 Welcome to the journey. We're at Western Neon School of Art in Soto and we have the executive director here today, Dylan. What's up guys? And we're going to talk about the business and non-profit side of Western Neon today. So I read recently that the Western Neon School of Art opened the doors in 2018, which is super cool. I also noticed, speaking of opening doors, walking through doors, we're underneath the same building as Western Neon. So it all happens here. That's cool. How does that work for you as a creative director and executive director? Yeah, it's a lot. And that's what we kind of love about it, is that the stories are very entwined. Western Neon did start really as a school. Dean Blazik started it as a school in northern Wisconsin. In the 80s. Yeah, in the 80s, right, to teach people how to work in the medium. And his two sons got so kind of drawn into the medium and drawn into the process throughout the history of that school that when they started the business, we've been so successful as a business. We wanted to look back in 2018 and go, what made it that way, right? And it's that education. It's that commitment to the creativity. So we started the school as a way to give back to the community, to teach people about the medium, and to see where we could take something that has been so good to us. What could it do for maybe the rest of the world? People that come to Western Neon School of Art, are they coming in at all kinds of levels? Yeah, we get asked that quite a bit too because it's kind of exciting that the school started with eight students in the winter of 2018. We're coming up on almost two years. And since that time, we put through almost 200 students. And we have a 500 person plus waiting list. We have three classes operating a quarter at a time now. It's become this thing that we never saw coming. If we look at who comes to us, right? It's really like we have tech people who are tired of being in front of the screen or just working in a digital way. They want to work physically. You have artists who want to expand their practice. And you have people who are just downright curious about what they can do with it. Yeah, what are some of the things that you've learned most from opening that nonprofit and kind of leading that back to the business world with you? Oh, yeah, huge. I mean, I think that, you know, truly, I think if you do build it, they will come. It's a corny thing, right? I mean, it's a baseball. Build the dreams. You know, build the dreams, right? Kevin Costner. I think that, you know, you can't achieve anything unless you dream it. At the end of the day, I think that what it's taught is that if you have a business going, there's certain choices that you'll make. And then with a nonprofit, they're not that different. It's just that something different drives kind of like what you're going for. And I think that that's cool to see it kind of come back and, you know, show us that at the end of the day it can prove that, you know, why do you love doing this? Why do you love doing something that's really challenging? You know, it brings something back home that I think that only a journey can do in the first place, right? When you get back home, you kind of go like, oh, wow, that's all the reasons why we did this. Yeah. Opening the nonprofit in 2018, it's been around almost two years now. Have you seen that help your business at Western Neon at all? Yeah, I think it's really given another voice to what we do as a business, you know? I mean, I think when people come here, you know, we do it because we love it. And I think when people come here, they can really see that, like, there's a lot of passion in the business, you know? But when you come and see that we have a school that we're supporting, too, and all the people that are benefiting from that, we all are, right? It creates a community on top of the community. And they, you know, they intermesh, they work together. And I think that that really just helps bring the best thing about the medium to the forefront, especially about Neon. It takes a group to do this. It is a community to make this stuff happen. A couple of things you said, too, about, like, who's coming to the Western Neon School of Art? And you said, you know, variety of people now. And maybe it's because they need that break from the day to day. Yeah, for sure. And it runs a lot of when I contemplate in doing improv because they welcome people at all levels. Right. And from all backgrounds. What I've heard from my friends, whether they're in a very professional high-stress career or not, whatever background, they take improv, they meet all kinds of different people, and they learn the skill set, and they have a release. Totally. The most important thing about that, you know, you speak about improv, right, is that, you know, it's the idea that, you know, you're just going to get out there and you're going to see what happens, and you're going to adapt, and you're going to take, like, you know, what's happening in the environment you're in, and you're going to make something out of it. And I think that all those students that come to us and all those different backgrounds, you know, we challenge them. We're like, hey, your first intro class, you're going to get into this medium, and we teach the history. We show them artists who are working with it. But we always kind of show them, you're going to make a squiggle, you're going to make a square, you're going to make a silhouette. That's what you're going to do in this class. Yeah. And so it's kind of some, you know, some guidepost in there along that kind of pathway. But, you know, how they get theirs up to them and what they do with it is always something where as soon as, you know, the fire is on and the glass is starting to move, that is improv. You are kind of going like, oh, I got nowhere. I'm kind of going, but you got to kind of move with it and see what it does. Now, obviously, you're super passionate about the nonprofit. Would you recommend most small businesses go out and start throwing nonprofit? It's a good question. Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, you know, I'm inspired. Yeah. I think only if you're kind of willing to take on sort of a bizarro Superman version of your business, because as we came to find out, it was started as a project. And a way to kind of tap back into this community. We hadn't like no idea what it would become and be so successful, which we're like very thankful for. But yeah, it's become a thing onto itself. And so it's like, how do you then, you know, manage a business and manage a nonprofit at the same time and give them that same amount of passion they deserve. But in the end, it's the most rewarding thing we've ever done. So my answer would be, yes. You talked a lot about like jumping right in. It sometimes helps to start with a mentor to kind of take you along basically be your Sherpa or your guide. So that you don't get in over your head because it's not just one job. I mean, owning, running a business is you wear many hats now running a nonprofit. It's a lot of hats, right? And you don't sleep. So maybe find a mentor out there that can help you along the way that's already walked that path and hopefully avoid some of the mistakes that they've made because they'll teach you. One of my mentors is Lisa Schulte who owns Nights at Neon in LA. I mean, she's been in this business for a long time and she, you know, she owns her own business. She is an artist onto herself and she works with the film industry quite a bit for what she does, you know. So, you know, looking for somebody that can kind of give you a bit of guidance and kind of get you steered in the right direction too is always important. Yeah. And I think just for sanity's sake too, because it's, you go ahead first things are going a mile a minute. You sometimes need someone to bounce ideas off of it just or just vent and talk to. Yeah, the venting is always important. You know, you can go home, talk to your wife because there's also an entrepreneur. She is. But on top of that, you have a mentor who's in your field and can relate to some of the challenges. 100%. Oh yeah, 100%. Oh my gosh, I went through this feeling. Yeah. This is how I handled it. Yeah. And you just roll with the punches and, you know, get up and because, you know, that's the point is you're doing something that's worthwhile not just because it feels good but because it impacts people so positively. Yes. Well, I'm inspired and curious. So let's say I want to take a class at Western Neon School of Art. Well, how do I do that? Can I do that? Of course. We would love to have you. I need you to wade through about 500 people on the waiting list first. Oh, that's it. That's it. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, you know, like I said, we started right with these eight students and it's become this thing that now if you want to come take a class with us. Intro class is the one for you. Please come and join us. It's on our mailing list. It's on our website. WNSAseattle.org. Cool. Hit us on our Instagram. Oh, yeah. It's a lot of fun there. Right, Instagram. By the way, I love your Instagram. Thank you. It's really about the students and that's what's important. But yeah, that's how you do it. And just know that when we post the classes, we'll post like a whole quarter at once in about four to six hours. It's gone. They go fast. So hurry. You gotta get in. Make sure you're added to the newsletter, right? That way you know when the classes are posting. That'd be awesome. All right. That's a wrap here at Western Neon School of Art. And please comment below what was the first neon sign that inspired you? If you guys love what you see here, please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned at every point, at every place, at every possibility. Yeah, and follow their newsletter. Thanks for watching. This is The Journey. We'll see you next time.