Betsy Ash Finn ‘01: Operating at the intersection of art and business

After her last stint as a juror for Greenhills’ Art Beat, an annual event showcasing student work, the Alumni Office caught up with Betsy Ash Finn ’01 to learn more about how she combines her lifelong love of art with business skills developed in college to sustain and grow her small company.

How did Greenhills impact your art journey?
I moved over to Greenhills in 9th grade from Emerson School, and took a lot of art classes, particularly photography with Rob Kinnaird and ceramics with Maria Trapani. I spent endless hours in the darkroom, digitally manipulating images on the computer, throwing clay, and printmaking. I also played in the orchestra all four years and sang a little.

At Hope College I double-majored in studio art, with an emphasis on photography, and business management. My classmate and future husband Steven Finn ’01 suggested the business angle. Photography seemed like the easiest medium to make a living at as an artist, so post-graduation I took a couple extra classes at Michigan State and set out my shingle. I create mainly portraits (families, seniors, babies, professional headshots) as well as commercial/interior photography too. Shortly after starting my business, I also got the opportunity to become a contributing writer for Professional Photographer magazine, which has been another fun creative outlet for me as well, as I have fond memories of writing poetry during my senior year at Greenhills.

Tell us about your experience as a juror for the Greenhills art show.
When the Greenhills art department folks reached out to me a few years ago to serve as the juror for the students’ exhibition, I was very quick to say yes. I had great memories of a big art show when I was a senior. It’s really fun to witness the full range of kids’ expression and complexity as they get older. But of course judging art is completely subjective—there’s no set measure or standard.

My own two kids—a 5th grader and a 9th grader—are really into art, no surprise! They’ll bring home school projects to continue to work on for hours. I always tell them, when you’re creating art just focus on doing it to the best of your ability and do it for yourself.

What else keeps you busy?
My niece (daughter of C.J. Finn ’96) is currently a middle schooler at Greenhills, and I am serving as a coach for a local middle school robotics team, so it has been very enjoyable to return to Greenhills on multiple fronts. I’ve been able to collaborate with the Greenhills robotics coaches and mentors, and it has been nice to see that Greenhills continues to be a vibrant community for young people to explore their creativity, whether it’s through the arts or robotics or something else!