#283: Stephanie Kluk (Founder of Future Ink Graphics) (pt. 2 of 2)

This week on the podcast is part two of our interview with Stephanie Kluk. After receiving her BFA in Photography from the Columbus College of Art and Design, Stephanie moved to Chicago, where she exhibited her artwork throughout the city and worked as the Program Director for the Chicago Artists’ Coalition.

In 2008, she moved to Cleveland and became the Program and Community Enrichment Manager at Art House, Inc. where she managed a variety of programs that included free art education classes for children and families. 

In 2016 Stephanie became the Director of Operations and Co-Executive Director of Zygote Press, and in June 2020, she joined the CAN Journal as the Development Manager and launched her own arts organization, Future Ink Graphics (FIG).

Tune in to hear how Stephanie is helping other artists and contributes to the arts ecosystem! https://stephaniekluk.com/home.html and https://futureinkgraphics.com/

Transcript

Announcer: 1:08

Welcome to the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast. Making art work. We highlight how entrepreneurs align their artistry, passion and vision to create and pursue opportunities to capture value in the arts. The views expressed by guests on the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the podcast or its hosts. The appearance of a guest on the podcast, the venture they represent or reference to any product or service does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast or its hosts. The content provided is for entertainment and informational purposes only and does not constitute business advice. Here are your hosts Andy Heiss and Nick Petrella.

Andy Heise: 1:50

Welcome podcast listeners. My name is Andy Heiss.

Nick Petrella: 1:53

And I'm Nick Petrella. Photographer, entrepreneur and administrator, Stephanie Kluk is with us today. After receiving her BFA in photography from the Columbus College of Art and Design, Stephanie moved to Chicago, where she exhibited her artwork throughout the city and worked as the program director for the Chicago Artists Coalition. Director for the Chicago Artists Coalition. In 2008, she moved to Cleveland and became the program and community enrichment manager at Art House Incorporated, where she managed a variety of programs that included free art education classes for children and families. In 2016, Stephanie became the director of operations and co-executive director of Zygote Press, and in June 2020, she joined the Cannes Journal as the development manager and launched her own arts organization, Future Inc Graphics. We'll link to her websites in the show notes so you can read her lengthy bio and learn how she was helping other artists. Thanks for being with us, Stephanie.

Stephanie Kluk: 2:47

Thanks for having me.

Nick Petrella: 2:50

So this next question it's a two-part question for other artists who maybe want to pivot, do something else, more like what you're doing. Fig is only four years old. How is it going? And if you could start over, would you do anything differently, knowing what you know now? So that's the first question. And how has the organization changed over this brief time?

Stephanie Kluk: 3:11

oh, they're okay. So, yes, there's definitely things I think I would do differently. Now I think that's that's a for sure. Um, there's things that I would absolutely do the same. Um, but it's always a learning experience. Um, kind of like your first question about you know my education and that, leading to um, everything that I've done at FIG or prior to that has always been a learning lesson and grow from it. And sometimes they're painful and sometimes they're not. But there's, there's definitely things that I would have done a little bit differently, but but not too much, not too much.

Nick Petrella: 3:52

Well, the audience can't see this, but you had a pretty visceral reaction to that question, so I'm wondering what might some of those things be?

Stephanie Kluk: 4:02

I think that you know one of the hardest things is, as you said earlier, was artists go into these careers wanting to do good things, wanting to help other artists, wanting to make art. But there is a very big business part of this that you have to get used to and if you, it's a hard part of your personality sometimes to be the boss and to make hard decisions, and so those are definitely things that you know. You learn the hard way, but so you do those good things. But every once in a while you've got to deal with being a business owner.

Nick Petrella: 4:40

Yeah, and then the second part how has that organization changed?

Stephanie Kluk: 4:46

So it started off really with an I. You know I'd always wanted even from college, I've always wanted my own space, and so it started off with me and I had, um, one other part-time person that came along with me and jumped on this wagon of like who knows what's going to happen? When I started this business, um, and so we're just because of it's been so new, we're so young, we're just because of it's been so new, we're so young, we're constantly growing. We have more equipment, we are getting different grants, we're doing different programming based on the equipment that we have. We bring in different artists, we're training different artists. So every time someone different or new comes in, it's really kind of changing the dynamic of the space and really kind of helping kind of navigate which way you go, if that makes sense.

Andy Heise: 5:37

Yeah, what is your least favorite part of running a business?

Nick Petrella: 5:44

Podcast Headphones that I can't get to work in.

