Meet Beatriz Reid | Artist

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

Hi Beatriz, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Taking risks in general was very low in my priorities growing up.

I thought that I had a simple path in front of me that I was going to follow without asking too many questions, while probably checking the boxes that people had put in front of me.

My teens left and my college chapter came. Instead of pursuing what I wanted, I allowed fear to keep me from taking action.

Afraid of the challenge of a degree in creative art, I chose to study art history. This behavior of avoiding risks hurt my confidence, shrunk my comfort zone, and caused me to feel lost.
Out of nowhere my chance for adventure came along.

My school was hosting a program that involved bringing American students from Vanderbilt University to learn Spanish and have a few months of experience living abroad.
I’m still not sure if I truly believe in destiny, but I almost said no to the chance to become a tutor for these students. My parents gave me a gentle push, and I decided to say yes.

The promise of traveling around Spain, some pocket money and more important maybe the chance to finally learn some English, helped with my decision to be part of this.

Then, I met my husband through this program and the rest is history. He was one of those students, and he was also doing something out of his comfort zone by coming to Spain.

After five years of a long-distance relationship between the two countries and going through the process obtain a visa to move the US (that could make an article on its own), I finally landed on March 4, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. I arrived with a couple of suitcases holding some clothes, books and my wedding dress.

Coming to the US was a Big (with capital B) risk. I barely spoke English and it felt like starting adulthood again from zero. Everything felt very foreign, from learning how to put gas in a car to making an appointment with a doctor’s office. I even hung up the phone several times after having a panic attack because I was asked to spell my name or answer medical questions.

On top of that, moving away from my family and friends to the unknown definitely did not help.

Fast forward, my life in the US has brought several career changes: finding my love for teaching art to kids; teaching English to adults as a volunteer; having 5 kids in a short period of time; and finally moving to Texas after 16 years living in Georgia.

I’ve learned that great results can come from stepping out of my comfort zone, so this year, I’m doing something new. I am trying to be a professional artist!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think about my art as a medium to connect with others by showing them my own world or how I see it. People fall in love with art when it connects with them – when it makes them feel something, or when it makes them see the world in a new way.

I have been tremendously enjoying the experience of getting lost in the process, going with the flow, and trying to let go. This has been challenging as those conflict with my role as a stay-at-home parent. I’ve been working on feeling fulfilled even it’s just a five-minute sketch. Sometimes it’s all that I get, and I have been trying to embrace it.

A new project is an adventure, a challenge. Someone asked Picasso, “Of all your work, which painting is your favorite?” He replied, “The next one.”

At the moment, I’m enjoying doing linoleum prints in black and white, using acrylics and some construction paper and then mixing them together as well. Half of the stuff ends up in the trash can or in a box, but recently and thanks to a new and encouraging friend, I arranged with an owner of a store in to display some of my prints to sell to the public for the first time ever. It’s very scary and exciting at the same time. But it’s time to take the plunge. I have also opened an Etsy store.

A friend of mine taught me years ago about “finding joy” around you every day, so if one of my creations does that to someone, that would make me very happy.

My hope for the future is that maybe one day I could have my prints used in a children’s book. Dreaming, it’s free.

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?
I moved with my family from Atlanta, Georgia almost two years ago and I have to say that the DFW is truly full of places to discover, not just in the city but in the surrounding areas. There is so much more that I haven’t found yet! These have been some of my favorite places so far that I have personally experienced:
– The Forth Worth Botanical Garden.
– Fort Worth Zoo, it’s probably one of the best I have ever visited.
– The Dallas Aquarium is such a neat spot.
– The Christmas Tyme Event in downtown Aledo, on the first weekend of December. If you love Christmas Hallmark movies this is the place to be and feel that you are in your own movie.
– Walking around downtown Fort Worth on a Friday night and going to Sundance Square where live music can be heard often.
– Downtown Weatherford, from just walking around the town to eating some yummy Italian food at Zeno’s on the Square.
– Dinosaur Valley State Park and visiting Granbury’s square afterwards, including the cutest museum of their jail.
– Dallas Art Museum. I still can’t believe that was free to visit. Their gift shop is beautiful too.
– The Fort Worth Stockyards. Seeing the longhorns pass by never gets old. Getting some tasty ribs at Risky’s and riding a horse or seeing a rodeo at the historic Coliseum.
– The Clearfork area in FW is also a great place to visit for its stores and restaurants.
– You will find me often with my kids at The Pancake House in Fort Worth.
– Eating breakfast or lunch at Press Café in Fort Worth and then riding a bike close to the Trinity River.
– If you are looking for something high end, I would recommend a romantic supper at The Draper Hotel. Walking around the hotel after eating a delicious meal is an experience.
– My new favorite restaurant in Dallas its’ called “Sketches Of Spain”. The chef is amazing. It’s very authentic and cheaper than a plane ticket to Spain.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think that I’m going to use this opportunity to give myself a shout out first and foremost, maybe someone would get inspired out there after reading this, and no, you don’t need to have five kids to be inspired by it. Promise!

I’m finally taking the risk of putting my art and my creativity out there. My experience of moving to the States has been a huge learning experience about taking risks in life, and hopefully it will keep helping me.

The last year and this one, deciding to pursue the arts beyond a hobby in my garage is a risk, so as an artist you must get comfortable with taking risks in your business early on.

It’s a risk to create something and put it out there for the world to see for fear of criticism from the public. It’s a risk to purchase supplies and invest in startup costs when you have no idea if you’ll see a return on your investment.

My family, my children and my husband also needed to be included. My mom still keeps my drawings from Kindergarten to college and refuses to let them go. My children show their excitement when they see me painting in a corner of the garage after supper. My husband, who knows how terrible I will be keeping a business afloat, is ready to become my own personal art manager.

I would like also to mention all the ladies that I have met throughout the past 17 years in the US: the ones that laugh at my jokes, and the ones that push me to be better and not settle. I have to say that I feel very fortunate with my Women Village. All of your support is part of this new chapter.

If I had to recommend some books that have helped in my recent journey of creative discovery and risk taking, I would recommend “Being Here is Everything: The Life of Paula Modersohn-Becker” by Marie Darriesussesq. I really enjoy biographies of artists that include their journal entries and letters.

Lately I have also enjoyed reading a book called The Risk Paradox: Life Lessons from 102 Amazing Risk Takers by Alan Ying and Doug Schneider. It has great questions such as why do some people embrace risk while others avoid it all costs? I like that it shows the before, the during and the aftermath after taking a risk.

Website: beareidprints.com

Instagram: bea.reidprints

Facebook: Beatriz Reid

Other: Etsy: https://beareidprints.etsy.com/

Image Credits
Make-Up, Stylist and Photography by Bianca M. Schiffman Pictures of art pieces by Bea Reid