Meet Stacy Moon | 3D Artist & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacy Moon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up I was taught to do my best and study hard. Though I could say my grades were pretty good overall, nothing really felt like I was doing it for me. I studied, did extracurriculars, volunteering, and tutoring because I was told it would help me with going to a “good school.” I spent the majority of my life trying to fill in these shoes that weren’t mine, until I realized that I could do what I love as a real career. Drawing and creating were two things that were constant in my life, no matter what. It gave me peace and comfort and allowed me to escape from reality. When I was a freshman in high school, I told my parents that I wanted to go to art school. If I didn’t try, I would’ve spent the rest of my life probably working an office or engineering job wondering what life could have been if I took that leap towards my passion. Luckily my parents allowed me to apply for art schools in senior year, and I made my way to Florida to study 3D animation.

What should our readers know about your business?
Though my primary career is being a 3D artist, I wanted to showcase another path in my artistic journey that I started not too long ago. In 2020 after I graduated college, I wanted to distract myself from the stress of job hunting and the state of the world. I found solace in returning to my childhood hobbies, which were making handmade stickers and making stuff out of clay. After making quite a few, I realized that instead of keeping them all in a drawer, I could open an online store and let others purchase my creations and give them a new home. Since then I’ve been expanding my line of merchandise and have been trying all sorts of products to showcase my art and design skills. I did go to art school to study animation, but creating merchandise and forming a small business became an entirely different beast. I feel like I’ve been doing a lot more research on things like graphic design and product design, and it is a lot harder than I initially thought it out to be. Regardless, it’s been a super fun process getting to learn new things again and it’s really helped keep my passion alive. I don’t get to draw and paint much for my day job so I’ve been using this side business as an expressive outlet to do these things more often.
I would say after about 2 and a half years of doing this, I’ve learned a lot of things that I didn’t expect to. One takeaway that I offer to whoever is reading this is to make products that you genuinely enjoy and would buy yourself. It sounds very obvious, but you would be surprised to know how many people out there actually do this and how many are in the game just to make a quick buck. Sometimes taking the easy way does work for people. However if you want a fulfilling and growing business that you would be proud of, it’s always a good idea to stick to what you enjoy and you will surely find your audience of like-minded people who will share that interest with you. And that is one of the best feelings you can get from being an independent seller.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love this question! Being a SoCal native, I’ve definitely been to many tourist spots around the county. There are so many wonderful places to go and there is surely something for everyone to enjoy. Since my family is from South Korea, I grew up going to Koreatown a lot. There are many cute cafes, malls, and delicious restaurants that I love going to whenever I’m in the area. A classic Korean restaurant I love is Hanbat, a korean soup place. A more modern, Korean fusion restaurant that I’ve been more recently obsessed with is Hanchic. And of course close by to Koreatown is Little Tokyo, which is great for people who love Japanese culture. They have wonderful little shops for shopping like the sanrio store or Nekostop and nice drink shops. To name a few other places, I love taking my friends who are newer to SoCal to places like Palos Verdes, Santa Monica Pier, and Hermosa Beach. I am actually not the biggest fan of the beach, but I do love the vibes of beach cities. There are always great restaurants, bars, and just fun stuff to do in beach cities, and the sunsets are beautiful to watch.
I know that the popular wine tasting spot is in Napa Valley, however I am a huge advocate for Temecula Valley. It is in the Riverside county and has several beautiful wineries with great wine tastings for a fraction of the price. There is also Old Town Temecula which is full of nice shops and dining options to check out after a long day of winery walking. It’s definitely a great place to visit for wine lovers.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom is the most supportive person in my life. While my entire family has been nothing but loving and supportive, I need to give my mom her own spotlight. Without her, I wouldn’t have gone to art classes growing up. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have watched as many animated films or read as many picture books. Without her, my love for art probably wouldn’t be as strong as it came out to be. Being an artist herself, she really filled my childhood with all sorts of creative outlets. I remember going with her to work when I was a toddler and running around touching the textiles and materials in her company’s office. I was always amazed watching her paint these beautiful clothing patterns that would eventually be printed for real pieces of clothing. She was always my role model growing up, and even today after she changed her career path. I think she knew the feeling more than anyone about not living with regret. I strive to do my best and work hard towards my creative endeavors to prove that her support really impacted me.

Website: https://stacymoon.wixsite.com/mysite/shop

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunamoonieshop/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-moon071598

Twitter: https://twitter.com/luna_mooniee

Other: Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LunamoonieShop?ref=search_shop_redirect