Today we’d like to introduce you to Bea Livingston
Bea, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when I decided to attend an entrepreneurship training for women who want to take their hobby to the next level and start making sales. The training gave me the tools and ideas to start making my dolls and running my small business. I wanted to make everything around Tilda’s, which is a style of doll. There were certain challenges in making Tilda’s that I was not prepared for. I found it tedious to stuff the limbs to make them look good enough for me. I love a Tilda doll, but it wasn’t my cup of tea to make it.
I love dolls. I love gnomes, and I love small things. So, I put them together and my gnomes came to life. I also wanted them to stand out from the rest of the gnomes out there. In the beginning, my focus was on making their hats beautiful and original. I wanted details, lots of them!
How did you get to where you are today?
Through dedication and perseverance. Basically, I make my gnomes in my spare time because I also have a full-time job. I would dedicate some organized time after work and on weekends to designing and creating new hats and gnomes. It’s a work in progress and I’m proud of myself because this was and is a one-woman show with the support of my biggest fan… my husband!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has the road been smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all. The biggest challenge is finding the time to make them. The design process takes a lot of time, conceptualizing, drawing, choosing materials, cutting, embroidering, making accessories, making the gnomes, etc.
Another challenge is that I am the designer, the maker, the photographer, and the marketing person, which is mainly done on social media platforms. All this is doable, but it comes with a significant demand of my time, but I love the creative process and I am willing to face these challenges. It is my happy place!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, I consider myself an artist.
Over time, I have developed my art through different techniques such as embroidery, felting, scrapbooking, crocheting, paper cutting, embossing, which help me bring my dolls, especially my gnomes, to life.
My custom-created gnomes, or “mi gnomos” as I call them in Spanish, are my specialty and what I am known for. However, I have other talents such as making jewelry, particularly religious jewelry and small accessories, using the metal embossing technique.
What I am most proud of is all that I have accomplished so far, despite life’s challenges.
What makes my gnomes different from others is that they are carefully designed and handcrafted. They are not manufactured.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born in Colombia, South America. I was a quiet and introverted child who enjoyed spending time alone making things. In school, my favorite class was Handmade things or “Manualidades” in Spanish. There I was free to express myself, I enjoyed it and I realized that I had a talent!
In addition, my mother was a teacher and to keep her child occupied while she was doing her job of grading papers for school, she would give me materials to make things. At a time when almost everything was handmade, she taught me how to use different materials, tools and techniques that forever shaped my creative life!
I am a creative soul.
Pricing:
- $150 dollars per pair
- $80 dollar per one gnome
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beas_creative_studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beascreativestudio/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/beascreativestudio
