From Vision to Venue Setting Up Our Studio

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Ever wondered how to juggle a dream project while working a full-time job? Join me as I share the exhilarating highs and daunting lows of launching my very own art studio, shop, and gallery. With the incredible support from my husband and friends, I've been able to navigate this challenging but rewarding journey. You'll hear about the vibrant plaza filled with concert series and beautiful lights that inspired me to engage our community with free art kits. I'll also touch on the excitement of organizing classes and creative events, like a special night in the barrel room inspired by Chihuly art. Despite the hustle, we're aiming to open the studio by the end of July!

But that's not all! In this episode, I reveal thrilling updates from our new studio space and plans to host community guests who will share their amazing work. I can't wait to share images from our fresh setup and I’m eager to get your feedback on potential classes. Tell me about the make-and-take activities you've enjoyed as we craft offerings that will resonate with you. Wrapping up with a dose of positivity, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to continuing this creative adventure together.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
I am so excited to be back with Brutally Made.
I had to skip another weekbecause I am super, super
swamped trying to open this doorfront this month.
I'm probably not going tosketch today.
Ilo Levy's prompt is sunglasses, which is darling.

(00:28):
I think I'm going to show yousome progress pictures as I talk
to you about opening a artstudio, shop and gallery while
you work a full-time job and tryto do everything else.
Oh my gosh, I would love to havesome insight from anyone that

(00:48):
is doing this and when I saythis it doesn't mean the exact
same thing that I'm doing Justpursuing a dream and trying to
make something work while youalso have a full-time job doing
something completely different.
It's a lot and I am aware ofthat, and I have had a lot of

(01:14):
help from, definitely my husbandoh my God, been a rock.
He has been in the eveningpainting and assembling things
and just kind of, you know,being there by my side almost

(01:34):
every night.
Sometimes I outlast him.
He works a physical daytime job.
He's the mechanic, so I hate toexpect him to be there doing
more physical labor.
He'll jump in and help for aslong as he can, so he has some
time to rest.
I also want to acknowledge thefact that he was dealing with

(01:59):
some kidney stuff at the sametime for like 50 days and he
went through two surgeries.
So it's been quite the yeah,and I was not.
He was not there during thosetimes.
He was, you know, trying torecover.
But I've been over there.

(02:19):
I've had a chair building partyand I paid people in pizza and
just friends came together andhelped assemble chairs that I
purchased and pretty much justhelping whenever they can or

(02:40):
with everything cleaning andassembling and putting things
together.
It's just been, you know, ajourney for sure, and I couldn't
be where I'm at without them.
So I really appreciate thefriends that are family here.
That's definitely the theme,because we do not live near

(03:03):
family and they are quite a fewhours away.
So it's, you know, just Ben,brian and I.
Oh, my goodness, it's still veryexciting and I still have big
goals to be open by the end ofthe month, which is July 31st.
So I'm hoping that'll be thegrand opening.

(03:25):
I do have commitments in theevening for a few different days
that I would be open normallyand, being a small business
owner on my own, I'll just haveto.
You know, my own employee, theonly employee.
So I'll have to close and open,you know, here and there, until
I think people will understandand I'll share it on social

(03:52):
media and it'll be what it is.
I can't stress about it.
I don't really have the abilityto hire anybody and it is just
me working in this space.
So I will make it work howeverI can.
But the plaza is just a hop in.
There are so many cool thingshappening.

(04:14):
The plaza has these beautifullights I'll share some video of
that where they're changingcolor and they chase one another
through the whole tip top ofthe buildings all the way around
and it's so pretty.
So that was a nice improvementthat they had created and the
amphitheater concert series isgoing on now.

