Studio Linear's Andrea Beaulieu on Cannabis vs. Rosé and Bringing VR to Dispensaries

Andrea Beaulieu is the founder and co-owner of design agency, Studio Linear, alongside her sister, Sara Pullen. Together they work with musicians, lifestyle brands, the food and beverage industry, and cannabis/CBD industry focusing on branding, package design, album design, web and digital design.

Studio Linear is based in Maine and New York and is made up of a small team of creative minds with a true passion for forging lasting relationships with each and every one of their clients and in return, creating designs that spark conversation and engage audiences.

We spoke with Andrea for our Higher Calling series, where we chat with leaders in the cannabis space.

Andrea, tell us...

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Maine not too far from Stephen King’s house actually, and then my dad designed a house in a small town outside of Bangor, Maine, where we moved when I was young.  I now live in a very rural part of the state, lakeside with my family in a renovated RV where moose outnumber people.

Your current role in the cannabis industry, and where you're based.

I am the founder and creative director at Studio Linear, a cannabis design company and we are based all over the place actually! We were remotely working before Covid-19 so it wasn’t a huge adjustment for us.

A story about the positive impact cannabis has had on your life.

In 2020, I decided it was time to change the course of my life, more importantly, my health. I suffer from autoimmune diseases that I was on medication for, was taking an antidepressant for postpartum depression, which I had felt was long gone yet my doctor kept me on, and I was suffering from anxiety that left me self-medicating with copious amounts of wine (we even made our own wine during the pandemic just to cope).

My husband and I decided we needed a change, we needed to set a better example for our children, and to make sure we would live the healthiest life we could for them. I started by easing myself off all of my medication. I started researching CBD and CBG oils and found an amazing combination that worked wonders for my autoimmune symptoms. We said goodbye to alcohol completely and hello to things like CBD beverages and even enjoy edibles.

Introducing cannabis into my life allowed me to start seeing more clearly, to not feel the weight of alcohol, anxiety or depression, and to really start taking not only my health into account but to utilize this new found focus into my business. Living in Maine where it is legal, and also running a design company that works with cannabis clients is truly a dream come true for me. I said goodbye to the clients we had in the alcohol industry and hello to new clients in the cannabis industry that I could look up to for inspiration!

A favorite flower, edible, product, or brand.

I love taking a full spectrum CBD oil for my joint pain. I also take Good Night by Prismatic Plants to help me sleep. I have a new client who owns Lyfted Edibles and LOVE their lemonade for a nice drink alternative to alcohol. And if I am feeling stressed, say a long work day, my go-to is Lord Jones CBD gumdrops, yum!

The biggest challenge cannabis marketers face today.

For us personally, it is compliance info and regulations. Making sure the packaging and design work we put out there for our clients is what it has to be to meet the required compliance regulations. It seems that it is an ever-changing industry so we have to be on top of what our client’s specific projects need in order to stay out of hot water. Does this warning need to be on this side or what color does that warning need to be? It differs from state to state making it even more challenging.

One thing you're excited about right now in cannabis branding, partnerships or marketing.

I am chatting with someone locally here in Maine about taking cannabis to the AR/VR world. We have some really neat ideas that we are working on that will enable users to experience cannabis in an entirely new way. We have been discussing creating these virtual realities and spaces for a user to experience a new cannabis product. We also have been discussing taking VR into dispensaries, creating a virtual shopping experience. Can’t wait to share these fun passion projects.

A cannabis trade/social justice organization that you support.

I am a huge fan of Broccoli Mag. I love their podcast, their newsletters and the magazine itself is not only full of really cool content, the editorial design and photography is dreamy. I love hearing stories about other mothers in the cannabis industry. I just listened to one of their podcasts about this topic and really enjoyed hearing stories of other moms and the stigma that surrounds cannabis use and motherhood.

It seems crazy to me that as a woman and mother, we are bombarded daily with messages about needing to drink wine to deal with the stress of parenting, you know that saying, rosé all day? Think about how much the big alcohol industry is pushed on women and it is totally acceptable to drink a mimosa with breakfast, a cocktail at lunch, and a glass or three of wine at dinner yet if I showed up with a joint in hand, I would be instantly judged!  I love listening to their podcasts and hearing the inspiring stories of other women in the cannabis industry.

A project you worked on recently that you're proud of.

I am really excited about a new project that we are working on for an amazing woman who is launching a new THC-infused beverage line. She also suffers from an autoimmune disease and developed this new line to create a beneficial beverage. I can’t share much right now because it hasn’t launched but I know a majority of the audience will know who she is, she has been the face on several shows and is very passionate about providing a product to consumers that will help you heal while enjoying the high.

Someone else's project you admired recently.

Native Seed by Futura. It is SO good. I love how different it is. As a creative, I am drawn to projects that really push design boundaries but also, are just simply amazing design work like this project.

Someone you admire in cannabis who's doing great things.

Evelyn LaChapelle of 87 months. When I first heard her story, I was floored. As a mother, I couldn’t imagine being taken away from my children, my heart instantly went out to her. As I learned more and more about her story, the more I wanted to get involved. Evelyn was sent to jail for 87 months for cannabis distribution and had no prior convictions, missing out on being with her daughter and husband. I admire what she is doing with her freedom, spreading her message. She is an inspiration to me. I can’t say I would be able to recover from something as devastating as this like she has.

What you'd be doing if you weren't in the cannabis industry.

If I am not designing, I would actually want to open up an eco-retreat resort with my husband. We love cooking outdoors over an open fire and recently bought 7 acres of land on a lake in Northern Maine. I think our dream would be to add a few geodesic domes for guests to rent and teach people how to forage for local ingredients, how to fish and hunt and then how to cook their own meals outdoors and simply disconnect and enjoy.