Meet Erica Beeler | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Beeler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I feel like any artistic career is somewhat of a risk, let alone starting your own business. Really just following your own dreams is a risk. It’s risky to set goals knowing you might not achieve them, whether in work or in life. And I think the risk isn’t just a financial one, though that’s definitely part of it. The real risk is failing, whatever that means to you. So why do it then? why not just take the safe route?

I asked myself this question a lot while sitting behind my desk at my boring, soul sucking accounting job just a few years ago. It was actually a really good job, for a great company. I had a steady paycheck. I had a boss who respected me. I had a 401k. For a lot of people, that was enough. I know some of those things, like a paycheck, are absolutely necessary. I mean there was a reason I had this job at all and stayed there for almost seven years. Food and clothes are nice things to have. So, like I asked myself numerous times, why couldn’t I just be happy with this job?

Because there is something on the other side of risk: reward.

I’ve learned that different people have different rewards in mind when it comes to work and the career paths they have chosen. For a lot of people, money is that driving factor. Whether or not they enjoy their job is secondary to how much money they make. Because money will pay for the things they do enjoy, like family trips and nice cars and houses. Listen, I know this mindset makes the most sense. It is the safe, responsible thing to do. The logic is sound.

But to the detriment of anyone who has financially supported me in some capacity, I am just NOT wired that way. At a very young age, I heard stories of women in my family who had creative interests, and wanted to pursue these as career options, but were told that these were not the “safe” choices. Ultimately, they were talked out of attempting these career paths. I know there are reasons for playing it safe, but as a child who didn’t understand anything about money or how the world works, these stories really stuck with me. I had my own creative interests. In fact, for as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to have a creative career. So I decided very early on that I wasn’t going to just play it safe. My story would be different, and I would not give up on my dreams.

My goal has always been, and still is, to have a creative career that I am passionate about. I want to realize my creative vision, not someone else’s. I want to wake up and decide what I want to work on, and then go do that thing. I want to follow the dreams that I believe God put in my heart.

So on November 10, 2021, I turned my side hustle of painting into a real live business. Of course that didn’t mean I was able to quit my day job immediately and start raking in cash as a full time artist. Really it just meant that my taxes got more complicated. But it also meant that I was committing to my dreams. My personal idea of failure is giving up, so call me stubborn, but I feel successful in my business simply because I’m still going.

I know in this career, there will be good years and bad years. Who knows, I may have more day jobs in the future. But I have made so much progress in my business and creative skills. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, but if I look back over the years, I do have a lot of accomplishments to be proud of. I am still in the process of building and growing my business, but my reward on the other side of risk is loving every minute of what I do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a fine art painter, working primarily with oil and acrylic paint on canvas. Most of my paintings fall under two categories: realistic and abstract. I really enjoy painting both, even though they are complete opposites. I feel like painting realistically is a very left brained, technical process, while painting abstracts is more of a right brained, creative process. Typically I bounce back and forth between the two styles so I don’t get burnt out with either. For example, after I finish a very detailed realistic painting, I decompress by painting abstracts.

The subject matter for my realistic paintings is primarily landscapes. I take most of my inspiration from different places I’ve traveled. I love visiting different environments and cultures, so my paintings vary from mountain ranges to tropical beaches to shop windows in France. Some of my favorite paintings also contain a human element, like a fishing boat at the edge of a lake. I think these human elements in the midst of a landscape always tell an interesting story.

My background is in photography and photo editing. I majored in photography and spent several years after college as a freelance photographer and retoucher. I also started painting in my spare time to relax and unwind. My love for taking pictures provided me with a never ending supply of reference photos for my paintings. After a while, balancing freelance photography work with a day job became overwhelming. Managing deadlines for clients in my limited free time caused me to eventually become burnt out. As life became more hectic, I decided to take a break from my photography work. I continued to paint and started participating in local art walks and markets. That was about seven years ago, and I have been painting ever since. I still have not picked up any photography work (though that could still change one day).

I’ve learned that it’s ok for my business to change and evolve, just as I continue to change and evolve. If something no longer interests me, then I’ll stop doing it. I didn’t start my own business so that I could do work I don’t enjoy. I do have to pay attention to which projects are profitable, and I have to keep some consistency in my work. But after a decade of painting, I have figured out what I enjoy and what I don’t. This has allowed me the freedom to make work I am proud of, to say no to projects that don’t interest me, and to try new things that excite me.

One new project I am especially excited about is my YouTube channel. I have made several short videos of my abstract painting process. Film making has always been an interest of mine, so I am very excited to finally be exploring this medium of creative expression. For anyone who is interested in checking out my videos, my YouTube channel is called Erica’s Art Studio.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For dinner, I would recommend Ecco. It is an amazing European style restaurant and bar, and the fried goat cheese is a must. After dinner, one of my favorite places to go is The Painted Pin. It is an upscale bowling alley, but even if you don’t go to bowl, there are so many things to do and the atmosphere is amazing. They even have live music. If you happen to be in Atlanta on the second Friday of the month, you have to go to Fernbank After Dark at the Fernbank Museum. This is an adult only event where you can drink and listen to live music while exploring the exhibits. It is honestly so much fun! Different art scenes can be found all over Atlanta, but my favorite artsy spot to go to is actually Marietta Square, just north of the perimeter. There you can find many art galleries all within walking distance, a first Friday art walk, Saturday morning art markets, and frequent weekend festivals.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents and husband have always been an amazing support system. They have always believed in me and supported me in my creative endeavors. My mom especially encouraged me to pursue a creative career, and if it were not for her, I probably would not have gone to art school. She encouraged me to learn anything and everything that interested me, even if it did not necessarily pertain to my degree.

I also don’t think I would still be making art if it were not for my amazingly supportive husband. He not only comes to nearly every festival and market, but he also helps me set up displays, make decisions about my products, package up orders, label items… the list goes on and on. He is my sounding board for ideas and my unofficial CFO.

I owe a million thank yous to my family for always being there for me.

Website: https://ericasartstudio.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ericasartstudiollc

Facebook: https://facebook.com/EricasArtStudio

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericasartstudio

Image Credits
Photographer of Governor Kemp