Today we’d like to introduce you to Taneisha Gordon.
Taneisha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Back in 2014, I started my first corporate job and was miserable. I was mildly depressed, developed anxiety, and my health was quickly deteriorating due to stress. The feeling of mediocrity crossed my mind constantly – deep down, I knew working for someone wasn’t for me. Adopting a mindset influenced by the peace mantra, “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu,” I began to let go of everything that weighed me down. I soon realized my happiness comes from doing what I love. Thus Studio Sukhino was born.
I started Studio Sukhino in 2017 while pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration at Vanderbilt University. I got the idea to revisit a past business I started in undergrad at Tuskegee University and decided to buy my own laser cutter – this was the beginning of a journey that has helped me grow and expand my creativity. The first products I made were wood notebooks – they were made of baltic birch wood with witty engravings on the front, included fresh blank white pages, and chipboard for the back cover. I was so incredibly proud of what I created and continued to expand my product offerings over time. By the end of 2018, in addition to notebooks, I offered lapel pins, wood wall art, key chains, necklaces, desk plates, wine butlers, cuff links and so much more.
Near the middle of 2019, I decided to refocus and take my business into another direction. I now focus more on the unique creations I can compose with wood, with my laser cutter being just one of the many tools I use now. I title myself as a wood artist and woodworker and have taught myself additional skills to expand my artistry and what I can create. Studio Sukhino now offers 3D wood art, murals, and backdrops, along with custom branded swag. The custom swag I have created includes engraved shoes, wood shoe boxes, product displays, necklaces, and lace locks (with much more to come).
Now in 2020, I am glad to have work out there that I am proud of and I’m continuously making strides to introduce people to what I do.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not at all! I went from almost being evicted due to running my business out of my apartment to barely being able to eat, let alone pay my bills.
I struggled with finding a reliable place to operate my business. When I first started my business, I was operating out of my apartment and the storage closet right outside my apartment door. I was doing everything there, from sanding to cutting to applying finishes to all my products. My neighbors hated me, though I didn’t bother anyone and I was never in the way, they constantly found things to complain about. They complained so much that my landlord contacted me during the late fall of 2017 and told me if I continued with everything I was doing, then I could get evicted from my apartment. In that moment, I felt like everything was working against me just for me to do something I love, but I was not going to give up. I ended up talking with the owner of a coffee shop, who was carrying some of my products, about whether she had some extra space for me to run my machine.
She had a small storage closet that she didn’t really use and rented it out to me – my business was saved! I couldn’t operate everything out of the coffee shop, so I had to find a storage facility to sand in when it was raining and if I was in a time crunch and had a deadline to meet I would sand out in a field that was about three minutes away from my apartment complex. I was also juggling graduate school at this time as well, so I always kept everything I needed in my car, so I could work on my business any chance I got. During the summer of 2018, I finally found a workshop space where I was free to do everything I needed for my business. It was a relief to finally have my own space and no longer worrying about how and when I was going to be able to finish projects and products I had lined up.
The beginning of 2019 proved to be difficult to maintain my business. After the holidays, it tends to be very slow and people aren’t really making purchases. I started to fall behind on everything and even got to a point where I was only eating maybe once a day because I couldn’t afford a bunch of groceries. By the time my business did pick back up, I couldn’t catch up and I had to make some hard decisions in order to get to a better place. I paused Studio Sukhino, moved back home to Georgia from Tennessee and focused on getting back on track, which included working different part-time jobs, but also taking some time to grow creatively and reignite the fire that was dimmed within me.
Now in 2020, I feel refreshed and have worked on some great projects and continuously open to being challenged to doing something bigger and better. Even though COVID-19 did cause me to lose some projects, it allowed me to think quick and pivot my business to selling wood mask templates for the sewing community and make it all work for the current state of everything.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Studio Sukhino – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Studio Sukhino is now focusing on creating wood art, installations, branded products, and backdrops. Most of the art I create has a multi-dimensional aspect to it that gives the work a different feel. Everything I create is from scratch – I am using sheets of raw wood to form whatever product I create. I am not buying anything from China or offline, it is all handmade with my hands and there is a lot of time, care, and attention that I put into each and every product, art piece, and mural I create.
The whole purpose of my business is to provide a sense of freedom and happiness for myself, but I also want that to be felt by others who experience and see my work. Sukhino is derived from the Hindi language and means centered in happiness and joy and free from suffering, which translates to a lifestyle and business that wants to spread a positive light anyway possible.
What sets me apart is the fact that I literally create every single thing I produce and I use wood in ways people don’t normally imagine. I create everything myself because I love to use my hands. There is something about making a custom piece by hand that makes it that much more special. I love using wood because every piece is natural and unique, just like all of us. None of us is exactly alike and the same applies to wood. You will never find one piece of wood that looks like the other, which makes each and every product that is produced distinct. Every piece of artwork or product that is out there literally has pieces of me in them – I pour my energy into it all.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The future is uncertain right now, but my goal (once it’s safe to travel) is to travel the country, creating custom art installations and murals for individuals who want something different and unique in their homes and businesses looking for something unique to bring happiness to a space.
Whenever I get the chance, I am creating small samples, so people can see what I am capable of creating. I am using this time to continue to expand on my craft, so when the time comes, I am ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studiosukhino.com/
- Email: freedom@studiosukhino.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiosukhino/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studiosukhino/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/StudioSukhino
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