Delores Naskrent: [00:00:00] Hey friends, it's Delores here, and welcome back to another episode of Creative Juggle Joy, where we talk about creativity, business, and everything in between. Today I am chatting with a dear friend and fellow Creative Teresa, the artist and teacher behind Beala Designs. Teresa and I met a few years ago in a peer group, when we were doing immersion with Bonnie Christine, and it has been so inspiring to see how our creative paths have evolved.
In such different and beautiful ways, 'cause we were kind of on the same path there for a bit. If you've ever thought about starting a YouTube channel or wondered how an everyday creative practice can turn into a thriving business, I think you're gonna really love this conversation. Welcome, Teresa. I am thrilled to have you here, and I wanna start at the very, very beginning.
So can you [00:01:00] share that story that you told me about those sweet napkin drawings that you did for your daughter that started everything for you?
Teresa: Hey, Delores, thank you for having me. I'm tickled to be here with you. Absolutely. I'm happy to share that with you. Really it started like many toddlers and young children.
My daughter, when she was young, she struggled being away from me. We didn't live near family who could help out when we needed. So we decided to enroll her in a Mother's Day out program, just half a day once a week. But it was a really big adjustment for her. Every morning she would ask, when are you coming to get me?
Pickup was right after lunch. But for a small child, four hours can feel like forever. One morning when she asked me that question, I was really struggling with how do I help her with this? How do I make her [00:02:00] more comfortable and know when I'll be back? So I drew a little picture on her lunch napkin and told her that when she saw it, that was me telling her I loved her and that I was already on my way to pick her up.
Well that seemed to make her feel better and helped her get through the day, so I kept doing it. And then when she started kindergarten and every year after that, she asked me to keep drawing on her lunch napkins, so I did.
I ended up drawing on her lunch napkin every single school day, all the way through high school.
Delores Naskrent: No, that is so sweet. Yeah. Oh my gosh. What did you draw? I mean, that's an everyday drawing practice right there.
Teresa: At first I had very limited drawing skills, so I just drew very simple things.
I thought I could draw well enough that she could [00:03:00] recognize them. Her favorite snacks, little crackers and cookies and basic toy shapes like a teddy bear and a cat. Just simple things like that.
Delores Naskrent: So cute. Oh my gosh. And how did really. This was the beginning. You said this was the beginning.
Mm-hmm. So how did that simple act of connection, you know, force you or make you have such a great creative habit? Or how did it become a creative habit?
Teresa: Well, when she asked me to keep doing it year after year, they habit really grew from there. You know, after a while I ran out of ideas. I had already drawn everything in our house, all of her toys, anything and everything related to a vacation we might be planning, and she was getting older.
I felt like my drawing skills needed to at least keep up with hers, so I turned to Pinterest and YouTube for inspiration and drawing [00:04:00] tips, because she needed a napkin every single day. It just naturally developed into a daily drawing routine for me.
Delores Naskrent: when did you realize that those napkins were kind of shaping your artistic journey?
Teresa: I think it wasn't until the Spoonflower contest after she had finished high school. I'd been drawing for her all those years, and I really enjoyed it, but I never considered myself an artist. So the contest is what made me think, hey, maybe I can do something with this.
Delores Naskrent: Cool. You stumbled across swim flower then, or was that when you were doing immersion? No, I just did it.
Teresa: Well, yeah. You know, she graduated from high school. So I was kind of off the hook for having to do those napkins every day and I was.
Just going through Pinterest one day, just browsing. I came across an ad for a Spoonflower fabric contest, I never heard of Spoonflower before and I [00:05:00] definitely had no idea how to create a repeating pattern. But I've always loved fabric sewing. Sewing has been a really big thing in my family growing up.
I never even thought about who designs those fabrics, you know? Right. And that ad just triggered something in me and made me really wanna learn more about, well, okay, how does that happen? You know?
Delores Naskrent: That's awesome. So what made you decide, I'm just gonna do this, I'm gonna enter this?
It's one thing to see the ad, but it's something else to actually do it. Right.
Teresa: You know, it was one of those decisions that you don't even really think about. You just find yourself in the middle of doing it and when I saw that prompt, it was for, I believe it was rustic Fall, and the idea of pies just popped into my head and I thought, well, pies would make a really cute fabric,
before I knew it, I was at the local craft store buying Windsor Newton Watercolor set. No idea why. I chose [00:06:00] watercolors, but for some reason, you know, I'd never painted with watercolors before, but that felt like. The look I was going for, what I was imagining. I definitely did not expect to do well in the contest.
I thought painting pies and figuring out how to make a repeat pattern sound to make a fun thing to do.