Stephanie Kluk: 5:51

Wow, yes. To work, wow, yes. I think the stress like for me. What I love about what I do is the relationships that I have with other people and other artists and organizations and creative people. But that also has a flip side where, if those relationships don't go well, that's a very difficult thing for me to to deal with. And so that part of that business, um, I'm not as I'm not as good at, so that would be the most difficult, I think, for me.

Andy Heise: 6:23

Sure, that makes sense. Um, so, along some along those same lines. Uh, how do you utilize partnerships in um, in delivering um? The mission, the, the values, the vision of FIG.

Stephanie Kluk: 6:37

Sure. So most of our partners are actually nonprofits and they usually contract us to do programming for free to their constituents. So we usually work with organizations that we really feel we agree with their mission. It aligns with what we do. For instance, we do a lot with Rainy Institute. They're an organization that does a lot of after school programming for youth. They do a lot of summer camps and things like that. So they will hire us to provide, you know, visual arts programming for these students and then the students get it for free. So a lot of times, being able to work with these other organizations or Metro Hospital, we do a lot of programming with them. We just started a program called ArtsRx where it's a brand new program where they are prescribing arts and culture programming for loneliness and depression. It's a new from COVID thing, so it's one of my favorite programs. It's just being kind of piloted now but we get to be a part of it, so they work with art therapists.

Nick Petrella: 7:45

I'm sorry.

Stephanie Kluk: 7:47

No. So what it is is they have a Metro hospital and I'm not a hundred percent, you know, giving you the total view of this but they have an arts and medicine department and through their arts and medicine department they work with the community. They're very community based, using the arts to help improve people's health, and so I think this may be a program that was like came from England or somewhere somewhere else, but the idea is that basically family practitioners were saying, like people are coming to us, especially after COVID, they're lonely, they have depression, they need to really actually get out into the community. So now we can prescribe these things. We are not art therapists, these things. We are not art therapists. We are just providing arts programming and a place for people to come to really like communicate with each other and meet new people and make art and things like that, and so we're one of the many partners in that program. They're also doing dance and theater and music and things like that.

Nick Petrella: 8:48

Okay, yeah, I was wondering if they, if the hospital had art therapists and they were oh, they do.

Stephanie Kluk: 8:53

That's a whole other section, but yes, that's not us Okay, okay, gotcha.

Andy Heise: 8:57

Yeah, that's really interesting. Sorry, did you have other partnerships or examples that you were going to?

Stephanie Kluk: 9:04

talk about. Sure, we have this great relationship with the Rock Hall. So part of what I like like FIG is about education and providing opportunities and resources, and we do that for youth, but we really do that for emerging artists, entrepreneurs that really want to learn how to teach or want to really advance their career, and so one of my favorite partnerships is with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of my favorite partnerships is with the rock and roll hall of fame um, and they have been commissioning us to bring in, maybe two or three times a year for their events, a different um artist from the community to create their posters and then we live print them at their events and people get to take them home and we do a lot of marketing for the artists, um, and so it's a great way for those artists to get exposure. Um, it's great for the resume, and so it's a great partnership. And they Rock Hall loves getting new artists in and new designs, so that's been a really cool partnership as far as that goes.

Nick Petrella: 10:05

How did that start?

Stephanie Kluk: 10:11

I actually don't remember how that started. I think probably we were at some event. We do a lot of outdoor printing and I think the woman who runs one of the departments for their community events was there and was like this is usually what happens. Our marketing is usually word of mouth, so people will come to an event, see us and say, oh my gosh, we want you to come to our event, and so I'm pretty sure that's how that started, but not a hundred percent.

Nick Petrella: 10:39

I imagine you just get tons of marketing from that. I I was there last year just visiting and it was. You couldn't even walk. Yeah, yeah, it was that event and people love.

Stephanie Kluk: 10:49

I mean it's. It's fun because people get to print their own you know, right, screen print, and so it's fun to watch people do it and and it's cool to see the artwork the artists come up with and and like the um the after school program up with and and like the um, the afterschool program, working with youth, that sort of thing Is that, was that an, was that a relationship that you had?

Andy Heise: 11:08

or um, did you approach that organization and say, look, you have kids that you need stuff for them to do? I have an art studio, this graphic studio, like maybe we could put something together.

Stephanie Kluk: 11:26

It's a little bit of both for all of these, but for the most part at this point, um, we're lucky that we're getting people that are coming to us. They've heard about us, they've heard about what we're doing, um, rainy, actually. So fig is located inside the pivot center. I don't know if we talked about that, but the pivot center, um is like an arts, culture, social service kind of hub. It used to be an awning factory and now we have about a dozen nonprofit organizations in the building. One is Rainy Institute, so they had moved in last year, I believe into the space and so we meet as tenants.

