Creativity scales when it finds structure, and few stories prove that better than the rise of Flying Solo. Elizabeth Solomeina traces a path from Moscow’s design culture to New York’s film sets, then into the tactile world of jewelry. Her training in composition, color, and timing sharpened her instincts across mediums, but the shift to physical objects gave her work a new urgency. When she and her sister launched their Solomeina jewelry line, early traction revealed both promise and a ceiling: a loyal audience, but no affordable path to prime retail or editorial visibility. The insight was simple and stubborn—great design dies in isolation—so they set out to build the room they needed to grow.

The first step was a tiny Soho pop-up with nine other designers. That space, comically small and defiantly resourceful, delivered the one thing online sales rarely offer: unfiltered feedback from strangers who discover you by chance. Shared rent and shared labor turned into shared learning. The group measured what sold, watched how strangers handled pieces, and iterated quickly. Momentum invites gravity, and soon more designers knocked on the door. If demand was real, scale had to follow, so Elizabeth leaned on past industry contacts to secure investment for a permanent store. What they lacked in budget, they replaced with ingenuity—copper-pipe racks from a home improvement run, borrowed counters, and a raw aesthetic that read intentional. The look wasn’t a compromise; it became a brand language that signaled independence and edge.

Timing tilted in their favor. As legacy retailers tightened open-to-buy budgets and retreated to safe bets, customers lost access to new voices. Flying Solo met that hunger with fresh designers and unusual silhouettes that bigger stores couldn’t risk. Media curiosity followed, first as a profile and then as sustained coverage, because the concept solved a market gap with a clear customer promise: discover independent luxury in one place. Collaboration, once framed as a liability in fashion, became the engine. Designers swapped notes on pricing, fit, and production. When one brand broke through with press or influencers, traffic lifted everyone. The incentive alignment was practical, not poetic—more visibility for one meant more footfall for all.

Then came the leap to runway. With thin budgets but thick imagination, the team staged a New York Fashion Week show in a raw studio and leaned into identity: if the brand was Flying Solo, the runway could become an airport. A line of yellow tape, a human “runway marshal,” and a departures board communicated theme with wit and clarity. Serendipity struck when a turbulent news cycle around airport protests overlapped with their show’s visual language, reframing the presentation as a statement of unity and creative openness. Press who nearly left stayed. The coverage placed the collective beside heritage houses, not through mimicry, but by being unmistakably themselves.

Sustained growth followed: larger locations, more designers, and professionalized PR through press pools that scaled editorial placement. Underneath the milestones sat durable operating principles any creative entrepreneur can adapt. First, make your audience your R&D lab—watch behavior up close and iterate. Second, design for constraints—turn limitations into recognizable style choices that reinforce your story. Third, institutionalize collaboration—structure knowledge sharing so wins compound across the group. Fourth, craft moments—runway shows, pop-ups, and themed launches that earn attention because they carry a point of view. Finally, protect accessibility without diluting craft—Solomeina's tiered pricing keeps entry points open while reserving one-of-a-kind work for collectors.

For artists and founders, the Flying Solo model reframes scale as a network, not a bet on a single brand. Distribution, press, and production challenges ease when creative peers pool leverage. The wager that designers can thrive under one roof proved right because the incentives were visible and immediate: more discovery, more sales, and more learning. The result is a blueprint: build a place that makes serendipity repeatable, then let the work speak in public, often, and with a clear voice.

What happens when a lifelong dancer picks up a camera out of necessity and discovers a new calling? We sit down with Emmy-winning photographer and director Jennifer Zmuda to explore how a career that started with DIY promo shots for tight-budget performances grew into a creative agency serving dancers, arts organizations, and brands that value authenticity over trends.

Jennifer shares how dance training shaped her visual voice. She talks about feeling movement in her body, anticipating the precise moment to capture an arabesque or a fall, and translating that instinct into photography and film that looks intentional rather than lucky. We dive into her years at BalletMet, how institutional support helped her embrace video, and why the most compelling work comes from relationships, not transactions. Instead of chasing the blur fad or retro filters, she aims for honest images that serve story and marketing goals across websites, social media, and seasonal campaigns.

