We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Beth Cooper. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Beth below.

Alright, Beth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Someone once told me “no,” and that turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me! The story of Bluebird Studio is part of a plan that developed slowly over many years and finally came to fruition in 2022. We moved to Santa Fe in early 2018 after living in Denver for 30 years. We owned a second home in Santa Fe for over a decade and always had in the back of our minds the idea of moving permanently to New Mexico. Although retirement for my husband was years away, we both wanted to find a property where he could have horses and I could pursue my passion for art.

One day, I casually mentioned to a neighbor in Santa Fe that I had an idea for an art workshop space—my exact words were “art barn.” She shook her head and said that won’t work, it’s been tried before and they always fail. As a student of many pastel workshops over a 10-year span, particularly in Santa Fe, I noticed that many of the local spaces were inadequate and didn’t offer a true Santa Fe experience. As a former event planner for a local Congressman in Colorado, I knew I had the skills to put together a successful event space, but I lacked business experience. The “no” I received from that neighbor spurred me into action and challenged me to make my dream a reality. I was like “watch me”!

We searched for years to find the perfect property in the Santa Fe area and eventually decided to purchase a 50-year-old small ranch that needed remodeling from top to bottom. We made an offer, sold our home in Denver, and moved to Santa Fe full-time. I built this business from the ground up with the help of my husband, who is an attorney. I also hired a local business lawyer, a web designer, a business coach, a graphic designer, an architect, and a contractor. Most importantly, we constructed the studio after completing the main house.

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https://www.bluebirdstudiosantafe.com

http://www.bethcooperart.com