Delores Naskrent: Oh, that's so cool. Tell us about that, process, that first rustic fall pies design. What do you remember the most about it? You were teaching yourself right?
Teresa: I think really, I remember falling in love with watercolors and thinking, why haven't I tried this before?
I remember underestimating how long it was going to take to paint all those pies. I started running out of time, so I had to alter my whole production method to get the last two pies
Delores Naskrent: finished on time. And I know that you placed. 13th in your very first contest? How did that feel?
Teresa: [00:07:00] Honestly, my first thought was, there's been a mistake.
There's no way that I placed in the top 20 that just can't be right. You know? , It was really hard to believe it, but then I was really excited about it because I had a lot of fun doing it, creating the design and playing with the watercolors. It made me think maybe this is something I can really do.
Delores Naskrent: That's an amazing story and I've known you only since you've been super good at watercolor.
So it's always neat to hear the backstory behind why somebody. Chose a particular technique. You've mentioned to me that you eventually stepped back because you were creating for prompts rather than joy, so there probably came a point where you didn't necessarily feel like that was quite the right fit.
How did that realization influence your direction afterwards?
Teresa: Oh, it was really very instrumental because [00:08:00] while I entered a lot of contests, I was always trying to do better in the contest, so I was following whatever prompt they had given me. Entering all those contests helped me figure out what I liked and what I didn't like.
Right? Since my degree wasn't in art and painting was still pretty new to me and I was still trying to figure it out, I didn't know what my style was. I love a lot of different styles and colors, so in that beginning, my designs were all over the place. And then after a while I started noticing there was definitely things that I did not enjoy creating.
So by the time I finally stopped entering the contest, I had a much clearer sense of the kind of artist I wanted to be and the direction that felt true to me. I love
Delores Naskrent: that. I really, really love that, and I've heard that story told in so many different ways. It's such a relatable turning point.
You realize that growth isn't just about what you're putting out [00:09:00] there, but it's also about aligning with what you truly love creating. Tell us more. Let's talk about YouTube for example, because your channel is a wonderful blend. I love watching. Your voice is so sweet and your teaching and you've got so much honesty.
There's something so homey. About your teaching, you said your husband gently nudged you into starting this. What made you take the leap? I know for myself it's kind of nerve wracking right at the beginning. So how did that happen? What made you actually follow through with that?
Teresa: At first I thought he was nuts, of course, you know, but my Instagram was growing and I'd become a part of a few different art communities, I kept hearing people talk about their struggles with watercolor. And a lot of what they were saying were the exact same things that I struggled with in the beginning.
I know what helped me overcome those struggles, so why not share [00:10:00] that and help someone else overcome those struggles too? Yeah, I've always loved teaching. I've taught in several different situations over the years, so teaching feels like a natural thing for me. I just wasn't ready before because I didn't have enough experience with watercolors and design yet.
I was still figuring it out.
Delores Naskrent: What did you find the hardest thing about getting started?
Teresa: Oh my goodness. Without a doubt. The videography, figuring out which lights, which microphone, which camera, and all the editing software and how to do that. That was so challenging for me. My first. 50 videos or so are all shot with a different collection of different pieces of equipment because I was just experimenting and trying to figure out which ones are gonna work for me, you know?
Delores Naskrent: Right. And you've had a big move too. You've had a move from one studio to another, so I'm sure that has stories all mixed into it, but what, what kind of videos do you love doing the most now? When you're [00:11:00] creating, what do you love the most?
Teresa: Well. I love it all, but I really enjoy the ones where there's a real defined how to, you know, we're trying to overcome a particular problem.
Like, you know, this is how to paint a loose leaf. So the whole video's just about the leaf, but I also really love the ones where we're just relaxed and painting together. I have a whole playlist of videos where we're just painting, and I tell Alaska stories somehow in one of my videos one day.
I mentioned something that happened in Alaska when we used to live there, and it went over really well. People wanted more Alaska stories. So you know, I have that whole playlist now of videos where between moments of teaching how to do something in the part where we're actually doing it and painting. I tell a quick story, while we're painting and those are a lot of fun for me.
Delores Naskrent: Oh, they must be. You've built a [00:12:00] huge following. So obviously other people feel this weight. As well. You have, last time I looked, you had at least 10,000 people, right? Subscribers. Yeah. In the past couple of years. That's crazy. Thinking about how quickly you were able to grow that. Congratulations, by the way.
Teresa: Thank you.
Delores Naskrent: You're welcome. And what do you think has resonated the most with your audience?
