Welcome to the very first feature of Women in Business. A place where we chat about Independent, Strong women, their struggles, their wins and how their businesses came to be.
I wanted to start the series with a woman who is very close to my heart, my mom and her business Susan Kruzel Artist.
My mom came to Canada in the 1970's from Hungary and started a whole new life, learning english and working in my Great Aunt and Uncle's delicatessen in Downtown Sudbury, Ontario.
Before leaving Hungary she went to trade school to be a French Ladies Tailor, which helped her with two of her first jobs when she arrived in Canada. One of which was in a Bridal Boutique, and the other was for the Sudbury Theatre Company where she worked on costumes, also making her own designs on the side for fun.
My mom has always had a creative mind, but she truly gave in to it after her retirement from the Military. Although it was a car accident that was the cause for her departure from the military and she was sad to leave it gave her the opportunity to focus on things she had always dreamt of doing. She went back to school for Fine Arts and pursued her dreams, learning new techniques in Painting, Drawing and more.
What inspired you to start your business?
S: "My fellow artists at the Victoria College of Art and the desire to create and share with others."
What have been your biggest struggles since starting your business?
S: "Creations do come on their own and in abundance, however, due to my accidents I have become more of a perfectionist. I do spend way too much energy on creating posts on Social Media and get lost in either trying to get the right wordings or music and lose focus or lose track of time. At the end of the day I would have loved to spend it creating art, that is so satisfying to me."
Did you have any mentors or idolize anyone in your field?
S: "The most influential artists past and present in my work are Igor Sakharov, Andre Kohn, Tibor Nagy, Henry Asencio, Georgia O'Keefe, Emily Carr, Tom Thomson and Pal Szinyei Merse."
What was the first art piece you purchased?
S: "In 2020 I purchased my first art print and original painting from Motoko at the Fortune Art Gallery in Chinatown Victoria. It was such a special occasion and they even gifted me with a mini bottle of bubbly to celebrate."
What was your favourite piece you have worked on to date?
S: "I have a Quadriptic that I worked on a few years ago, that often people will want to purchase. But I just can't bear to part with it. It's a multimedia piece that I based off of a Painting I had sold very early on named "Angela".
Additionally I worked on a commission for some family friends and although I struggled in the beginning a bit, when I started again I was really pleased with the outcome and being able to make a piece for them that they would have in their home for years to come and would resonate with all of the family members regardless of their age."
What are your business goals for 2023?
S: "Stay focused, create more and take time to enjoy the process. And with the assistance of my lovely daughter Hannah should be able to focus more on creating rather than on the social media aspect that I find so difficult."
My mom (Susan) currently has an exhibit that is running at the Esquimalt Township Centre in Collaboration with Gallery Splash, "Pacific Seascapes". The exhibit is at 503 Park Place, Esquimalt BC and will be running until February 7th.
10% of proceeds will be donated to Soldier On.
Read the Article by Peter Mallet in the Lookout Newspaper on Susan and her exhibit at Gallery Splash here.
Thanks for reading the first Post in Women in Business and stay tuned for more.
Hannah, The Secret Robin
