How to develop a business based on artistic painting
Anastasiia Movchan from Blyzniuky, Kharkiv region, already had her train and bus tickets in hand. She was going to work in Poland. God knew for how long. “I was so reluctant to leave my husband and parents,” she recalls. “But there was no other option.” It was November 2022, the tenth month of the full-scale war. The art school in Blyzniuky, where Anastasiia taught drawing, closed. Her products with Petrykivka paintings didn’t sell well. Her husband's salary was not enough to keep the whole family. So, she had to pack her bags.
But the day before her travel, Anastasiia received a call from a friend who told her about the WINGS project. “I don't know why, but I immediately thought that it was a sign, and I should stay and try to get my life back here, at home.”
Anastasiia at work
A studio, but not an artistic one
Anastasiia returned the tickets and in a few days came to the first session of the Studio of Opportunities. “We didn’t start with a business topic and that surprised me,” Anastasiia says. “During the Studio of Opportunities, we learned how to get to know ourselves and discover our talents and capabilities, how to allocate internal resources, and even how to say no to events and people that are of no interest to us.” She says that this psychological approach worked. “I calmed down a bit and started making plans.”
When it came to pitching her business idea, Anastasiia presented the studio's project. But it was a studio for... skin care. “I remember how our coordinator asked me, ‘But you are an artist, Anastasiia! Are you sure you want to do this?’”
Anastasiia wasn’t sure at all. For as long as she can remember, she has always loved to paint. Anastasiia graduated from an art studio at a church school and then received a diploma in fine arts. She enjoyed working with children at a local art school. At the same time, she was painting wooden items in the Petrykivka style, including household items and kitchen utensils. Sometimes they were sold or made to order. “But I have never considered my hobby as a profitable business,” Anastasiia says. When the war started, people were not interested in these types of products. “So I thought that maybe a body care studio would be more in demand.”
Creative challenge
Eventually, after individual consultations with her WINGS coordinator, Anastasiia decided to follow her heart and try to develop a business out of her hobby. “Being in the WINGS project, I realized that I wanted to popularize Petrykivka painting and make a business of it.” This is how a new business plan came about to produce and sell painted items and eventually open an art studio. Anastasiia successfully pitched her business plan and received seed funding for materials she needed for the production.
Work with perspective
After the project, she began to expand her range of products with a focus on practical use. She increased the number of kitchen utensils she offered and also launched a line of jewelry boxes, hairbrushes, and hairpins. She began to actively promote her products through social media. “I stopped being shy about offering my services, doing posts, and showcasing my work.” Her orders dramatically increased. With support from the WINGS project, in August and September 2023, Anastasiia took part in the “Vsi. Svoi” market in Kyiv (a marketplace that sells only Ukrainian-made products). “It was a great experience in learning how to present and sell a product to a wide audience.”
Anastasiia's work
Anastasiia says that after WINGS, she gained a lot of strength and inspiration and became more active in the local Blyzniuky community. She painted a wall in a village school and a memorial to fallen soldiers in another village. She also helps local volunteers raise money for camouflage materials by painting shell tubes. Anastasiia also received an offer to paint used shell tubes and send these works to auctions in Poland and France.
Anastasiia managed to negotiate with the Village Council to allocate premises for an art studio, where she plans not only to teach children but also to conduct art therapy for adults, including veterans and IDPs. Recently, the Village Council won a tender from one of the international funds for community development, and part of the funds will be used to repair and equip Anastasiia's studio. In six months, it will be open.
“Now I bless the chance that WINGS gave me, and I didn't flee from the country,” Anastasiia says. “WINGS has taught me not to give up and keep going to achieve my goals.”
The WINGS project (Women Included: Nurturing Growth and Security, 2020-2025) was implemented by Pact and funded by the Government of Canada. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Canada.