We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Hujer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I am a mom to 3 beautiful, energetic, funny, and creative kids (Vera…6, Nala…4, and Victor…3). My husband, Tristan, and I created these 3 babies in 36 months. Amazing. And so so so exhausting. I’m pretty sure I didn’t sleep for about 4 years. Funny and also SO NOT FUNNY! Having that many littles in such a short amount of time completely consumed me. In good ways and bad. During those early years of parenthood I found my newest passion – creating a family that unapologetically does things our own way. I also gave up A LOT. I gave up teaching to be home with our babies (I taught middle and elementary art for a decade. I was really good at it and missed designing lessons and teaching kids about the power of creativity). I gave up traveling (Pre-kids Tristan and I traveled to Europe regularly. I also took high school and middle school students to Australia and Europe in the summers as a delegation leader with the People to People Student Ambassador Program). I gave up formally studying wine (Right before having Vera I had passed The Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 Exam). I gave up making art. I gave up my body. I gave up forward progress. Part of all of the giving up was survival. And part was actively not valuing myself and forgetting just how much I NEED creativity in my own life. Hard to say. But true. At the end of 2019, when Victor was starting to sleep through the night, I declared 2020 my year to re-enter the world. How do you think that worked out?! After getting through the early months of the pandemic, and honestly suffering mentally, emotionally, and physically from the stress, I decided enough was enough. I needed something. For me. I asked Tristan and the kids for some time to myself on to work on a “project”. I used my artistic skills and creativity to begin designing art boxes for kids and adults. As the pandemic became more manageable, I started selling the boxes at local markets and pop-ups and over time developed a subscription service so I could sell both locally and nation-wide. I was really enjoying this work and then a new need popped up for me – and, I believe, for everyone. – to connect in person again in this post”ish” covid world. I began teaching classes in neighborhood parks (advertising only on Instagram) and then partnering with some local businesses to teach in their spaces. In January of 2022 I decided I was ready for my own space. Ready to give my community a space to discover or rediscover the power of creativity in their own lives. I began looking for a space and realized quickly I wanted to join an existing business district. In March of this year, I found it! I opened Making Waves Art Studio in the Parkside Avenue Business District (in Buffalo, NY). My business is part of a strip of 8 women-owned businesses, including a cafe, children’s bookstore, restaurant and gift shop. Making Waves has been open for 8 months now. We offer art classes and camps for kids, art workshops for adults, birthday parties, and off-site art experiences. I have hired my first employee and we are gearing up for an exciting, goal-filled, CREATIVE 2023.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I included a lot of this in my introduction story, but I’m a mom of 3 tiny kids, a passionate art educator, and a believer in the power of creativity. Because creativity has literally saved my life, I created a business based on it. At Making Waves Art Studio we use creativity to form connections, build community, and develop confidence in our clients/customers. We offer art classes and camps for kids, art workshops for adults and birthday parties. In addition to our work in the studio, we partner with larger companies and corporations to offer community-based art making experiences. Making Waves has been open for about 8 months and we have plans to GROW. We hope to open additional studios in the Western New York area and eventually in other states. Maybe even other countries?! I am also so very open to organic ways of growing, changing, developing and transforming. Sometimes we don’t quite know where the journey will take us!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Being a real, vulnerable, and sharing my story. Also, connecting with others from where I am now – a mom of 3 tiny kids trying to run a successful business AND be a great parent and partner.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Treating each client/customer with kindness and truly getting to know them. Personal connections turn into referrals and make running a business fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: makingwavesartstudio.com
- Instagram: @makingwavesartstudio
Image Credits
Erin F Photography