Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bethany Neigebauer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bethany, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I’m 6′-1″ as a woman and have been that tall since I was in high school. I honestly think being this tall helped me build my confidence from a young age. I learned very quickly that I could either be upset forever that I was different because of my height or accept and love this beautiful part of me. I’ve taken that energy into everything I do. My artwork is no exception. We do what we do because we love the process, not because of how it will be perceived by others. Makes it so much easier to be confident in who and what we are as artists.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I formed BAN Artwork (a collaboration between myself as artist/manager and Chris Estes as engineer) during the depths of the pandemic. As an extrovert that travels for a living, it was a tough time. My best friend recommended I create one piece of art during this time to pull myself out of a low point. What started as a daily activity in December 2020 quickly turned into a small business that moved from digital artwork to multi-media artwork focused on LED design. Chris and I are both burners and love creating silly weird art that we can take to Burning Man events or just to decorate our colorful home. But more importantly, we love making art for Durham. We don’t measure our success as a business based on how much money we make. We base it on how good of a member of our community we are. This has helped us to build beautiful relationships with local businesses who have our artwork in their locations. These include the Durham Beer Garden, Killer Queen Wine Bar, and The Fruit. We are always open for commissions to collaborate with Durham folks on how we can bring LED artwork into their lives.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Chris and I realized early on that our success has come from the best of both of our skills. He has the engineering know-how while I have the creative and project management skills. All three of these have been foundational to our business and art process. We constantly challenge each other with our different perspectives to find the best path forward. I can’t recommend enough to young artists or anyone looking to get into this world to collaborate. Find art friends or small business friends. Build your community through local groups or events. We truly believe humans are best when we come together. This has definitely been the case for Chris and I.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
Our ideal client is someone who is passionate about Durham and wants an LED art piece in their space. We also love clients who trust us in what we bring to the table but also are excited to get into the details with us if they want to.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.banartwork.com
- Instagram: banartwork
- Facebook: banartwork
Image Credits
Bethany Neigebauer
