KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At 13, Cooper Rasmussen juggles schoolwork, sports and now running a business.
During the pandemic, the teen started "Cooper's Creations," a business where Rasmussen sells art pieces he creates which are made out of beads.
The teenage artist said he has been making bead art since he was six.
Originally, his creations were presents for family. However, things changed when the pandemic started.
"Once COVID all started, I saw all these cool projects that people were making," Rasmussen said. "I was like, I want to make a business and start trying to sell these."
Once the young entrepreneur received attention for his creations, business took off.
"I did not think it was going to be that busy," he said.
Last Christmas was his busiest period. With help from his mom, the 13-year-old manages his time between his art business and responsibilities with school and sports.
"Being homeschooled helps a lot because I can do school late in the day, work on it in the morning. Do school later in the day," Rasmussen explained.
He said most customer requests involve sports themes like an image of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or head coach Andy Reid. Another popular request is of personal pets, which is a favorite of Cooper's.
"It's something that's personal to the actual customer," he said.
Rasmussen said his creations could take a week to produce, but how does he create his masterpieces?
"I pixelate the pictures and then there's a pattern I go off of," he explained.
The teen hopes to grow his business by donating a piece of art to a veterinarian's office to generate interest.
Rasmussen said he's happy to use his talent and make others happy.
"It's just not that they're buying something because it looks cool. They're actually buying it because it means something to them," he said.
Rasmussen's art and request can be found on his business Facebook page called "Cooper's Creations."
