Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Brown
Beth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I would have to say my story truly began around 10 years ago in the fall of 2015! Freshly out of high school and ready to face the world, I began my college education at Hamline University with the intention of pursuing a double major in English and Theatre Arts. Everything was absolutely wonderful in the beginning! I loved my professors, had a fantastic group of friends and worked a job on campus welding for the University’s theatre department, that I absolutely loved. Unfortunately half-way through the first semester my life was flipped completely upside down. I remember waking up on that chilly November morning with alarmingly bad stomach ache, like, the worst stomach ache I had ever felt. I emailed my professors, letting them know I wouldn’t be making it to class and laid back down, but as the hours passed the pain only got worse and by that evening I was in the emergency room where the doctors discovered I had an incredibly severe case of Pancreatitis. That was the day my life as I knew it ended, and so began my 10 years, and counting, long battle with chronic illness. While all of that was happening I was left desperately trying to scrape together some semblance of a normal life as I watched my friends moving on with theirs; graduating college, starting their careers, getting married, and having children. Instead of working a job I hated and cramming for finals, I was spending my days in dimly lit hospital rooms, hooked up to various pumps and tubes that were, in essence, keeping me alive. That all changed in 2019 when I underwent a Total Pancreatectomy Autologous Islet Transplant (TPAIT). The TPAIT is a surgical procedure where a patient’s entire pancreas is removed due to severe disease. (In my case; it was chronic pancreatitis due to a SPINK1 genetic mutation along with several other genetic markers.) The insulin-producing islet cells are then extracted from the removed pancreas and transplanted back into the patient’s liver. This allows the islets to continue producing insulin to manage blood sugar levels in the body; essentially preventing severe diabetes after the removal of the pancreas. The “autologous” part means the transplanted islet cells are the patient’s own and not from a donor. My spleen, appendix, and duodenum were also removed during the TPAIT. As part of my recovery I was not allowed to eat anything by mouth for about 3 months. Instead I depended on a Gastrojejunal feeding tube that bypassed my stomach and pumped tube feeds directly into my jejunum to give my body the nutrition it needed while allowing my stomach the time it needed to rest and recover from being moved around during the procedure. Despite the rough start to my recovery, I can honestly say the decision to undergo the TPAIT was one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. However, there was one thing that continued causing me trouble was not the post-surgical pain from the TPAIT but my entire lower reproductive system. I had very severe endometriosis; my periods were so painful I often had to be hospitalized just to keep that pain at a tolerable level. I frequently suffered from ovarian cysts, some ruptured, some didn’t, but all of it hurt. My doctors tried everything and in February of 2024 I made the difficult decision to undergo a total hysterectomy. When I say I felt like a different person waking up after that surgery I mean I literally had no idea that my thoughts could be so clear and so calm with without all of that pain gnawing at my body, slowly driving me insane. It both mentally and spiritually felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my chest and I finally had room to breathe in my own body; like all the things holding me back had suddenly just— let go. I was feeling so high on hope that I decided to pursue my life-long dream of acting! I attended industry schooling at John Casablancas International and was given the opportunity to attend a week long auditioning process in Dallas that gave me the opportunity to showcase my skills in front of numerous agents and industry professionals. That is where I met my agent and was signed with Manikin Talent Agency!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road! I faced many different road blocks to get to where I am today. Aside from my various health issues the biggest roadblock for me by far was when my father passed away from a very sudden, and unexpected heart attack. We had no idea he had any issues with his heart, and neither did he. My dad was one of my best friends and it was extremely hard on me. I lost my love for a lot of things he taught me how to do because the thought of continuing our special hobbies but without him has just been too painful for me to bear even though I know in my heart he’d want me to continue
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Making jewelry became an escape for me during my health battles; something I could focus on that wasn’t the unrelenting physical pain of my conditions or the constant anxiety swirling around unanswered questions and scary revelations. I was in fight or flight mode almost every second of every day for a long time, but when I was making my jewelry, stringing beads, bending wire, rolling out sheets of polymer clay, all that my mind could focus on was all the wonderful options for colors, materials, techniques, and new combinations I wanted to try. Through art I am able to channel complex thoughts and feelings into beautiful, tangible pieces that are representative of those things I am feeling when there just aren’t words to describe them. At the ripe age of nine years old my father began teaching me how to TIG weld which, for those not familiar, is one of the more complicated and difficult forms of welding. I remember getting extremely frustrated with myself I was first learning. specially when my father made it look completely effortless , to am proud to use the skills I learned as his apprentice The other thing I am probably most known for is my extensive career in acting and theatre arts. I was born with a flair for the dramatics but my love for acting, and the theatre in general, truly began in the 3rd grade when I was casted as Dorothy in our class’s production of the Wizard of Oz. The moment I stepped onto that stage as Dorothy, I was hooked. I attended countless theatre camps over the summers and participated in just about every single school play and musical for the entirety of my academic career.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Honestly the biggest resource in my life has been my loved ones. Without them I would absolutely not be where I am today. They are my strength and my sanity. They hold me up when I lose the ability to do so myself, and they have never, ever let me down. Career wise I have found Pinterest to be an amazing resource for finding inspiration and tutorials for any craft under the sun! I learned most of my current polymer clay skills and techniques from Pinterest tutorials and creators on YouTube! I follow a lot of polymer clay artists on both platforms and am always seeing new skills and techniques to try. I am completely self-taught when it comes to polymer clay and resin art and YouTube has been an invaluable asset on the learning journey.
