Unlocking Creativity with Beth Buffington
In today’s fast-paced world, finding and nurturing creativity can feel like an overwhelming challenge. Beth Buffington, one of the Founding Members of my Creative Business Mastermind program is a Licensed Illustrator, Creative Coach, Digital Illustration Instructor, and Podcaster. Her passion is helping others not only find their creative voice but thrive within it. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Beth and dive into her story—a journey that spans corporate communications, freelance design, product development, teaching, and now, hosting creative workshops and coaching programs. Let’s take a closer look at her creative evolution and how she’s using her experiences to inspire others.
From Corporate Graphics to Finding Her Passion
Beth’s career began in the world of corporate communications, a place she quickly realized wasn’t fulfilling her creative desires. Starting as a graphic designer for a large HVAC company, Beth found herself surrounded by technical, often uninspiring subject matter. Yet, her ingenuity shone through even in the most mundane projects. “Where’s the creativity in that?” she recalls thinking about her HVAC brochures, but she always found a way to make her work engaging.
Moving on from HVAC to business forms might not sound like a creative leap, but Beth’s desire to keep pushing her creative limits never wavered. After years of corporate work, she took a brave step into the unknown by launching her own design studio, Buffington Design and Illustration (BDI). Though initially, she continued to find more graphic design work than illustration projects, this leap was the beginning of her journey toward creative freedom.
Getting Scrappy: Building a Freelance Business
One of the standout moments from our conversation was Beth’s scrappy approach to building her freelance design business in the pre-Internet days. Without the ease of Google or social media, Beth got into her car, drove to industrial parks, and jotted down names of companies that might need design services. Then, she’d return home, dig through the yellow pages, and send them hand-crafted postcards. Each one featured a charming illustration of a character that represented Beth herself—complete with witty taglines like, "Let Buffington Design carve out a little extra time in your day."
“It was like the early email list,” Beth recalls, explaining how she kept a detailed record of contacts and continued to follow up with them. From cold calling to sending lunch-time sandwiches to potential clients, Beth’s tenacity and creative marketing led to many successful freelance projects. She shows us that whether it’s cold calling or crafting unique direct mail, sometimes the scrappy methods are the ones that work best.
Falling in Love with Product Design
Over time, Beth’s design work shifted toward product design, which she discovered by happy accident. A client found her on Craigslist, and despite never having done product design before, Beth took on the challenge. “Of course, I can do that,” she told the client, later confessing that she was in uncharted territory. But as she dove into handbag designs and illustrations for home products, Beth found her true passion.
Product design gave her the creative spark she had been seeking for years. From Christmas stockings to decorative lighting, Beth’s designs began to adorn shelves in major retail stores. Her favorite part? Seeing her ideas come to life in the form of tangible products. “Finding that first product design client was a huge celebration,” she said. And after that, she focused on securing more product design work, further cementing her love for the field.
The Shift to Teaching: Sharing the Joy of Creativity
Beth’s career took another exciting turn when she started teaching digital illustration at a local college. It was here that she realized how much she loved teaching others. Beth structured her classes to mirror real-world design challenges, ensuring her students were prepared to take their skills into professional settings. “It was all about applying what you know and presenting it as if you were working at an agency,” she explained.
Beth’s teaching style was hands-on and practical, but it was when the pandemic hit in 2020 that she made the transition to teaching online. Creating pre-recorded video lessons for her students, Beth discovered a new way to share her knowledge. When students started asking for permanent access to these videos, it dawned on her that she was, in fact, teaching online courses—something she’d once never imagined herself doing.
The Power of Procreate: A Game Changer for Creativity
In 2017, Beth discovered Procreate, a powerful drawing app for the iPad that would change the way she worked. Initially, she bought an iPad and Apple Pencil to showcase her portfolio at a trade show, but after learning about Procreate, it quickly became her go-to tool for illustration.
Beth’s enthusiasm for the app eventually led her to create and teach courses on Procreate, helping others discover the app’s potential. “It was like finding the missing piece to my workflow,” she explained. From intricate watercolor effects to pastels, Procreate allowed her to create client-ready artwork directly on her iPad. Today, Beth teaches others how to harness the power of Procreate, both through workshops and online courses.
Creative Confidence: The Secret to Success
Throughout our conversation, one key theme kept emerging—confidence. For Beth, creativity and confidence go hand in hand. As she puts it, “You can’t be brave and creative if you’re not confident in yourself.” This belief is what led her to expand her offerings beyond teaching digital art. Beth now helps creatives build their confidence through her coaching programs, workshops, and podcast, where she shares practical advice on everything from the creative process to wellness.
She also emphasizes the importance of mindset. She’s developed a framework she calls Going Forwards with Your Creativity, which is built around four key words: Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release. These words guide her students in organizing their creative process and building the confidence to share their work with the world. By focusing on these steps, Beth helps artists energize their creativity, actively seek out inspiration, do the work, and, most importantly, be brave enough to let their art go and share it. This framework has become the foundation of her teachings, helping creatives push past their internal barriers and achieve their goals. Her mantra of "eat well, sleep well, exercise, and be creative" is a holistic approach to living a more fulfilled, creative life.
Join Beth’s Creative Journey
Beth’s passion for helping others find their creative voice is at the heart of everything she does. Whether through her Procreate courses, her podcast, or her workshops, Beth is dedicated to empowering artists to be more confident, healthy, and happy.
If you’re ready to explore your creativity, join Beth for her Doodle Meditation workshop—an accessible and fun way to dive into your creative potential. Learn how a daily doodle can help you set and manifest your goals, all while building confidence in your artistic journey.
👉 Sign up for Beth’s Doodle Meditation workshop
👉 Visit Beth’s website
👉 Tune in to her podcast
Mark your calendar and join me LIVE with Beth this Wednesday, October 9 at noon pacific time on my Facebook business page or on my YouTube channel. The conversation will be lively and inspiring. We’d love to see you there!
xo,
Anne
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
