We recently connected with Jen Hobbs and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I began my journey in Capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art) 25 years ago. At that time I was working as a graphic designer at a tech company, which had been my career for some time. I continued to work in graphic design as my dedication to Capoeira training grew. I started teaching and began to realize that I wanted a future working in Capoeira. I had been renting by the hour at an arts center for some time when in 2020 as Covid hit and the West Seattle bridge shut down for repairs I drove past a space for rent. I pulled over and called the number on the sign and was able to tour the space that night. Even though this was something I dreamed of for some time I didn’t have a full business plan. I had only some numbers to go off of from my current student base plus potential growth. I knew spaces that would be the right environment for a movements art studio were hard to come by so I took the chance and signed a lease. My students and I were already meeting online for classes, so I was able to demolish and remodel the studio in parts while I taught online. The floors were ready just as we were allowed to open at partial capacity. Four months later as Seattle slowly opened back up I gained dozens of students quickly. Dance and fitness instructors who lost their spaces during Covid started contacting me looking for a space to teach. The growth was organic, but not by accident. I put an enormous amount of thought and love into the space, aiming to create a unique studio where the energy was high and the community was accepting. Forward five years later and we are now expanding to a new, larger space in the West Seattle junction. For me this is the biggest risk – it is me leaping from a passion project to a proper business with a growth mindset and employees. There is a substantial remodel to undertake and this time I am hiring a professional team. The dream has scaled, and even though there is a lot of risk I am confident that we will be able to serve the community and provide a space for teachers and students alike to practice their arts.

Jen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jen Hobbs, or Contramestra Agua-viva as I am known in Capoeira. In the late 90s I was working as a graphic designer / multi-media artist in Italy at a company that employed many foreigners from around the world. It was there that a Brazilian co-worker told me about Capoeira. In 2001 after moving to San Francisco I started training with a group there and quickly fell in love with the art. After having two kids I took a short break and my family moved to Seattle where I continued practicing, training and teaching. In 2020, after teaching at an art center for several years, I opened my own studio, VivaArts, in West Seattle. My mission was not only to bring Capoeira classes to all ages, but to also offer a space where other artists can teach their movement practices. The studio community grew quickly and organically. Within a year VivaArts had 8 teachers leading classes and I had over 50 students, all of this just post pandemic. Our community hosted several community events a year, these events would include free performances and demo classes as well as community outreach such as coat/blanket drives or making food/sanitary packs for those in need. In 2024 I realized that we needed to expand in order to better serve our community. We are currently in construction on a new space in the West Seattle junction. This facility will provide two movement rooms, more bathrooms and changing rooms, and a reception area, and is expected to open in August 2026.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was working as a graphic design professional when I started training Capoeira in San Francisco. With this background I offered my services to my Capoeira group to help with their branding and marketing. I was able to gain insight on the challenges of running and keeping an arts organization afloat in an expensive city. I continued to work full-time as a designer and part-time for the Capoeira group for many years. After my children were born I decided to go freelance and after moving to Seattle and connecting with at new Capoeira group there I continued my design consulting to help the group market and bring in new students. Not long after I started assisting with teaching and then leading my own group of students in West Seattle. As a busy mom I didn’t have a lot of time to dedicate to marketing my Capoeira group so the growth was mostly organic, although the many years of experience working closely with other Capoeira leaders taught me the ins and outs of the business and my student base grew quickly. With the financial support of my husband I was able to transition to teaching Capoeira part-time while also taking care of my children and household. As it became clear that I wanted to open my own space I started learning more about business models, began refining my process for marketing and client retention and began looking for teaching support. There have been many bumps and growing pains along the way but overall the process has been very positive.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a long-term female Capoeira practitioner can be a challenge. I have been blessed with many supportive allies over the last 25 years, but being a male dominated sport (especially at the higher level) proved challenging at times for multiple reasons. The leader of my group and some of her students conducted a world-wide survey a few years ago. It polled women in Capoeira in order to diagnose why women leave Capoeira. There was an overwhelming response from participants and it was clear that the majority of women have struggled to be seen and heard in the art. Many women report struggles within leadership, and with a lack of women leaders in the art, they lack role models and ambassadors. Although I luckily had mostly positive experiences, I also struggled with my fair share of misogyny, sexual misconduct, and watched as male peers were treated differently and/or how content in class was aimed at men. Through many years I was able to find allies and am currently under strong female leadership. It is my job now to be one of those ambassadors for women and other minorities in the art.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.vivaartsseattle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivaarts_seattle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VivaArtsSeattle
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vivaartsseattle