We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Elizabeth Mucci a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mary Elizabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I have been working on for some time is trying to be a part of the solution by doing something to help get people back to mental wellness and to enjoy life. The recent epidemic of 2020 and the isolation of people from society, family, friends, activities, and other things, really took a big part of our lives. It deprived us of some of our freedoms of association, of doing what we love to do, getting together, going anywhere we wanted, and being with the people we love. It left a big void or something like a hole in our well-being. Many found themselves in depression, more anxiety, panic attacks, and thoughts of ending their lives and we can probably add so much to the list. I have always been a person to try to find a solution for things and not one to add to the problem. To look for the silver lining in things and to make it happen, or at least attempt to. My goal in life is to add value to someone’s life. To pull out from someone the greatness within. To find a way to make people enjoy life, be happy, and see the good in themselves. Connect them to others, to encourage them to find their purpose of why they were created even when I didn’t know my purpose yet. I struggled with that most of my life. I was involved in many things, sales, secretarial, insurance agent, selling products, jewelry, perfume, network marketing, real estate, and pastoring. you name it, I think I did it. I try to find my purpose by trying so many things to discover it. It took a long time of searching and crying out to God for answers. Going back to where my journey kind of started turning towards getting clues of where I was about to go seemed to begin back in 1997. I knew a few things about what I wanted to do, It seemed as if I wanted to do everything because I had so many ideas and inventions, so many great opportunities to get wealth. But didn’t know who to tell or where to go or even that I had any money to do it. I was a single mom of 4 children, divorced, struggling, and on public aid. My story is very long but for this short interview, I have to try to give you the cliff notes version. lol. When I finally scrapped some money to tell someone I got scammed by someone I thought I could trust. One of the major things or “meaningful projects” was to make my daddy and family proud of me. I had failed at so many things, Made some wrong choices in life but I wanted to change that painful memory. I know I couldn’t make up for that time but wanted to add some glimmer of joy and accomplishments, to have them see some good in me, that I could make it. I could make them proud. One day. You see, In my teen years, I became very rebellious. Wanted to break free from my parent’s control as most of our youth today. I didn’t like the love and protection and all the great things they were doing for us. All I saw was they were trying to keep me in a cage away from the world and did not want us to experience life and things on our own. All I could see is they were trying to kill my joy. keep me trapped in a bubble away from boys. Of course, looking back at my life as a child, All of this was so far from the truth! Now that I see the light and experienced everything they didn’t want me to experience, the heartache, pain, poverty, hopelessness, despair, and hurt, betrail, I can go on and on. To come back to the question of my meaningful project, I wanted to right the wrongs. I look back at all the pain I caused and all the hard work and sleepless nights my parents went through trying to give us girls a somewhat great life I set out to change the story, change the chapter, and make it better. My dad had no living sons. His firstborn baby boy died when he was a few months old. He loved that child and my parents were devastated when he passed. They didn’t think they could have any other children. They thought they would die as well. The thought I had was that my dad would not have a legacy. His name would not go on because we were all girls and we would change our last names. I decided to pursue my own business. I had great ideas and I was going to go for them. God was going to help me through my journey. He opened doors and I kept walking through them. Mucci Sensational Events ( Mucci World)was born in 1998. My dream came through on getting a legacy for my dad and keeping the name alive. That was the first step of this chapter. As I continued, I wanted to bless my sister Jeanna and my mom. My sisters are very awesome writers and have many talents. I wanted to help my sister sell her children’s books she was writing, and my mom is so creative she used to make so many things by hand that I said I would sell them one day, without knowing if it would ever come to pass. You know, I didn’t have any money and I was scrapping money together to survive with my 4 children. I used to love business and selling. 2015 I opened a gift shop and sold my sister’s books and my mom’s creations. It didn’t go as I expected, and it began to fall about 11 months later. People were telling me to close up shop and call it a day. I didn’t listen, I knew God open this door and gave me this place. I needed a new idea, something different. Something for people. I worked 7 days a week and 12 hours a day with one or two customers coming in per week. I needed rest so I can think and figure this out. My daughter told me to take some time off. I told her I couldn’t she insisted on at least a day to go on a vacation. So