Teresa: Hmm. Well, I think. Big part of it is that learning something new can be really frustrating especially watercolors. They're notoriously tricky. In the beginning they're not like painting with acrylic or oil.
They're different. I just try to keep my videos calm and approachable. And a little fun, you know, that take the pressure off and make you forget about trying to be perfect. I think people connect with the relaxed atmosphere and the easy to follow steps. Just make it more approachable, you know, when you're not stressed or intimidated.
We learn so much [00:13:00] better. I just try to bring that feeling to every video.
Delores Naskrent: Well, you are very calm and you do a really nice job of making it a very calm space. I, I, thank you, appreciate that about your videos. What, in your opinion, does YouTube, or how does it compare to maybe the more private or slower pace of painting for yourself when you're just in your zone?
How do those two things compare? I'm curious.
Teresa: honestly, I think pretty much the same way, whether I'm filming or not, I'm kind of a slow, methodical painter unless I'm trying to paint something with lots of expression then I'll paint a little faster.
The only real difference is that. If I'm planning to put it on YouTube, I edit out all the slow, boring parts like me sitting there trying to decide, hmm, what book paintbrush do I wanna use? Or what color do I want next? The actual pace and process of my painting really doesn't change.
Delores Naskrent: Oh, you shared so much and I really [00:14:00] appreciating this conversation a lot. I love that. You know, that feeling of, I finally get it. That really ties into what we're talking about here on the creative juggle joy. That's what we really try to, share with people finding meaning through teaching and sharing what we love.
That's, what we want as teachers and as consumers of someone's teaching. That's what we want. So that's, that's just really a lovely story, Teresa. Oh, this past, yeah. For me it's been the same my. Past year and a half have been full of big transitions. And I know that, there's been a lot of stuff going on for you too.
Moving in general is a lot of adjustments of your creative rhythms, I find that the more my business grows, the more it kind of, you know, changes or. Or is different at different times of year. How do, do you [00:15:00] manage to stay connected to your art when you're really busy doing other things like babysitting
you're close to your daughter, right? So you're, you're close to the baby. So how has that changed your life? I remember you really looking forward to it, and now I am. Super curious.
Teresa: Oh, you know, it's been wonderful being able to be a part of their life again. But you're right. It's all about prioritizing
for the first year that I was on YouTube, before all these changes, I was publishing a video every single week. I had the time to do it. And then once we decided to move. I had to switch to every other week.
Even that was challenging at times, especially during the actual moving process. Having a production schedule definitely helped me stay on track, but that wasn't always a realistic thing to maintain either, prioritizing has been the biggest thing for me. I prioritized YouTube.
That was my main creative focus. I had to put other things on the back burner. [00:16:00] When everything got chaotic, it helped me center and anchor me to my art when everything else was shifting.
Delores Naskrent: That's a really great way to put it.
many of the people in my membership and listeners here have to balance something in life. You know, whether it's children, whether it's. Grandchildren. My grandson lives right across the street so we see him a lot. And my mom lives with us as well, so we're also that kind of sandwich generation.
I really get that. And that's one of the things that why we do these kind of talks with all these different people is that we want listeners to understand how all of us come from a different place with this and. Somehow make it through. So I think that's one of the things I'm trying to say to everybody is, you know, juggling is okay.
We all do it right. I do have a question for you. How do you decide when to push forward and when to give yourself [00:17:00] permission to slow down?
Teresa: the older I get, the easier it's becoming to find that balance, first I try to focus only on the things I really want to do.
When I'm excited about something, it energizes me and the whole experience feels good. When I try to force myself to do things I don't really wanna do, it drags me down and leaves me exhausted. So I try to limit those things as much as possible. On the days when I am feeling tired, 'cause it happens, you know, I've just learned sometimes the best thing you can do, it's just take the day off.
Yeah. You know, frequent down times for me, help keep the burnout to a minimum.
Delores Naskrent: What practices or routines help you to keep, even like when you're taking that break, how do you keep your creativity alive? Especially when it's stressful?
Teresa: I think it's important to know yourself.
There are two things that [00:18:00] help me keep my creativity alive more than anything else. The first thing is get outside. The sun and nature in general can cure a lot of problems. And two, surrounding myself with people, I work alone from home, so it's easy for me to get bogged down by the solitude and,
Focus on the wrong things. Spending time outside and connecting with other people, reset me and keep me inspired and keep my art fresh with energy. Even if it's just talking to random strangers at the grocery store.
Delores Naskrent: I always run into people I know. It's surprising i'm gonna run into the store for 10 minutes, becomes half an hour somehow.
Teresa: Right. Well now since we've moved to this new city, I don't have my usual community. I'll walk up and talk to anyone about any of the
Delores Naskrent: That's awesome.