Stephanie Kluk: 11:58

We have the Clean Museum of Art has a 30,000 square foot community art center here. Inlet Dance is here. La Mega Radio Station is here. Latinx Black Box Theater is here. There's the Cleveland Rite Crisis Center is here. So we have a pretty big group of. It's really kind of crazy, because I'm this small, privately owned organization amongst all of these large nonprofits, which has its pros and cons, but for the most part it's a pro, and so we have meetings and then that that just kind of grows relationships from there.

Andy Heise: 12:35

That's awesome, so that that like that proximity density effect, creating those partnerships yeah.

Stephanie Kluk: 12:43

Yeah, and so my head built through. You know, I've been working in Cleveland and doing programming, so, um, I knew the director of medicine at Metro health, um, and so that was she heard I opened fig and we, you know, had the conversation and met up and went from there, had the conversation and met up and went from there and are you expanding outside of of Cleveland area or no?

Nick Petrella: 13:04

you got enough stuff to do in there.

Stephanie Kluk: 13:06

Not yet. I did get some requests from Akron, um, but we still building our roster of of teaching artists and so right now we're pretty much doing mostly within the Clark Fulton neighborhood is where we're located, um, but within downtown, um, and in Cleveland is mostly where we're pretty much doing. Mostly within the Clark Fulton neighborhood is where we're located, but within downtown and in Cleveland is mostly where we're working.

Nick Petrella: 13:26

Okay. So, stephanie, for others who might want to create similar organizations in their areas, can you summarize what FIG does for the artists, the businesses and the local community?

Stephanie Kluk: 13:39

Oh yeah, wow, Okay, that's a big one. So what I hope that we do is provide opportunities, like I said before, opportunities and resources. There's a lot of artists in this community that have no idea of what's out there for artists. Cleveland is a pretty rich, philanthropic, you know community and there is a lot of grants and opportunities out there for artists, and so I I like that FIG can be these connections for some of these artists. We have a program called the creative incububator and that's through Neighborhood Connections and it's supported by the Cleveland Foundation.

Stephanie Kluk: 14:25

Basically, we give out up to $2,000 interest-free loans for artists. It's a loan to help them build their business. So, for example, we had an artist who was a designer and he was sending out his T-shirts for someone else to print and then he had to pay them and it was costing a lot of money. So he decided to. He did, went through our creative incubator program, got the loan, bought a bunch of T-shirts and then learned how to print them himself here at FIG, and so then we connect them with mentors at SCORE. We also work with the Hispanic Business Center, and so there's a lot of different resources, and so I feel like hopefully that's what we're really providing for artists is in a space to create and to network, and so for the community, I hope that we're providing access to the arts and we are being able to have artists that are in their own community doing community events for the community. So our community is there but if that makes sense.

Stephanie Kluk: 15:29

so for the most part, I hope that we're just really creating some cool things and helping artists and designers do better and get more exposure and learn how to be professional artists and have a business oh great.

Andy Heise: 15:48

How do you we've kind of talked about this, um, in terms of a lot of your programming is partnering with, with nonprofits and foundations and that sort of thing, um, so the question is, how do you decide on what programming to do?

Stephanie Kluk: 16:04

Um, I haven't had a real lot of programs that I've turned down. We've had some. You know, I we really get a lot of great programs If, if it's something that is, um, for example, we'll get someone who will come to us and say, can you print 500 t-shirts for us? We're not a production studio, so usually then in that case what I will do is I will call one of the artists that I know that does do that and then be able to give them that job. So that kind of stuff is what we would normally kind of send off to somewhere else. But for the most part there hasn't been many programs that we've probably should slow down, but there isn't a lot of programs that we've not done.

Nick Petrella: 16:47

that's come on, sure, yeah, I got one quick question before we do the final three. Do you still have time to work as a photographer?

Stephanie Kluk: 17:00

I probably could, but I'm too exhausted at the moment too. Um, so, no, I guess. Um, I don't do. I definitely don't do it, as you know, like I've done weddings way back in the day and um, but I definitely do it more as a fine art, so it's more of a personal thing for me. Um, like I said, I wrote this grant and hopefully, if I get it then, then I'll be using my camera again and making some more other than that. Unfortunately, not so much.

Nick Petrella: 17:33

Then you'll be compelled to do it.

Stephanie Kluk: 17:35

Yes, yep, I'll get that deadline. I'll get that.

