A creativity explosion is happening in Costa Mesa and (lucky us!) we all get to be a part of it. The ‘artification’ here just keeps leveling up! Every day now, it seems, new examples of artists, makers, builders, thinkers, tinkerers and creators are sprouting all over our city.
While some are focused on creating their own artistic outcomes, others – like today’s featured Costa Mesan – are driven to extend those creative opportunities into the hands of others.
Meet Karen Nguyen. Founder and owner of InspiRED Art Wine, she is all about getting people AFK so they can engage creatively IRL. Her Costa Mesa-based studio-slash-wine-bar is bringing people, painting and fine vintages together in a myriad of meaningful ways.
Painting The Town Red: InspiRED Art Wine’s Karen Nguyen at her Studio / Wine Bar in Costa Mesa.
Photos: Brandy Young
“I could talk about InspiRED Art Wine all day long,” said Nguyen as she sipped coffee in her spacious, air-conditioned studio. “But my elevator pitch is that InspiRED is a place for people to come together. When we’re not doing fine art classes, or wine tastings – or both – we’re doing live music events, speed dating and we’re renting out the studio for others to entertain.
“Ultimately, our purpose is right there in our name. We are InspiRED and we want to be a place of inspiration to others. When people leave one of our classes or events saying, ‘Wow! I feel so inspired!’ then I know we are doing our job. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.”
Inspiration isn’t the only thing Nguyen is serving up at her studio. She’s a seasoned wine aficionado set on helping locals develop a palate of their own.
“This isn’t a ‘two-buck chuck’ kind of place,” said Nguyen with a playful roll of her eyes. “We’re doing tasting flights of some really delicious wines. Every wine we serve is something I’ve tested out myself. If you sign up for a class you can sample up to three wines for free. And if you find something you really love, you can buy a bottle to take home with you.”
Wine tasting is so integral to what Nguyen does, ‘RED’ holds a place of prominence in the name InspiRED.
“I wanted to call out the ‘red’ – give it that color pop in our logo – because I associate it with red wine,” she said. “Cab is my favorite kind of wine, so it made sense to me!”
Muralist and Painter, Kenny McBride, Teaches A Bottle-Painting Class at InspiRED Art Wine in Costa Mesa.
Photos: Brandy Young
When you’re not uncorking a bottle at InspiRED Art Wine, you might find yourself painting one instead.
“Bottle painting is one class we offer, it makes a great gift or candleholder,” said Nguyen. “Or we have more traditional painting classes on canvas. We do ‘paint a portrait of your pet’ classes which are hugely popular.”
You can find the full list of class options on their website calendar HERE.
“I always tell people our classes make a great first date. It gives you something to do while you’re getting to know each other. People can relax and open up when they’re painting side-by-side.”
It’s such a good first date, in fact, Nguyen can add ‘matchmaker’ to her long list of personal accomplishments.
“Two customers came in for a class last December,” shared Nguyen. “They were long-lost childhood friends who found each other on Facebook. They came to paint here for a first date and, I admit, it was a little awkward because it had been so long since they’d seen each other.
“Well they just came by a few weeks ago and said, ‘Remember us? Remember that first date? Guess what… we got engaged!’ It made me feel so good that my studio helped them to reconnect. This place is all about connections and getting people together. And hey, now their canvases can be keepsakes to remember that first date forever.”
If you need help scaring up that first date yourself, Nguyen also hosts speed dating nights at InspiRED.
“I call it ‘Wine Down OC‘ and it’s a once-a-month speed dating event serving different age groups,” said Nguyen. “You get 10 dates, five minutes each, and then fill out feedback forms on each person. If there’s a match, I sponsor the first date. It’s been great!”
Fun, Friendship and First Dates at InspiRED Art Wine in Costa Mesa, California.
Photos: Brandy Young
Nguyen wasn’t always a studio owner and she wasn’t always local. In fact, it’s a pretty big departure from LBI (life before InspiRED).
“I wasn’t born here, I was born in Vietnam,” shared Nguyen. “I came here when I was five years old. So I’m very bi-cultural. I’m still fluent in Vietnamese and connected to that community, but I feel very American.
“I come from an immigrant family, right? When we were young, everyone was pushing the doctor, lawyer thing. And look, my sister’s a doctor. So I went to UC Irvine for college and found myself quickly heading down the path towards law school.
“But pretty soon I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t love the law. I don’t care about precedent. I love innovation and being around people.’ So I shifted gears and went for my MBA instead. That was much more ‘me.’ I ended up in the tech world, doing global marketing, and it was a dream job.”
Nguyen worked, traveled and wined-and-dined her way around the globe in that job, which she is so grateful for, today.
“When I was traveling, I was exposed to good food and excellent wines,” said Nguyen. “That’s kind of what got me into the whole wine thing as a hobby. The art thing is all me – I’ve been creative since I was a kid. But the wine part of the equation totally came from those experiences.”
As she got into her early 30s, Nguyen found herself yearning for a change.
“I really loved my job, but something was itching inside of me, ” she said. “I wanted to do something artistic and at the same time I was getting so annoyed with technology. I would go to a restaurant with my friends or my sister and they were always on their darn phones, even when we were out together. We weren’t interacting even though we were five feet apart.
“So I got the idea to start an art studio mixed with wine tasting as a way to get people reconnected.”
Nguyen had some money saved up and decided to finance the studio herself. But even as she was working hard to bring her studio to life, not everyone shared her optimistic vision.
“I told my parents what I was thinking and my dad rolled his eyes like, ‘Sure, honey, whatever you say,'” said Nguyen. “People didn’t take it seriously, at first. It’s not something that’s considered practical for an Asian family. The advice is always to head the traditional route. Art and wine are just weekend hobbies, not a viable business model.”
Photos: Brandy Young
These days, we imagine everyone (including Nguyen’s parents) are taking her studio seriously.
With a full calendar of public classes, private parties – and a roster of corporations clamoring for team-building and art events – Nguyen has really put down roots in her Costa Mesa home.
“I am so happy to be here in Costa Mesa,” she said. “From a vibrancy standpoint, it’s a great city. We’ve got a growing demographic and lots of creative people moving in.
“Costa Mesa is really eclectic and by that I mean it’s a good mix of small, mom-and-pops alongside bigger, more-established brands. It’s a great place to own a business.
“But even personally, I’ve noticed that recently, with my own friends, they’re getting married and deciding to move to Costa Mesa of all places. This city isn’t cheap, but they move here anyway. When I ask them why, they say, ‘There’s just something about Costa Mesa. It has big city energy, but it’s not so cookie-cutter like the rest of Orange County.’
“I know what they mean because I always knew that if I was going to open my art studio, this was the place. It’s wasn’t a choice of Costa Mesa versus other cities. It was Costa Mesa. Period. That’s the only place for me.” ♥
