We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathi Chase. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathi below.

Kathi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In early 2021, I began working with a local holistic practitioner to offer paint nights with guided meditation as a form of mental health care. As an artist & also with 25yrs of working in the medical field, I felt that it was important to offer something to the community with a mental health focus. I find creating art extremely therapeutic & have always used my art as a way to relax. At the time, this was something that I did for extra money, as a side hustle. I was working evenings in a hospital lab as a lab tech & homeschooling my children during the day as per COVID restrictions. I added paint party instructor to my list of things I did. It felt right. As COVID restrictions began to lift, I began doing more paint parties. During the week I would work & homeschool. On the weekends I would pack my car with art supplies, and with the help of my sister I would travel to places to set up a paint party. It was fun. I never thought I’d be able to make money with my art yet here I was. As things began to pick up, I started to explore what it would look like financially to open a physical location so I wouldn’t have to pack my car & go to other locations. People could come to me. This was my first risk. In Oct of 2021, I opened my physical location. A 1000 sq ft studio located in the Kilburn Mill in New Bedford, MA. I still had my job at the hospital. I worked in the studio on the weekends, offering paint parties & ceramic painting. Over the next year, things really started to pick up. My weekends started getting busy with private parties in the studio. It was paying for itself. In the Spring of 2022 I was accepted into a business accelerator program called E4All. I was one of 12 people chosen out of almost 80 applicants. It was a 12 week crash course in running a business & I soaked up every piece of knowledge that I could. At this time, I took my second risk-I left my steady, paying job & went full time into my business. I was scared. I had never not had a consistent pay check before. I had the support of my husband & my family but I was still so nervous. I just kept telling myself that if it didn’t work, I knew I could go back to the hospital. The medical field always needed people. And so the next stage of my journey began. I put my full focus on growing my business. I also realized that I was quickly outgrowing the space my business was located in. That if I wanted to grow my business then I needed to take a leap of faith & move into a physically larger location. I consulted with the manager of the mill where my business is located & told him what my vision was for my business: I wanted to be able to host private parties while at the same time keeping my walk-in area open to the public. I also wanted to be able to host large groups. After exploring possible spaces within the building, I settled on an 1800 square foot space that faced the beach because if I was going to pay more rent I wanted a water view. This was my 3rd risk. The other two risks had paid off so why not this? I made the leap, almost doubling my space but also doubling my rent. In March of 2023 I moved into my current 1800 sq ft space. The first 6 months were really rocky as I navigated a new space, increased overhead & my first full summer relying solely on my business as income. Being a business owner takes a lot of faith & knowing how to pivot when necessary. By the Fall of 2023, I was hosting field trips for local schools, daycares & adult day programs. On the weekends, the party area side of my studio was occupied while my walk-in area was always full. The weekend after Thanksgiving, the building hosted a small business Saturday event. My studio was standing room only with a line out the door for hours as people waited to come into my space to paint with Santa. These were all things that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I had stayed in the smaller space. I ended 2023 with a 120% increase in sales from 2022. All because I took the risk of moving to a larger studio space.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a self taught artist with a background in the medical field. I began working as a medical assistant in high school then later went to school to become a medical lab tech. Since I can remember, my art has always been something I’ve done. It was my refuge when times were stressful. When I was young, I would copy cartoons from movie covers or coloring books. As I got older I was introduced to chalk pastels & later canvas painting. My focus turned to painting with acrylic paint on canvas because I liked the quick drying time of the paint as opposed to oil painting. During college, I painted murals & sold paintings for extra money but I never looked at my art as a form of income. In my mind, the medical field was safe, predictable & paid well. That was the route I took & it served me well for most of my life. When I began doing paint parties during the pandemic it occurred to me that the paint parties that I had seen advertised were mostly BYOB, sip & paint experiences focusing on a party atmosphere revolving more around alcohol than the art itself. I wanted to provide an experience that focused more on art for relaxation, mental wellness & inclusion. With the ever growing addiction epidemic, I wanted my studio to offer a sober creative option. I offer canvas painting, ceramic painting & various other craft workshops with a focus on relaxation & stress relief. I offer options for adults, children & families. My goal is to offer an experience that focuses on the creative journey and not just the finished product. Art has many benefits both mentally & physically. I’m proud that I can offer a safe, sober, creative space for all ages & skill levels. I am proud of of what I have built in my studio & what I am able to offer the community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the lessons I had to unlearn was that an artist is someone who went to art school. As an artist, I always felt less than because I wasn’t classically trained. I didn’t go to art school. I took some art classes in high school & a drawing class later in college, but I’ve mostly taught myself through books & expirimentation. Going into art as a business, I’ve always felt insecure because who am I to offer art classes when I haven’t taken one. What can I teach anyone? Since opening my business, I’ve had to work through my insecurities & self doubt. I’ve realized that I do have something to offer others. What has helped is talking to other creatives. When you network & talk to others in creative businesses, you learn that there are a lot of people out there that are passionate about their art but haven’t gone to school for it either.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Since opening my business, I’ve always been honest & true to myself. When I made the decision to be a sober studio, I had many people question that. I had people tell me that in order to make it, I had to offer the BYOB experience until I made a name for myself. I stuck to my plan & kept moving forward. As I’ve encountered people both in my studio & outside, I’ve always been honest about my story. My life has been directly affected by addiction & I wanted to offer a sober space for those that needed or wanted it. My advice to anyone trying to build a business is to stick true to you. Know why you’re doing what you’re doing & don’t lose sight of that. I feel that when you build a business with transparency about why you’re doing it, then your reputation builds on that.

Contact Info:

• Website: kandacreations20.com
• Instagram: @k_a_creations20
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KACreations20
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kathi-chase-a54809260