I love that phrase that you used, [00:19:00] being amazed by what you've accomplished. Even with limited time, it's almost like when I think Teresa, that's what I think. Can you share more about that mindset?
Teresa: Yeah. I think the key is just keep moving, right? Even when things don't go as planned, when life forces you to pivot, when you feel like you're not accomplishing your goals.
That's the one that gets me when I feel like I'm not accomplishing my goals on the timeline that I had preconceived, just keep moving. Small steps, accumulate. In the midst of our move to the new city, life was totally chaotic. I dropped my videos down, to every other week.
That was a race to complete it. But somehow I got it done. And even though it was rushed, I usually had a good time doing it, my channel kept growing. Which surprised me 'cause I thought, I've cut my videos in half. [00:20:00] I was afraid that was going to affect my growth, but it really didn't, my followers were amazingly supportive and understanding and I was real open about the process too.
Why I am doing this and what I'm going through. When I look back at 2024 and all the events that took place that year. It doesn't make sense to me that I was able to keep posting to YouTube, the only explanation is that I just kept moving, even if it was at a slower pace.
Delores Naskrent: I have one student who has started, well, two students who have started YouTube channels, and this'll be really great for them to hear.
They're doing great already, but this kind of information is also very good. I think many listeners will relate to your story here, Teresa. I really think so. 'Cause we all juggle so much. But it's the persistence and giving yourself grace. That kindness we show ourselves that keeps us going.
So [00:21:00] let's look a little bit ahead. Let's look at Teresa's future. You mentioned goals for year three, and one of them was growing your YouTube channel. Then you had refreshing your website, launching a community, and returning to service pattern design, which is how I met you in the first place.
Which of those feels the most exciting right now? That's lofty goals, and I love it.
Teresa: You know that that's what I do. I really set the goals for anything and everything, you know? But I don't think I can pick just one. I'm really excited about each one of those things. I've really missed surface pattern design, but I feel like when I go back to it, I'm much more prepared for it.
I've grown so much through this YouTube channel, so I don't think I can pick just one. I wanna do it all.
Delores Naskrent: that's amazing. I know. You're like me. We're peas from the same pod, I think. What do your fans or students look forward to next? 'cause I'm hoping that some of your fans are going to be listening to [00:22:00] this podcast.
I'd like to know what's coming down the pipes for them.
Teresa: Well, definitely more tutorials, more conversations. I always ask, on YouTube if you're having trouble with something or there's something you want to see, then let me know, and, I really try to produce whatever.
Someone needing, so definitely more of that. And I really wanna find a way to have more conversations. I feel like they know me pretty well, but, I'm kind of limited on how much I know them. So yeah, I would really like to do that.
Delores Naskrent: I think you're really approachable.
I think that it's one of the reasons why people love watching your, your channel. Do you, have you ever dreamed of, specific collaboration or is there a milestone that you'd love to reach this year?
Teresa: Well, yeah, I really want to launch an online school so I can teach. I have people who want more in depth.[00:23:00]
Lessons and there's only so much you can do on YouTube, you know? I really do want to launch that. I've just run across a few snags with that, that I'm hoping to overcome. So yes, definitely that. Okay. I have a little silly one. I'll confess to you.
The very first time I started designing, I really wanted to license a few of my designs to Kitchen Towel company, you know? Nice. And I don't know if that's the one product that I always wanted to license and I never have. So, at some point I hope that's in my future
Delores Naskrent: so cool.
I love it. And your stuff would be absolutely perfect. I would totally, totally buy any tea towels with your art on it. And you know what? It's fun to have those silly little dreams, you know? And yes, sometimes those are the things that validate all of the years of work, you know? So I totally get that 100%.
So for anyone who's listening, who's on the fence about sharing their art online or starting a [00:24:00] teaching platform, what would you tell them? Teresa, I get this question all the time. So what would you tell them?
Teresa: That's interesting. So I think as far as sharing your artwork online, only do what's comfortable.
Sharing your work is such a personal thing, and while it can help you grow as an artist in ways you can't even predict until you do it. That's only valuable if it feels right for you. If you're not ready, that's completely okay. Only share when and if you truly want to, I think I would ask myself two questions.
Why do you wanna share it? And what's making you hesitate? If you can answer those two questions, I think you can get more comfortable and get off the fence about whether to do it or not. It's not for everybody. And that's okay. And as far as a teaching platform, if you're thinking about that.
You just have to follow your heart. You never know who [00:25:00] you might reach or inspire. There's an audience out there that will resonate with your topic and your teaching style. I can tell you there's nothing quite like the feeling of helping someone learn something new or to overcome a struggle.
