I Built A Creative Life By Saying Yes

A crowded studio, a “cap it at 40” plan that turns into 50-plus guests, and a spring season that suddenly feels like it’s accelerating. I’m checking in from Brewtifully with a real-time look at what it takes to grow a creative studio around mahjong, art, and community and what happens when you let people in, even when the day doesn’t go exactly as planned. National Mahjong Day brought tables full of laughter, unexpected visitors, and the kind of feedback that makes me want to schedule more events immediately. 

Next up, I’m leaning into collaborations that connect new audiences: a June pickleball mahjong event at a new spot called Hotshots, plus another gathering tied to the Ohio State University Alumni Association. I also share an invitation to Art in the Park in Hartville, where I’ll be setting up tables and teaching the art of mahjong to anyone curious. If you’re building a small business, planning community events, or trying to grow a creative brand, these partnerships are a practical reminder that you don’t have to do it alone. 

On the making side, I talk through how I’m creating my own mahjong tiles from blank tiles to drawing, laser engraving, and hand painting, plus how manufacturing and licensing help turn artwork into products people can actually buy. The biggest takeaway is simple and hard-earned: leave room in your plans for the unplanned, share the littlest thing, and let it grow into something bigger than you could have mapped out. If you like this kind of creative business update, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review so more makers and mahjong lovers can find us.

Transcript

National Mahjong Day Recap

Pickleball Mahjong And Alumni Event

Art In The Park Outreach

Designing And Selling Custom Tiles

Retreat Plans And Meeting Listeners

Leave Room For The Unplanned

Newsletters Camps And Closing

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Happy weekend! It is a Saturday morning, and I came in a little early so I could catch up and record an episode to say hello and let you know everything that's going on in the studio. And it is May. I can't believe it's already May. And this has just been a wonderful spring season, and we just celebrated National Mahjong Day here at Brutly. So we brutally made an amazing event, amazing day. Um I wanted to cap it off at 40 people. We had close to 50, over 50, because we had some people visiting and didn't register. They just wanted to kind of experience the studio, and that was totally fine. Um, and then I had people register at the door that I wasn't expecting. And uh, we had plenty of tables, plenty of food, uh, plenty of door prizes, plenty of gift bags. Um, yeah, just kind of came together and celebrated uh the beautiful game, and everyone had it seems like they had a wonderful time. I've had tremendous feedback, and I feel so fortunate that everybody enjoyed it as much as they did, and it just makes me so excited to schedule some more events um and do some more collaborations in the community. I do have that coming up. There's a brand new pickleball location here called Hotshots, and they have asked me to partner with them to do a pickleball mahjong event in uh June. So I'll be doing that, and I'm very excited about that. And the gal that taught me how to play is going to help me there and teach people that need to learn, and then just have you know the flow of everybody coming in and playing a game if they like. And I don't even know how to play pickleball, but I've designed some really pretty pickleball paddles, so I'm gonna have another event with them. They want to have another one with me. Um, so this one is actually going to be surrounding the Ohio State University Alumni Association, which I thought was so cool. I went to OU, but uh I have brothers that are diehard Ohio State fans. I have a cousin that is a pharmacist uh from Ohio State and the pharmacy school and friends that have attended. And so I'm very happy that I can uh collaborate and be part of that event. And then I just was asked to participate in Art in the Park in Hartville. And um, we were going to share the art of mahjong with everyone, and so be setting up tables and sharing how to play, and I'm very excited about that. And it's just, you know, the buzz is happening, and people are finding out that you can do that here and that I can coordinate different events all over the county. Um, and I'm also making my own tiles, so kind of like twofold. I got some blanks and I drew a series. Um, I'm actually still drawing the jokers and the flowers, sending it to my laser and engraving them and then hand painting them. And I am doing that in my spare time. If you're watching the video, I'm doing air quotes. And it's so intriguing on how you do this. And then there's a company that manufactures for me and they provide tiles now. So my art are on the box of beautiful engraved Chinese traditional faces for mahjong tiles. And so those are available now on my website. So you can get a mat and matching tiles, and I just think that's so cool. So I am just over the moon how many people are resonating with my art in this community. And again, so unexpected, was not even like on my radar planning this, it has just been phenomenal, and I am just still doing everything myself, and um, I am just loving it. This is the kind of busy that I wanted to be in this realm of doing art on my own and having it be a full-time career, and I can't be happier. I mean, I'm very excited. Um, this week is um a new art retreat for me to attend for Rebloom and so Live Courageously events, and I'm going to be in Madison, Indiana. So I'm very excited about sharing uh with that community of artists and just being inspired and finding out what everyone is doing. I attended last year, and so I'm very excited about going this year. And um, yeah, I if you're in that area, let me know. I would love to meet up and say hello. I am taking a traveling mahjong set with me so we can play. Um, but I am very excited to share and just spend time with creative people, and um yeah, just it's very exciting time, and I am here for it. I am just so happy about how everything is, you know, just buzzing along, and it's all because of everybody finding me and supporting me, and I couldn't do it alone, and so it's just neat to find your people, and they're all over the country and all over the community here. I've made so many new friends, and I just love, love, love that. So you're just never one to plan. Leave your mind open to something that you didn't expect. The unexpected is something beyond what you could plan for. It really, really is. This is something, you know, that you uh really just get kind of blindsided by and embracing it and just letting it, you know, take you where it wants to. Um, and I and I love that. I'm really excited about the mats being released here soon with the company that licensed my work. And so I can't wait to share those with you. I'm just anxiously looking every day to see if they've re-released those, and they've like sent out a newsletter and hinted that they're coming, and so I'm just very excited about that collaboration, and I can't wait to share that too. So, just you know, wanting to remind you to leave room in your plans for the unplanned. I think that that's so important, and to not be afraid of what you don't know is coming. Uh, the good and the bad, there are lessons learned, and then there's you know, tremendous surprises that you know are out there. You just never know. Sharing what you love brings you so much joy, and uh it just does the best things in your life. So please don't feel like if you don't have everything out in like even ducks in a row and everything written out perfectly, just let things organically happen and you know see where it leads you. That's that's my best advice for anything that you want to try. Don't be afraid to share the littlest thing. I'm telling you, the littlest thing you don't know what that seed is going to grow into. And I I cannot tell you how much of an example I am of that. So I can't believe this place is going on two years this month that I secured it. And uh here we are, it's flown by. I just it's unbelievable. So don't be afraid, jump into your dreams and let them take you where they're gonna take you and you know, enjoy the journey. That's that's my best advice for you. So stay tuned. And if you are into Mahjong, I have a Mahjong weekly newsletter that goes out. Join my newsletter, join, join the email, you know, just share in everything that I'm doing. A monthly newsletter that Maywind just went out. So much going on, so many art projects and stuff going on here. We're doing all kinds of things. My kids' camps are next month, just ended homeschool, taught the girls how to do those um surface pattern designs. Their mats are coming. I taught them how to play mahjong. They've been playing. Um, just we had such a great season. And um, I'm I'm just looking forward to what every everything coming my way is happening. I just can't wait to see what everything evolves into. So take care. Don't be afraid, be fearless, be brutally made. I believe in you, and I hope to talk to you soon. So take care. Bye.