I took her up on the offer and went to try to get to R&R to refresh my mind and spirit. While with them I saw my grandson having fun coloring
t-shirts and at that point, a giant light bulb went off in my head, and Arts & Crafts Studio by Mucci World was created. My life had changed one step at a time. Continue to develop the ideas and today after 8 years of hard work we are seeing some harvest from the labor of love. My goal was to help people enjoy life again if only to begin with an hour’s time at my studio. To relieve stress. To bring back quality time with family and friends, create priceless memories, build relationships, and restore wellness. Therefore, my story is a little different than another artist or creative when it comes to art. What I do at my studio, my niche, is creating a path to wellness thought art as my tool. As my business continues to develop, I am excited to see what is coming of it. I have had many people come up to me and ask me to open a store at their location and malls. I know this is widely needed for the good of the people’s health and wellness, at least a small part of it that can lead to big parts. I am searching for grants in order to fulfill these requests. I would love to be a part of helping people obtain Joy. It’s really a fun place and I get my enjoyment and gratification watching others enjoying life. The stories are long and there is so much more to this whole story but here is a part of it. But my desire is to have everyone I get in contact with leave Mucci World refreshed, renewed with peace and joy in their hearts. Wanting to pursue wellness in body and spirit and to fulfill their part of their purpose with inspiration. Thank you again for allowing me to tell you a part of my story.
Talk to you soon.

All the best,

Mary Elizbeth Mucci
President/Owner
Arts & Crafts by Mucci World
Mucci World
312 217 6972

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

What products/services/creative works I provide at Mucci World is a place to have fun and relieve stress. We provide an experience. We have a retail shop which we call our studio where you can either purchase something to go or we have a program where you can reserve a spot and make it here to use our paints and supplies. We have canvas painting, ready to paint ceramics/pottery. We have them for decoration purposes which you can get the same day or you can have them fired so that you can use them and pick them up in about 10 days. We have our Cuddle Buddy bear that you can stuff, paint, or color. Includes your birth certificate. Wood products, jewelry, crafts products, and more. We have our signature offering which is our Splat Room tm. where you can throw paint at an object, i,e, t-shirts, backpacks, tote bags, pillowcases, etc., or at each other. Mucci World also has painting classes and drawing/sketching classes for children and adults. We offer Classes from 2 years old to 100 yrs. We have our Toddlers Scribblers Classes ( 2yrs to 5yrs) Senior Gatherings Art Club ( we do off-site as well and go to senior communities) Our Abilities Art Class for people with disabilities. The Rest Hour “ME” time for anyone that just needs some time away. We also provide events, parties, and workshops, and are always adding to our offerings. We customize classes to fit your needs. We offer camps, business building, inspiration, field trips, and more. The possibilities are endless.

What we offer is our calming environment which provides a good place to destress. What sets us apart from others is our niche which is “creating a path to wellness through art”.

What we are most proud of is bringing back quality time with family and friends, creating priceless memories and wellness.

One of the main things I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about us is it is about your spiritual and mental wellness. A part that can help you get started. You don’t have to be an artist or really like art but to know that it is a great tool to use to bring you stress relief, inspiration, etc. Take time to spend with yourself and or others.

At Mucci World, we touch on a variety of issues. From wanting to have something to do to have fun, learn something, bond with a child, adult, loved one, or husband/wife, bring back quality time or get some stress out to give you that path to wellness. At Mucci World, We can customize your experience to deliver your desired outcome.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My struggle was getting the money I need to fill my dreams. Once I started working hard to make it come to pass with the ideas etc. doors started opening and miracles happen. I have strong faith to believe if God wants me to have it he will provide the finances and that’s how I lived my life and continue to live my life. Searching for ways and opportunities and people to help with my vision.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is seeing people well and enjoying life.  

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mucciworld.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mucciworld2/
• Facebook: facebook.com/mucciworld2
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arts-crafts-studio-by-mucci-world/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mucciworld
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mucciworldartscraftsstudio1814
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/arts-and-crafts-studio-by-mucci-world-tinley-park