Rising Stars: Meet Olivia Brydon of Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Brydon

Hi Olivia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved working with children and anything to do in the creative realm. I got my credentials in early childhood education, which then brought me to be a preschool teacher at a progressive, child-led preschool, focusing on a Reggio inspired philosophy. I began teaching when I was 21 (11 years ago) and loved it, but being a preschool teacher full-time became very draining, very quickly. One day, the art teacher at the school, who happened to be my students parent as well, told me about her side job doing art classes at peoples homes and she was looking for someone to help out with classes. I jumped on the opportunity and that turned into the next 6.5 years of my life. I fell head over heels with the structure of it, I loved driving to different parts of the city, being creative and working with kids. I learned SO much there, watching a small business grow and more. After several years of being there, I felt like I had stopped growing and I needed something else to challenge me a bit. It was one of those times where you can literally do the job with your eyes closed, so I knew I needed more. I left that studio and thought I would go full time with my polymer clay business, but parents from previous classes started reaching out to me wanting to know if I would teach classes again. It had only been about 2 months since I left the old studio, but I was definitely missing working with kids, so I said, why not?! I bought some essential art supplies and started curating my own classes with projects that are on-going and engaging. My philosophy when teaching is to make sure kids have ample time to explore all options when creating art, we do projects that take anywhere from 2 classes up to 5 classes to complete, with each class being one hour long. After more parents got word that I was teaching again, my client list started to grow. I started doing birthday parties, different events and even a Bat Mitzvah! I have been doing art markets for 4 years now selling my own work, so now I also set up activities and do most of my marketing through in person events. It gives people a little taste of what CNK has to offer and how we can encourage young children to create art in a judgement free environment. Over the past 2.5 years, we have grown to have multiple teachers also traveling around LA teaching classes at private homes and I have been able to rent out a private studio for my staff to work out of (that was such a big win to be out of my house and into a space dedicated to my work!) We do anywhere from 10-15 classes weekly, plus birthday parties and events several times a month. I am hoping to open up my own brick and mortar studio when the time comes. I am in no rush to grow quickly, I want to grow with intention and quality to ensure everyone gets the best creative experience possible.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is any road a smooth road when creating a business? Small businesses don’t grow over night, anyone who tells you they do, is false or they have a TON of money to pour into it. Although the road isn’t smooth, does the good out way the extreme discomfort you can feel sometimes while on the journey? Yes, yes it does haha.

What I have found when building this business is that when things are going really well, there’s something around the corner waiting to shake things up and make you go bonkers all over again. There have been so many times when I think we are in the clear and then the universe has a different plan in store for me. I’ve learned to manage better and coup more with the ups and downs. When I first started, every wrong turn felt personal, I had to learn that business is business and not to mix too many emotions into it. Knowing that has definitely kept me moving forward.

I feel extremely fortunate that I have an amazing support system who has helped me since day one, I wouldn’t have been able to do this if it weren’t for my family and friends encouraging me every step of the way. I have wanted to throw in the towel multiple times, but then I’m reminded about everything I have poured into this business and I keep chugging along. Have a loving community around you, it makes a difference!

One thing that has been a bumpy road, is dealing with employees. It’s something I never thought would be a challenge, everyone has a different way of doing things that you have to balance out as a leader. I’ve had some really rough experiences with people that have brought me a mountain of anxiety and then I have had some AMAZING people that have walked into my life and have really found a nice fit on the team. I have learned to really ask the right questions when interviewing and make sure everything is laid out on the table in a very clear way so people know the exact expectation. I am grateful to my business consultant, Inbar, who has helped me so much in this realm of being a business owner. I don’t know where I’d be without her help and guidance, especially when it came to hiring and training. Having a solid team makes the working experience so much better and creates consistency throughout your business.

All in all, it hasn’t been smooth, but the road hasn’t been consistently bumpy. I feel grateful to be able to walk tall knowing the universe has my back and I can do anything I set my mind to.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am many things. I am a business owner, an artist and a teacher.

