Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Beth Beck.
Hi Dr. Beck, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I love this quote by Albert Einstein, “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” I’m a disruptive thinker and nonlinear problem-solver. I think we’re most creative when we toss out our assumptions of what we “think” we see and look with fresh eyes. I believe in the power of collaborative creativity built upon diversity of thought, which often comes from unexpected sources.
My story: I grew up in Central Texas, received two degrees from UT Austin and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. I worked for NASA in Washington D.C. the majority of my federal career and moved back to Texas in 2017 to retire and be with family. Two years later, we opened MillHouse at the historic McKinney Cotton Mill in 2019 to support and uplift micro businesswomen in creative fields.
At NASA, I championed innovative business practices that leveraged social media, advanced technology, non-traditional partnerships, and community engagement. In my last five years at NASA, I developed new initiatives to identify and support Women in Data and help spur innovation in local communities through citizen engagement with NASA’s Open Data. The MillHouse collaborative model is a grand experiment infused with concepts from my PhD research on the social dynamics of creativity, as well as insights from my experience developing and implementing NASA’s Women in Data initiative. We’re learning, growing, adapting, and morphing the design with every interaction we have with the women of MillHouse.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
We faced what most women-owned startups face – lack of start-up capital. This is not a new story. We aren’t the first, nor will we be the last, to grapple with lack of funds.
The concept of MillHouse was simple, or so I thought — a nonprofit collaborative social space for small businesswomen in creative fields, with art studios, photography studios, co-working, yoga, and speakers/workshops for skill enhancement, designed to foster cross-fertilization of ideas and encourage entrepreneurship. Our concept, however, perplexed potential supporters and donors who couldn’t envision the melting pot design with artists, photographers, yoga instructors, designers, musicians, writers, and weavers mixed together in one location designed just for women.
A city leader sent me several articles about women-owned startups self-funding their efforts, with support from family and friends. I took counsel from the articles, armed myself with a credit card and money from my retirement, and scoured garage sales, estate sales, and our local Habitat for Humanity in order to furnish and equip our facility.
My sister and business partner, Aimee Woolverton, and I spent an entire month reupholstering (though we had no experience) furniture, painting, and wallpapering to get our space ready. We opened our doors in June of 2019 with 1500 sq. ft., expanded to 5,500 sq. ft. in October 2019, and had just begun to grow our MillHouse membership when the next big obstacle, Covid, shut down the world. We pivoted our business model away from co-working into individual studio spaces. Our footprint has now expanded to 14,000 sq. ft. with 32 private and open studio spaces, as well as a dedicated co-working space, two photography studios, a private conference room, expanded kitchen, and more.
MillHouse is a labor of love and a walk of faith. The path has been rocky, full of potholes, and littered with thorny branches, but anyone can take the paved path. I prefer forging our own way forward into the unexpected places, to the surprise of those who don’t think we can make it work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In this post-NASA season of my life, I run the MillHouse sister non-profits: MillHouse Foundation and MillHouse McKinney. MillHouse Foundation tax-exempt organization supports women in creative fields by operating art and mural festivals, maker markets, public art projects, and other opportunities to showcase work, increase clientele, and collaborate. MillHouse McKinney is our membership-based business league which operates the 14,000 sq. ft. facility at the century-old McKinney Cotton Mill factory. MillHouse McKinney provides female artists and creatives access to 32 private and open studios, co-working and social space, workshops and classes, and business resources.
What most people don’t know about me is that I studied photography and printmaking at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. I specialized in non-traditional photographic techniques, specifically pinhole photography. My fine art photography was featured in a one-artist show at the Torpedo Factory, as well as juried shows at the Corcoran, Alexandria Art League Gallery, and other east coast galleries. My work is held in private collections in the east and west coast and Canada and is featured in a book of poetry.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Since starting MillHouse, I have very little time to read — other than the Bible, which I spend time in every day. I recently read “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. Very thought-provoking.
Some classic creativity/leadership/organization books:
The Gifts of Imperfection
by Brene Brown
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.
by Brené Brown
Change by Design (How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation)
by Tim Brown
Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention
by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
by Malcolm Gladwell
Pricing:
- Basic Membership (Co-Work, M-F business hours, ): $100/month
- LightBlock Membership (Photography benefits, M-F business hours): $125/month
- ArtBlock Membership (Artist benefits, M-F business hours) $125/month
- Open Studio (24/7 access): beginning at $250/month
- Private Studio (24/7 access): beginning at $375
Contact Info:
- Website: https://millhousefoundation.org, https://millhousemckinney.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millhousemckinney
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millhousemckinney
Image Credits
Beth Beck
Cortnie Davis
