Introducing A New Art Workshop Brand in Hong Kong: Artisanu
Founded by two artists and educators, this is our story.
Artisanu's vision is to serve creatives
Artisanu is an art brand that designs unique art workshops and event-based experiences with the mission to INSPIRE THE ARTIST IN YOU. We are co-founded in Hong Kong by two certified art educators and best friends, Eunice and Sasha.
We hold the philosophy that everyone has creative potential and deserves to learn how to nurture it. Our mission is to educate and inspire others in their passion for art through our services.
Meet the team:
Eunice H. Lee
Co-founder, Art Educator, Education Lead
Sasha Cheung
Co-founder, Art Educator, Visual Lead
So how did we get here?
2008-2012 | Formative Years: Highschool
It all started in our freshmen year of high school, in Room 626 (the art room). We shared a table as we worked on drawings, and listened to our art teacher's 80s-inspired music playlist. We quickly formed a close friendship along with a few other classmates. Looking back, our childhood was simple. It took place during the early days of the social media boom, and we still had mp3s, un-smart phones, and no wi-fi.
As millennials attending an American international school in Hong Kong, cross-culture values and the birth of social media greatly shaped our aspirations. We felt tension between following our passions and being judged by others. Privileged to get a good education, we had more autonomy when it came to deciding our path of studies. Arguably, much more than our baby boomer parents ever had.
Despite our personalities being completely opposite, many similarities tied us together. Both of us share the same Christian faith and had creative aspirations. We spent all four years of our high school taking almost all of the available art courses taught by our favorite teacher in Room 626. These were formative years, and ultimately we decided to apply to the same programs for college.
2012-2015 | Off to Study Art: College Years
After graduation, we attended the University of Texas at Austin, with the full support of our families. Even so, most of our friends and relatives in Hong Kong raised their eyebrows when we shared with them that we were studying visual arts. In our culture, the favored career pathways are medicine, law, finance, and business. Those are indeed respectable jobs to pursue, but they should not be seen as the only options for success.
Comments that came our way included: "Oh, you're studying art? You must be unacademic to have chosen this subject," or "that's funny, will you be sitting on the streets drawing portraits and starving?." Or last of all, "Does studying art even lead to a 'REAL job'? There are often misconceptions regarding creative careers. Most people aren't aware of the pressures given to artists, and how we are constantly questioned about the viability of art as a career path.
Nevertheless, we ignored these comments throughout the years and gave it our best as we pursued our studies. Thankfully, the program we chose provided training in a wide range of media along with great career advising. Our professors and fellow classmates motivated us to press on. We felt driven, and graduated from college one year early.
2015-2017 | Back to Hong Kong: The Founding of Artisanu
While wrapping up school, we were contacted by a former teacher about the chance to run an after-school art program at our alma mater. Previously, we had designed and taught art courses for their summer camp, so we felt ready to try this out. The school's elementary principal interviewed us via skype. Shortly after, it was confirmed that we would be flying back to Hong Kong to take the job.
One week after graduation, we immediately formed an LLC and registered our small business. We had no prior experience in running a business and were not licensed educators at the time. Regardless, in August 2015, ArtisanU Co. was born (now rebranded as Artisanu). It was the result of our friendship and shared passions.
We designed the curriculum and launched it in 1 week! In our first semester, we had 2 courses with 30 students each. Quickly by word of mouth, we ended up with 3 courses and expanded into private lessons. At some point, we each privately taught 20+ students along with running the after-school lessons.
2017-2019 | Become Licensed Educators: PGCE Training
One day, a fellow art teacher suggested Eunice try maternity subbing at a school to explore teaching. Eunice ended up taking the job and discovered a strong interest in education. She eventually studied to obtain a PGCE teaching certificate.
Life is a full circle because she ended up doing her practicum with a very special mentor - their favorite art teacher from high school! Back in Room 626, she discovered her love for educating secondary students and yearned to become a respected educator like her mentor. Eunice completed her studies in 2018.
During this time, Sasha ran the ArtisanU Co. business on her own, growing it into a more profitable business. She especially enjoyed teaching primary and kindergarten students. Starting from 2018, ArtisanU took a hiatus, as Sasha decided to study in the PGCE program under the same mentor, and graduated in 2019.
2018-2021 | Teaching Experience: International Schools
Eunice started teaching at their alma mater in 2018. She taught secondary students and loved the teamwork involved. It was a job that required teamwork and communication. It was during this time that she formed deep relationships with students who continue to inspire her. In late 2021, Eunice completed her time at the school.
In 2019, Sasha taught at another international school, mainly serving primary students. Being an introvert, Sasha had her own gentle but firm teaching style, and heart for her students. Teaching provided her with creative inspiration, and she learned from her students each day. She loved seeing the children enjoy art class and grow creatively. Sasha taught in this position for a total of two years, transitioning out in 2022.
2021 and Beyond | Back to Entrepreneurship
Soon after, we had discussions about whether we should become full-time creative professionals and work together again. We weren't sure, as we are now no longer 21-year-olds, fresh out of college. We are now both married, with more experience under our belt. Struggles came when people questioned why we left our stable jobs, and we also gave ourselves pressure to succeed.
After support from both of our families and friends, we decided to take the leap of faith and work together again. We identified our different skills and decided they were complementary. In October 2021, we found our office space and set up our studio.
Our passion is specific: to be creative, serve other people, and express ourselves. This led us to confirm we did not want to become traditional painters. Instead, we would combine our interests together to rebrand our company and focus on entrepreneurship.
In early March 2022, we finalized our direction. At its core, Artisanu is a brand designed with fellow creatives in mind. Its structure allows us to pursue multiple projects. We gave ourselves one month to prepare for our launch in April 2022. So here we are now! We’ve tried blog writing, podcasting, and joined multiple art events in Hong Kong.
In September 2022, we launched our workshop events, said farewell to our office, and expanded into other venues instead. In 2023, we look forward to launching our first product line and continuing to provide workshop events for our community. If you are a lover of creative workshops, please feel free to check our workshops out!
Sasha and Eunice at the Artisanu Studio. (2021)