The best ideas take time to grow
Rushan Nasretdin on finding her place at the intersection of art, nature, and community
This is part of a series of interviews with entrepreneurs in Finland—exploring their stories, mindsets, and how they approach business and life.
Rushan Nasretdin is the founder of Seed Art Studio, an English immersion art studio for kids. She also leads natural ink workshops for children and adults, blending her love of art and nature.
Rushan’s story shows that sometimes the best ideas take time to emerge, with roots growing deep beneath the surface.
The seeds of a business idea
Sharing art with children has long been at the heart of Rushan’s career. One of her first jobs was at a kid’s art studio in Northern California, where she grew up. Later, while working at an English kindergarten in Finland, she discovered that art-based teaching methods came naturally to her.
Rushan had the idea for Seed Art Studio nearly a decade before she officially launched in August 2018. At the time, Rushan was a full-time stay-at-home mom raising three children. "I was thinking about what to do when I went back to work. I wanted to combine my English skills as a native speaker and my love of art and creativity to offer a service to my local community."
After living abroad in Southeast Asia for four years, her family returned to Finland and she was ready to bring the idea to life.
“I combined what I learned from the art world with English immersion, bringing it back to Finland in a way that supports families who want their children to learn English.”
If you build it, they will might not come
When Rushan first set up her cozy home studio, she thought families would come flocking to her. "The way I envisioned it was 'If you build it, they will come.’ But that’s not really how it works in business."
While she did attract some clients, it quickly became clear she needed to do more. “The marketing side of things was a lot to handle, and I’m still learning and figuring it out as I go. Promoting the studio could easily be a full-time job on its own.”
Rushan also realized that working solely from her home studio wouldn’t be enough to keep things going. “I changed my strategy and started offering my classes to schools and daycares as after-school clubs.”
The power of community
Rushan still runs those after-school classes, but her studio has since expanded to include cultural events at museums, libraries, and other public spaces in collaboration with her event partner, Satutäti Milla. Milla leads original storytelling sessions, and Rushan follows with hands-on craft workshops themed around the story. In 2023, they received a cultural grant from the city of Järvenpää to support their work.
This partnership taught Rushan an important lesson about entrepreneurship.
"Working with Milla made me realize that I can't do everything on my own, which I was adamant about in the beginning. It gets lonely, but having someone I can trust to work with has been really refreshing."
Her advice to other entrepreneurs? "Build a community around yourself as soon as possible. Find people who support you and who are also entrepreneurs doing things their own way. You can't do it on your own.”
Rushan knows firsthand how tough asking for support can be. “In Finland especially, if you’re more of an introvert or have that ‘I’ve got this, I can do it myself’ mindset, it can be hard to ask for help. A lot of us struggle with that. But even if you’re independent, you can go further—and feel better—when you have a community around you. It’s not always easy, but it’s important to build and maintain good relationships.”
This mindset shift opened new doors for Rushan, as she recently took open-university classes in the Art Management and Creative Entrepreneurship program at Uniarts Helsinki. “I met new people, had deeper conversations, and started to understand how the cultural sector works both in Finland and across Europe.”
Staying grounded through the ups and downs
Like any entrepreneur, Rushan faces periods of self-doubt and low motivation. To get through it, she reminds herself that nothing lasts forever. “The good and the bad, it all comes in waves.”
When those negative waves hit, she goes for long walks in the woods or cleans up her studio to get mental clarity. What keeps her going, above all, is the kids. "When I get sweet, from-the-heart comments from kids, that just fills my cup. The kids remind me of my why.”
Rushan finds it rewarding when a child finishes a project they’re truly proud of—especially if they’ve been self-conscious or self-critical. “It’s amazing to see them feel proud for sticking with it and not giving up.”
Finding magic in natural inks
One practice that’s become especially grounding for Rushan is making ink from natural materials (a passion she discovered during COVID). It feels like something completely new to her and ancient to her at the same time.
"Nature is always offering. Since I was a kid, I’ve always picked things up on walks and stuck them in my pocket. It's an honour to be able to receive these gifts and turn them into something new, and pass it on. There’s something magical about it."
What Rushan loves most about working with natural materials is the element of surprise and lack of control. "You never know what you’re going to get. The colour might change completely in a few days. I like that I don’t have all the power.”
She sees her natural ink workshops becoming a bigger part of her business. “Teaching kids about the natural world has always been important to me. With these workshops, they’re learning about nature while working with natural materials.”
“This is my way”
Looking back, Rushan sees Seed Art Studio as a reflection of the different paths she’s followed—and the ones she didn’t.
She originally studied Earth Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz and had once planned to become a science teacher.
“Maybe that desire never disappeared, it was just taking a back seat for a while. My work now sits right in between science and creativity, which is probably why it feels so right.”
Even when doubts creep in, Rushan is learning to trust the process. "Sometimes I think what I'm doing is a little crazy. But I hear stories of other people who felt the same, and ended up being wildly successful. I’m not necessarily expecting that, but I do want to find my place in this world. And I have a feeling this is my way.”
Looking ahead, Rushan is excited for new collaboration opportunities to bring creative and sustainable workshops to wider audiences.
Learn more about Rushan's work at Seed Art Studio here, including her online studio and natural ink workshops.