Creatiive Natiive Kiids is a mobile art studio bringing creative art experiences to people’s private homes all across Los Angeles. We conduct weekly sensory classes for children walking till 4 and art classes for children 4 and up. Currently our oldest students are 12 years old, but we do not have a cap on age, we welcome all ages! Our art classes are not your typical drawing or painting classes. We provide a wide range of different practices, one week the kids could be learning how to work with clay, another they could be learning how to sew or even paper-mache. Our goal is to give children creative tools they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. We do sprinkle in typical art education throughout our different projects, but do it in a way where children are having fun experiencing it. The best feeling is asking a young class a technical art question and they are able to answer that due to the knowledge they have gained from being in class! CNK also provides single day or week long art and sensory camps for children 4.5 and up. These camps are so fun and have a mix of art and sensory involved. Lastly, we do birthday parties and an array of different events, both private and public. Our birthday parties are customizable and can be made to fit your child’s dream birthday!

I also have my own art business, Creatiive Natiive, where I sell polymer clay home decor items, mainly specializing in wall decor. Each piece is hand crafted and one of a kind. I love curvy styled decor with a hint of 70s inspired design. I am known for my Braiiniac coaster designs and my Squiggle Wall Charms that create a delightful conversation piece.

My teaching career has always been child focused, I am a progressive teacher who takes from Reggio inspired practices and play based teaching. I strongly believe experiencing things is one of the best ways to learn, giving people freedom to explore all aspects of something in order to figure it out first hand is important when developing, especially young minds. I believe giving trust to my students to make their own choices on their art work fosters a safe space to create without any judgement. I am there to facilitate creativity and expand on the individual ideas of the artists. Curiosity is something I find is lacking, with everything being instant children want things quickly. I hope to slow things down, allow for thought and problem solving to arise and have the ability to work with intention and meaning.

Although art has no boundaries, I do believe in creating healthy boundaries in order to help guide children in the right direction. Being an artist comes with responsibilities such as, taking care of our supplies, cleaning up after ourselves and treating our artwork and artwork of others with respect. Those are just a few of the intentions we set when starting art classes.

I am most proud of the connections I have made with so many different families. I feel like I have hundreds of family members all around Los Angeles that I get to connect with over my greatest passion, art. I love getting to know the kids and creating projects based on their interests, I love watching them grow and become more skilled at their craft. It’s SO rewarding seeing a child master a skill they were struggling with, they look so proud once they are able to do it.

I also feel really proud of my giveback program called CN Giives. A big dream of mine is to have a non-profit in another 10 years or so, bringing art into areas that people don’t have access to. Instead of waiting, I took a baby step with building out a small portion of my business to focus on community outreach. We have worked with organizations such as Sunshine Kids, PS Arts, California strong, Spread Love foundation and a few more. When the LA fires happened, we were able to use what we raised in the previous year and start fundraising again in order to raise money to put together art supply kits for children who have been affected by the fires. We raised $1250, plus used the $300 from last year and have made 80 art kits and counting. To be able to give back to the city I was born and raised in, was and is an honor.

I just simply feel so proud of what I have built. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to build out a business and I am so proud of myself for doing so. It’s not a walk in the park but, man is it rewarding.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I would start by just networking, put yourself out there. I wasn’t afraid to show up, even when my social meter was low, I knew an opportunity may come from just taking the time to show up and talk to others. I also took an online course, it was 6 weeks and all about where to begin when starting a business. That helped a lot, also, business books. Woooo was I putting down my typical thriller books and swapping them for anything business related. I took them to the gym, read them during breaks, while I was waiting in a line, I kept consuming them. Some of my favorites have to be, The Big Leap, E-Myths, Big Magic, Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life and Starts With Why.

I had a boss, who for a few years I looked at as a “mentor” when I was at the art studio I used to work for. I took in some practices and feel really grateful for that experience I had. I got a business consultant when I started my own business, her name is Jessica Millhiser and that helped guide me and keep me on track. Later down the line, I was searching for someone who could help me with an area in my employee handbook and I came across an HR consultant who ended up being such a HUGE help to my business. I use her for all my small business needs from budgeting to marketing, her name is Inbar Madar and she’s a business angel. Business consultants are there to be the shoulder you lean on when you feel stuck or when you’re wanting to expand or if you’re having a rough time with hiring OR more! I HIGHLY recommend finding one, they are life savers.

Pricing:

• Art classes start at $45/child for a group classes

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.creatiivenatiive.com
• Instagram: @creatiivenatiive @creatiivenatiivekiids
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076000914585
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/creatiive-natiive-kiids-san-fernando-valley?osq=Creatiive+Natiive+Kiids
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@creatiivenatiive