(04:37):
Last night there was a concertand I warned my husband.
I said, hey, we got to get tothe plaza early enough to get a
parking space because it getspacked and so, like clockwork,
by 515, 530, that plaza is.
I don't even think there's aspace, it is full.
And there were so many peoplethere last night for the Boston

(05:00):
Tribute concert.
You know it was really good,they sounded great and there's a
great concert coming up nextThursday with the Vendees.
So it's just going to be packed.
It's pretty phenomenal.
It's just going to be packed.
It's pretty phenomenal.
I've been giving out free artkits in the plain little art

(05:22):
shack.
I went next door to Bugsy's toget dinner, ordered some
calzones.
There were some young girls atthe table behind me while I was
waiting on the food I justpopped over and said hey,
there's some free art kits.
If your little board's sittinghere, please go get one.
They're in the little house,little shack outside of the
building next door I'm openingan art studio Help yourself and

(05:45):
have something to do.
So everyone got some and thatwas really sweet.
But I'm happy to do that toshare information about what's
going on in the space.
I have the first classesscheduled, some teachers that
have reached out wanting to havea class and organize that in
the space.

(06:05):
So August 6th is the wait, isthat right?
The 6th, 5th, 7th, 8th it's onmy Facebook page.
We have our first class andthen another business in March

(06:27):
reached out to me and asked meto organize something for kind
of like awareness at theirlocation about what I do and I
said, sure, I can organize acreative night event.
That was before I had my steakand I am still going to do it.
It's going to be like one ofthe Chihuly bowls or lights.

(06:48):
I'm going to make thesteak-looking Chihuly art
activity.
You can buy a ticket and youcan either get a bowl or a light
, depending on which one youwant, and make that that night
at the barrel room.
Then, uh, you get to take thathome that night.
They're pretty cool and, um,anybody can you know, make that.

(07:10):
And so I've got a food trucklined up and really looking for
any other creatives that want toset up that night, because
car's gracious doesn't chargeanything for the creatives to
set up, just wants to haveactivities for people to.
You know, know that's going onand stop in.
So, yeah, still working on that, but that's the 7th of August,

(07:33):
so the blanket must be August8th.
That's what it is.
That night is the first class.
I knew I would get it straightin my head, so I'll put it all
in the show notes.
There's a lot going on, but,yeah, I just want to know how
people handle things like thiswhen they have a full time job.
How do you get throughprioritizing your evenings and

(07:58):
weekends when you've got so manythings that you need to get
done and only a certain amountof time.
I'm painting and doing themurals myself.
I still have to lay my epoxyfloor in the celebration room.
I'm still ordering inventory.
There's some things I can'tcontrol because inventory isn't

(08:18):
in yet.
It's still going to open.
Just going to, you know, make itwork with what I have and I am
really excited about schedulingclasses and things to do for all
ages.
That's the neatest thing islike what I want to teach or who

(08:43):
wants to teach with me, andI've got a couple artists
scheduled for certain months forthe gallery and looking for
more and trying to reach out tosome people who wanted to be
kind of like lenders in thespace and lenders in the space
and we're asking them for theirwholesale costs.
I'd rather do that thancommission.

(09:05):
Commission is so hard to keeptrack of.
I have a couple commission, Iguess contracts with some
companies and locations here andit's a big investment for me on
the front side and I have towait to have that returned and I

(09:27):
don't want to do that.
I want to buy from people,resell it and it's just a lot
easier for me to keep track of.
So I'm going to do that with acouple people.
I've already talked to them andthey're getting me their
pricing and their you knowexpectations, minimum, stuff

(09:48):
like that.
So very excited, very, very,very excited.
I just wanted to share anupdate and let everybody know
how it's going and show someimages.
And, yeah, I'm really excitedabout even recording from the
new studio and having somecommunity people on as guests to

(10:10):
talk about what they do too.
So, stay tuned.
A lot of changes happening.
It's all good because it is allbeautifully made and I am very
excited about it, so happy toshare it all with you.
So, take care, have a wonderfulweekend and, yeah, I will talk

(10:31):
to you soon.
Give me a thought on what someclasses I should try to offer.
What have you done, what haveyou made and what have you done
make and take wise that you'veenjoyed?
I'd love to have some insight.
All right, I will talk to youlater.
Bye.