I mean, you know this, Delores. Yes. It's incredibly rewarding, and there are challenges to it, but there are challenges to everything worth doing. There's a plethora of resources out there that'll help you meet whatever challenge you're going to encounter. If you're drawn to teach, then you just need to do it.
Delores Naskrent: Yeah. Were either of us teaching when we first met? I don't remember. Was I, because I mean, I think you were, maybe I had just started at that point. That's interesting because I never really planned to do it either and I know you didn't really plan to do it.
So it's kind of interesting that here we are, both of us teaching. I find that it really taught me a lot about [00:26:00] myself I wanna ask you, how did you learn about courage and, the imperfection that happens in our kind of work. What did you learn about those things specifically?
I think about those things all the time because they're things that have affected me and things that, you know, if somebody had told me I would be doing this 10 years ago, I would've been, no, I'm so, I'm, I don't have the guts to do it, and my work, I'm just too picky about my work. I'd like to hear your take on that.
Teresa: Oh wow. Tough question. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, imperfectionism is something that I really struggle with. I think I've learned to not sweat the small stuff. Trying to make something perfect usually isn't worth it. And what I see is perfect, often doesn't matter to anyone else. Yeah. So it's a waste of time, really.
Courage isn't about being fearless. It's about showing up anyway and sharing your work, [00:27:00] teaching online, trying something new, it's all scary. But just taking those steps, even if they're imperfect, is what really leads to growth and unexpected opportunities.
And, you know, sometimes I'm, I'm kind of guilty of. Do it and think about it later, you know, after the fact. Yeah. And, and I think that's my own self preservation of not allowing myself to chicken out, I'm not gonna concentrate on that too much. I'm just gonna do it.
Delores Naskrent: Do you have any practical advice for balancing creation and sharing without burning out? You're doing a lot of different things. Even if your focus right now is teaching, but you're doing a lot of creative stuff behind the scenes. How do you stop yourself from burning out
Teresa: with all
Delores Naskrent: this sharing?
Teresa: I've also kept up my Instagram account and do a lot of videos there, so that takes up time. The two things that really have helped me keep [00:28:00] that up is USI utilizing matching content and automation as much as possible. You know, go ahead and create it all right now and then schedule it, let it post.
On whatever timeline you set up for it. Otherwise I'd be chasing my tail all the time. Doing things the hard way is usually my approach, but I've had to learn by survival that doing things the hard way will just lead to burnout faster than anything else.
Delores Naskrent: A hundred percent agree with that.
This whole year, I batched all my work in the beginning. So I had work right up until I got classes ready for until. December. So I'm starting to feel that stress of, okay, now I gotta, do the planning for next year. We've actually scheduled out the entire next year and so I kind of know what's coming, but it's still, there's a lot left to do.
A lot of recording, creating [00:29:00] and I have to create the projects before I record the class. And I usually do them twice before I record. So I'm gonna be moving into a period of a lot of creative work and recording, but I a hundred percent agree with you. It's just the best way to do it is batching.
Teresa: Well, you know, you're the one who set me on that path. Oh, did I? Yes. You had talked about this before and I just could not get my head around how do you do that? 'Cause I'm very much a, 1, 2, 3, 4, you know, follow the thing to really paint all at once, all these things and then to go back and, do it that way, was mind boggling.
But you're the one who convinced me that this works. You have to try it. And so once I did it. It's life changing.
Delores Naskrent: I'm so glad that we hung out today. Thanks for sharing your story and sharing your heart with us. I love hearing about everything that's coming up for you.
I think [00:30:00] that, because I have witnessed all of this, knowing you for these number of years I can't even imagine you having gone a different route with this. I honestly can't. At the beginning we were both gonna be surface pattern designers and we've still kind of got that in our back pockets, right?
But we've gone in such different ways. Journeys, but yet same journeys you and I. You know, just quite different and it's really cool. So I think that it. Just has to evolve naturally. That's what's happened for both of us and for you. It started out with those napkins for your daughter, which is so cute.
And it's now led to inspiring thousands of people with your YouTube channel, and I love that you are thinking of starting a school. I think that's gonna be fantastic. Listeners, if you wanna connect with Teresa, you can find her at bealadesigns.com or on Instagram at Beala. [00:31:00] Underscore designs. And then on YouTube as at Bela Art, all one word, B-E-A-L-A-A-R-T.
I am going to be putting the links underneath the podcast. And as always, if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a creative friend who could use a little encouragement today. Keep juggling, keep creating, and most importantly, keep finding joy in the process.
