Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ksenia Stockton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ksenia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always been into arts and crafts. 8 years ago, I went to the retreat in India. It was a full reprogramming of my body. And there I met Chris, entrepreneur from England. We became friends over the course of those couple weeks and had many conversations. Once he asked me to take a piece of paper and write down what would I like to do if nothing else mattered: my work experience, education, skills, money.
I said that I would love to do marketing of art, make art for accessible to people, so they interact with it and indulge themselves into creativity. As always we think that creating art is only for those chosen ones. And I wanted it to be for everyone. To find their joy and play.
That idea planted a seed in my heart..
In 2019 me and my friend were discussing different business ideas and decided to start doing painting parties. At the time, I was very much into acrylic pouring and that was a technique we decided to try as I also shared it with many of my friends and they all loved it.
Our first workshop was a great success. Everyone enjoyed it and it was so satisfying to see each participant to create their magical painting. Everyone told me that I should teach such workshops and share joy with people.
So I started holding fluid art workshops. And it grew with every year. New ideas would pop up in my head and I also always listen to my guests and their requests. In 2021 I started teaching Epoxy Resin and on August of 2022 I am finally opening doors to our new studio in Oceanside, where ever am come and unfold their creativity even if they never created art in the life.
Ksenia, 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?
Hi, my name is Ksenia. I am an intuitive and immersive art guide and the creator of Art Magic, a creative studio based in Oceanside. I believe that art has a unique ability to heal and open new opportunities for us in all areas of our life, as we learn to find new creative approaches in everything. Hence, my mission here is to help you to unleash people’s creativity and access what they already have in them so one can live their best life by tapping into creative power. Together with guests of my art studio we explore the benefits of art as a therapy through painting meditations, art workshops and unique art picnics that I organize in the beautiful San Diego and North County.
Stemming from the belief that there is healing through art, I founded the project Art Magic to create a safe space where people can openly express their feelings and heal through creative manifestation. Art Magic helps people to explore their creative inner self and let their creativity blossom as we guide them through creating masterpieces with a good balance of utility and aesthetic.
Art Magic offers a wide variety of magical art workshops, courses, picnics, and private events. We like to incorporate meditation practices, energy healing, and art therapy together with Fluid Art, Resin Art and other modern art techniques. This unique combination allows our participants to experience the joy of creativity and mindfulness.
Art holds tons of potential in terms of providing happiness, relaxation, and healing. Thus, Art Magic aims to make art within reach.
We value inclusivity in our events, hence we welcome not only experienced artists but also those with little to no knowledge in art. Through our events, we guide people into cultivating and developing their creativity by introducing them to various art forms and techniques. At the same time, we also help them ease their minds and boost their self esteem with art therapy and energy healing activities.
We are fond of mixing and matching a variety of tools and mediums for our art events, including acrylics, alcoholic inks, clay, sand, epoxy resin, and more. What’s even better, is that these mediums are not too difficult to use even for beginners! Especially with loving guidance of our teachers .
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
one of the turning point for me was attending Unleash you power by Tony Robbins in 2019. That immersive event gave me power and courage to follow my dreams. I can definitely recommend his book “Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement One of the recent books that has changed by life is “The Path to Wealth: Seven Spiritual Steps for Financial Abundance”,
Book by May Mccarthy. i also attended a local course where we kept ourselves accountable for 7 weeks while learning all the steps from this book. It combines the knowledge that i received from any different sources but give it to you in a much simpler and accessible form. It helped me to manifest my new studio and all recent changes i have in my business.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Starting your own business can be intimidating but at the same time rewarding as it gives one opportunities for financial freedom and fulfillment in case your business is related to what you love. And that is exactly my case. Before starting Art Magic i have been working for different corporations and small companies and helped them successfully expand and multiply their business.
when i started my own i did not have any funding opportunities as an immigrant. So i built it from scratch slowly building it step by step.
I started holding workshops while i was still employed, building my online presence and getting to be known by the community. At first I did just couple a month, adding more and more over time.
I made my own website and logo initially and just rebranded recently with a help of a talented freelancer i hired on Fiverr.
This year i managed to safe some money from the workshops and I was able to invest them into leasing my own space in Oceanside.
If i had funding of course i could have done more and faster. but even if you don’t have an access t funding you still can build your dream.
I hope i will have more opportunities in the future for funding that will help me to expand Art Magic into the national movement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artmagicsd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artmagic_sd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artmagicsd