydreamers 40.00 – 160.00
- Fairy Lights 80.00 – 95.00
- Zero Mess Incense Burners 80.00 – 95.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allthingsBAart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/all.things.ba/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allthingsBAart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/allthingsBAart
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/Naturalhealingstones
Image Credit:
Diana Vondra, Shannon Smith Breton
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