The conversation turns candid about business. Jennifer breaks down her shift from one-off projects to retainers that encourage strategy, iteration, and agility when seasons change. She outlines a practical pricing method built on line items—creative development, equipment, crew, post, deliverables—that protects against scope creep and educates clients. We talk imposter syndrome, critique culture, and the gaps many artists face around taxes, hiring, and systems. Her advice is grounded and actionable: seek mentors, keep learning in public, design services that match real client needs, and use your artistic background as a competitive edge in media production and content strategy.

If you care about arts entrepreneurship, creative careers, and the business of storytelling, this conversation is a masterclass in building a sustainable practice without losing your artistic core. Follow, share with a friend who’s pricing their first big project, and leave a review to help more artists find the show.

If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 8 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be displays from a variety of arts entrepreneurs and organizations.  

High school students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities across campus under the guidance of professional artists in the College of the Arts, Visual Communication and Design, and the Department of Africana Studies, and mentors from the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship and LaunchNET Kent State. If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to attend! 

The 2025 speakers: 
Art: Artist and Founder of Black Box Press, Delita Martin
Music: Performer, Band Leader and Non-profit Director, Bobby Sanabria
Fashion: Founder of Found Surface, Aidan Meany  
VCD:  Founder of Hazel Made, Susan Rich
Game Design: Game Developer, Jarryd Huntley
Theatre: Set Designer and founder of History of Chairs Design, LLC, Larry Heyman
Dance: Dancer and Filmmaker, Leslie Shampaine 
Marketing and Branding: Founder of Confluence Arts Solutions, Lynette Shy

We are pleased to once again be a strategic partner with this FREE event! Visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/art-without-limits to learn more about the event and to watch presentations from previous events. 

If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 9 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be displays from a variety of arts entrepreneurs and organizations.  

High school students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities in under the guidance of professional artists, and new this year, they can participate in a pitch competition and hear speakers in the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship.  
If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to attend! 

The 2024 speakers: 
Art: Artist and Founder of Gina DeSantis Ceramics, Gina DeSantis
Dance: Founder of Ananya Dance Theatre, Ananya Chatterjea
Fashion:  Founder of Fashion Talks, Aimon Ali 
Game Design: Graphics Artist and Animator, Jess Williams
 Music: Founder of Helsel Music, Bryan Helsel
Theatre: Founder of Bridging the Gap in Theatre, Jerrilyn Duckworth  
Marketing and Branding: Founder of CreativeStudy, Heather Bhandari

We are pleased to once again be a strategic partner with this FREE event! Visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/art-without-limits to learn more about the event and to watch presentations from previous events. 

​Any teachers reading this post will probably agree that we tend to say the same things over and over.  One statement I find myself often repeating in percussion lessons and master classes is “Consistency is going to get you a gig and it’s going to keep you in a gig.” By that I mean a variety of things: 

​Last week, the John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship at Kent State hosted its annual Idea Pitch Competition. It’s similar to the spring competition I’ve written about previously, but on a smaller scale. This event is a lot of work to host and the Center is fortunate to have a passionate team of faculty, mentors, support staff, and students to assist. Even more impactful to this competition is the involvement of a growing network of donors—and since many artists rely on a vibrant donor base, it prompted me to write this blog post.

I’m writing this post from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization convention in Tampa, FL. Listening to the variety of conference speakers got me thinking about what arts entrepreneurs can do to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking in students and those entering the field, or to energize professionals who may be in need of motivation. Followers of the podcast have likely heard suggestions in our episodes, but I wanted to share activities I’ve pursued and know to be effective:

If you’re within driving distance of Kent, OH, consider attending Art Without Limits on Wednesday, October 11 at Kent State University. In addition to the exciting roster of successful arts entrepreneurs who will be sharing their stories and advice for developing an entrepreneurial mindset in the arts, there will be a makerspace with displays from a variety of artists, arts entrepreneurs, and organizations.  
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New this year is a high school track designed to provide students with hands-on experience in creating art under the guidance of professional artists. If you know a high school student interested in the arts, encourage them to join the 400+ students who have already registered! 

If you’ve been paying attention to any news sources over the past year, you will have certainly seen content about artificial intelligence and its potential impact on humanity. Those of us who teach have long worried about AI and how students will use it to “save time” in their studies. I’ve found many articles and watched plenty of YouTube videos about how teachers have used AI, and I have been experimenting with it for courses, the podcast, and in general.  In fact, Andy and I started using AI this year to help us with transcripts and show notes. While it’s been quite efficient, it’s not always accurate nor does it understand context at this time.  Therefore we do have to proofread and edit any text before we post.