Andy Heise: 17:42

Um, can I ask an additional question? It's sort of an unscripted question about. It has to do with when you graduated from college, you moved to Chicago and you just kind of acclimated, you figured and tried to figure out your place in that arts community. Yeah, figured and tried to figure out your your place in that arts community? Yeah, Do you have. I've, I've thought about that and actually I've talked with Nick about doing like a summer class like that, like taking groups of students to cities, just to kind of say, if you were to plop down in the middle of somewhere, how would you begin to find your way?

Stephanie Kluk: 18:15

Yeah.

Andy Heise: 18:16

Do you have any tips or advice for for people that are relocating to new cities that want to be engaged in arts communities?

Stephanie Kluk: 18:24

I think it's find those arts organizations that are out there, and once you find one, then you find the other. You know, the arts communities are always small but big at the same time. So really it was just I don't even actually remember how I found the Chicago Artists Coalition I think I joined, maybe as a member. So I started joining different organizations and volunteering and so really finding those places and putting yourself out there like hey, I can help, I can come in once a month or I can come to a special event, and then you start talking to people and then people tell you about other places and it just kind of snowballs from there. So but being out there and being active is you have to do it. You can't sit in your apartment or your house and look online. You have to go out and actually interact with people, which I've noticed after.

Stephanie Kluk: 19:14

COVID has become more and more difficult for people. So it's something I actually talk a lot about with some of our emerging artists is really like these relationship buildings, this one-on-one being able to talk to somebody, because if you're a designer and you have clients like you need to build those relationships. So it's the same thing if you're going to a new city, go out there and put yourself out there.

Andy Heise: 19:36

Yeah, did you have a prior relationships with anyone in Chicago or I knew absolutely no one.

Stephanie Kluk: 19:44

I did it on purpose. I wanted to go there and, just kind of, I I actually had never been to the city. I had ones that were going to New York and LA and they offered to have me come. And I was like, I don't know, I feel like I need to go to Chicago. So I literally went one day with my parents. We found an apartment and walk around for like a whole entire day and then I got a job at a hotel. So I did work at a hotel during college and so I had that experience and so I actually became a concierge because I wanted to learn about the city. So I was like, oh, here's the best way. I have to be forced to because I got to tell everyone else what's going on in the city.

Andy Heise: 20:24

Don't tell them, you just moved here, yeah.

Stephanie Kluk: 20:27

Actually my boss was like go outside for like two days. She had me two work days just walk around the city and see where it was and yeah, it was a great way for me to learn about where everything was in the city.

Andy Heise: 20:38

Yeah.

Nick Petrella: 20:39

Yeah.

Andy Heise: 20:41

Well, Stephanie, we've reached the point of the interview where we ask all of our interviewees the same three questions and the first question is what advice would you give to others wanting to become an art entrepreneur?

Stephanie Kluk: 20:57

I would say take some business classes. Really learn how a business works, because, like myself and so many other artists, you go in it for the passion but then really the day to day operations and administrative work that goes into it and the budgeting and you know all of that is something that is just really important to learn. So I always recommend take some business classes, work for a small, grassroots organization and see how it works, because you may get into it and be like you know what. This is not for me, like there's a lot of freedom in what I do but there's a lot of responsibility and a lot of like a hustle. You're hustling and you're moving. So if you're not that kind of person, that may not work for you.

Nick Petrella: 21:42

What can we do to ensure the arts are more accessible and reaching the widest possible audience?

Stephanie Kluk: 21:49

I think it comes down to people patronizing the arts. Like you have to go out there and buy the tickets and go to the openings and support the artists that are out there. Um, buying unique pieces of work from local artists is a really great way to support artists, um, so I think that's a great way to um to really support the community. That makes sense.

Andy Heise: 22:16

Yeah, absolutely Uh. Lastly, what's the best artistic or entrepreneurial advice you anyone's ever given you?

Announcer: 22:24

Oh.

Stephanie Kluk: 22:26

I don't know if I can remember like a direct, you know, like quote or something.

Andy Heise: 22:30

This person said this right Right.

Stephanie Kluk: 22:32

But overall it's don't take your art personally, so that is really. Another thing that's very hard for artists is like someone is not going to like your work, and that's OK. Or your work doesn't fit with a certain project or program, that's OK. You have to learn to take critique Some that may be constructive criticism, some that may not be and just be able to move on. And I think that's been something that has been really helpful. Is it's not personal? They just may not like your work, and that's okay.

Nick Petrella: 23:08

Yeah, sure, sure, stephanie, it's been great hearing your passion for community building and it sounds like it's paying off in a variety of ways. Thanks for coming on the podcast.

Stephanie Kluk: 23:20

Thank you so much for having me Thanks.

Announcer: 23:25

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