Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michele Muzones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michele, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
A little bit about me…I am a classically trained artist having received my degree in Illustration from Columbia College in Chicago. I freelanced as a product designer for the Bradford Exchange for 15 years before I started my sip and paint business in 2012. Art Rave inc is a mobile sip and paint company and in our pre-covid days we had a staff of 4 instructors and 6 assistants. We were doing 15-30 events a month in partner venues like restaurants, libraries, corporate offices etc. We were growing year after year then tragedy struck….TWICE and at the same time! I lost my best friend and business partner to pancreatic cancer within a year AND Covid struck. We don’t have a brick and mortar studio and partner primarily with restaurants. When Covid hit, it reduced our revenue by over 90%! The loss of my friend coupled with Covid brought on a feeling of hopelessness. How do I continue this business and how do I do it without Pat??
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an Artist, mother and Entrepreneur, in that chronological order. In order of importance I am a Mother, Artist and Entrepreneur. As a small child I had always gravitated towards Art. I identified myself as an Artist, and knew early on that Art was what I wanted to do and make a living doing so. In college my pursuits involved Art and I graduated with a degree in Illustration from Columbia College in Chicago. There is a long standing narrative of the “starving artist,” and many; myself included buy into this self limiting belief. For a number of years, I earned a meager living doing Murals, Portrait commissions, logo designs, etc. Numerous times I thought about getting a “real” job but was fortunate when I hooked up with The Bradford Exchange as an illustrator/product designer. for the collectible art market. I freelanced with them for over 15 years primarily creating art for products that the company had obtained licenses for, such as Disney, Winnie the Pooh, Terry Redland, Precious Moments, etc. This job enabled me to make a good living creating art while starting a family. Deep inside however I yearned to create my own art and be my own boss. Working with Licensed images can have its challenges and limitations. Toward the latter stage of my freelancing career I really started to explore the idea of doing my own thing. I developed a product for the scrapbooking market that I attempted to bring to market and I had some initial success with it. Unfortunately the industry started to wane and that initial success was not sustainable. Now what do I do?! On a whim I attended my first sip and paint party with a friend. It was fun! At the end of the party, the owner of the studio offered me a job as an artist. This was my first experience with this new “Art as entertainment” model. I told my husband about my experience and subsequent job offer. He encouraged me to do my own thing. That is how Art Rave Inc started!
Art Rave Inc started as a mobile sip and paint company. The choice of being a mobile sip and paint company was done mainly from a financial standpoint as we did not have the capital to open a physical studio. It was the best decision for us as it did not saddle us with the fixed expenses that traditional studios are faced with: Rent, Utilities, Inventory, etc. At the time we started Art Rave Inc in 2012, the sip and paint industry was still emerging, barriers to entry into this market were few. We identified early on what it would take to make the business successful, sustainable and scalable. To us, it all starts with the ART! What really sets us apart from others in our industry is the quality of the Art and the quality of the instruction. My degree in illustration along with my numerous years in the collectibles industry honed my ability to design art that people want to paint. Our belief is that the quality of the art will draw them in, the quality of the instruction and our painters ability to re-create the designs will keep them coming back. This has held true. The reality in the “Art as Entertainement” industry is you will always have fun with friends painting and drinking, but at the end of the event…Do you like what you painted? would you hang it in your house or be proud of displaying it? If not, how many times will you be willing to do this? We like to call these “One and done’s!” Our competitive advantage is in the instruction. at the end of an event you will be AMAZED by what you created and will come back for more.
I derive so much satisfaction from helping people discover their inner artist. Everyone is an artist. If you were ever a child, you were an artist. Somewhere down the line you forgot, were told you were not, or had some other self-limiting belief that prevented you from identifying your self as an artist. Our mission is to resurrect that belief in you! One of our most recent accomplishments besides getting over the death of my best friend and business partner Pat AND Covid was pivoting our business to the new changes our world is experiencing. Covid killed the “Art as Entertainment” industry and it would have been easy to fold up. Instead like many businesses, it forced us to re-evaluate our business model. Art Rave Inc went from primarily generating its revenue from events to a membership based business in line with how the world seeks services…online! As covid waned, it opened new opportunities and new streams of revenue for us. Over the decade of events, our library has amassed hundreds of designs. Studios started approaching us seeking to use our designs for their events. This opportunity resulted in us creating a Licensing membership for studios seeking to license our designs. This company is called Art Rave Studios. We now license our designs to other studios across the US and Canada who use our designs for their events. Besides helping individuals discover their inner artists, we are now helping business owners increase their revenue by using our proven designs to fill their seats. We help entrepreneurs navigate the Art as Entertainment business by sharing our designs, experience and support.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/entrepreneur is seeing others succeed in the endeavor that they pursue, whether it is to be a better artist or better business owner or instructor. Through our experience and expertise we have helped people experience joy, satisfaction and financial reward. Before money, accolades, and recognition, there is nothing more rewarding than “Thank you for…”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Society needs to see the value of the Arts and it starts with us. It starts by being brave and putting your art out there without fear of judgement. Society can support the Arts by creating art, buying art, and showcasing that art!
Contact Info:
- Website: artraveinc.com, artravestudios.com
- Instagram: @artraveinc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtRaveInc. https://www.facebook.com/artravestudios
- Linkedin: Michele Muzones
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCctRO9fjotmGzephGLlryhw