Today we’d like to introduce you to Arlene Nowak.
Hi Arlene, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
How I got started… that’s a long story but then there is War and Peace, so I guess in all fairness to all my near and dear readers, it’s just a blip! Feel free to skip the boring parts!
My heritage and ancestors: Mother, Japan and Father, Bellarus/Poland. I am a surfer. I am a mom. I am a sister to a star sister. I am an artist and muscian. I am a dreamer. I am eternally blessed.
I was born in Yokohama, Japan, on an army base and lived there 9/10 years before immigrating to the United States. I interacted with the street people and markets/vendors (I think this where it got enblazened in my brain and heart) on a daily basis in Japan, for at that time it was still a daily ritual to go to the street market and get fish or sweets. My mother, Akiko Satako Anna, learned English and made her way/life in the US incredibly well. She was featured in the Chicago Tribune for her culture and Hina dolls, worked in the back room Kent’s flower shop making arrangements (she was an acomplished Ikeban artist) until she was asked to do the Christmas Display at Marshall Fields one year. My father, Chester John, was absolutely brilliant, he spoke 5 languages fluently, was an interperter for WWII, smoked Camel cigarettes, drank beer and whiskey, owned a Texaco gas station and worked as an electrician – and the most soft spoken.
I received my love of all things beautiful and culture and toughness from my Mother. I received all things of curiosity, common sense, street smarts and tenderness from my Father.
As far as business goes, it began 30+ years ago, when I was working as a file clerk at an energy company (and this was after 20 years of waitressing, another story), and my counterpart who was also working there to make ends meet. Well, long story short- her husband received a promotion and they had to move to Colorado and she said, Arlene, “I have a promotional business and I want to give it to you because I love my clients and I don’t want them to be left in a lurch because I care for them all” … a first act of kindess in a cold world of grey filing cabinets, and so it began… I know nothing about the promotional business- she took 3 months with me, introduced and trained me to world of shirts, jackets, koozies, and logos. I loved it! Shopping for other people with their money, who knew, right?!
A story of circumstance, of realization in hindsight as I reached each plateau, the Universe was prepping me for the next step. I never knew that when I was job searching, to be able to intertwine my love for art, all things artistic and beauty as I went along the journey.
Each one, and I have had several jobs where an opportunty to volunteer, although I thought at the time, geezus, I have to give up my recreational time to volunteer, but I have to do it to keep my job. So I did. And inexplicably, I began to enjoy that more than my job – the double edged sword. I was fortunate because each opportunity was somehow related to events. Volunteering for various organizations to be on their event team, slowly opened my eyes. It was like a direct targeted hit zone, it just came naturally and so easy. Not easy as far as the work, but easy because it was pleasurable to see the enjoyment and light in their eyes when they saw their event come to life. Anyway, one thing lead to another- and then one day, I attended a luncheon where I saw the ultimate creativity being presented and I knew at that moment that was what I wanted to do. So I pursued it relentlessly until it manifested and I got the job with that boutique event company. I was hired again, not for events, but business development (ugh) yet I knew it was an where I wanted to be at that time. Being we are telling the story, that lasted about 5 years… and on we go. Again, an unplanned intervention to my unemployment, lo and behold, I was hired by a friend who had eons of experience in radio, media, advertising and marketing . My role there was solely to develop their events – the dream JOB finally, and I probably would still be there, had not Covid hit in 2019.
That moment in time was when it all changed and I did what everyone had to do to survive and my company formed. What was amazing was the reception I received when I began to reach out to people, former clients, realizing that they had the faith and trust in me, who I was, to put their business in my hands, that’s when I knew everything I had done and thought of creatively, was good.
Fast forward from making a salary, to today, marks 7 years of financial independence and growth, and being able to encompass my family into the business became the real blessing. We grew from small events, and concerts under a tiny pavalion with 50 people attending to live concerts in a bare field bringing it all in from power to talent with over 500 people attending. All perscpetive changed. The talent, the artists, the creative support, the technicians, the experts, all became mentors, I had such an array of mentors all rolled up in a tiny expanse of time and that just expanded me. I never took anything or anyone for granted. It fine tuned me.
We grew from tiny markets with several vendors to an arsenal of over 150 vendors to call upon – and everyone of these creative 10 x 10 tent stores, like me all have one thing in common, and that is love of what we do. Not sounding sappy, because I can be as tough as nails too. I’ve had the pleasure of working with young grade school children, giving them the opportunity to express their artistic creations in my events. These are the rewarding and yet the simpliest of pleasures. It just all comes together as it is supposed to be and continues.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road was not always smooth and there were struggles. You know the typical political struggle and games people play- but in hindsight I have to say, it was smooth in that I was protected by a higher power. I was always fortunate in the respect that I had never lacked, I was somehow always carried. The biggest struggle I had was faith in myself and not losing it in others, constantly reminding myself of that.
With every challenge and obstacle, I had my family that knew my fiber/soul so well, they were able to keep me going. The world is filled with intelligent, smart people and then there are street smart people like myself, not saying I am not intelligent becuase that is off the charts when it comes to intuition (although my dream job in my head is to be a quantum physicist). Learning to listen to it and trust it is a daily challenge.
In reality, I think one of the challenges was to be able to balance what I truly desired and the fact that I had to earn a paycheck to keep going, just an everyday challenge I guess. We could go way back to when I arrived here from Japan, maybe that’s where I learned how important kindness is. Wait, but this is about work/business – largest nusiness challenge, quick books – hello! Good grief! Seriously, if you’re using it, you know what I’m talking about here.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about ANOWAK Productions, LLC?
ANOWAK Productions, LLC is woman owned event company, specializing in partnering with organizations that want to develop their community engagement presence and growth within their community or project or footprint. We are known for our excellence in peformance and transparency in costs. From the initial point of contact to the creative session to the day of on-site management, each client, every event big or small, formal or informal, is VIP. My staff is incredible. My staff is what sets us apart from ALL others. My staff is unique and of global origins, a band of gypsies with MBA’s, BA’s but most of all incredible eyes and vision and still holding their dream whatever it may be.
I really don’t have a “brand” per say, but I have adopted the tagline “if you an imagine it, we can produce it”. We, the team become your brand when we engage. But if I had to put a “brand” on ANOWAK Productions, it would be delivery, excellence, detail, care and wickedly smart, as can you say pivot when it needs to happen. Each event has an owner, and that owner has their own vision of what they see, our primary focus is to take and expand that vision to the House of Dragons level sort of thing. Sometimes, well most times, we have to pull back and be budget conscious and disgressionary, but boy do we love taking you there with us! I guess ANOWAK Productions is based on the ‘what if’ theory – “what if we did this, could you imagine,,,?’
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success – that my friend, is where the quantum physics comes in. It’s really not the dollar, although don’t get me wrong, gotta have it to keep the lights on. I think success is when you know who you are- what you stand for- what you believe in- and it becomes your life style- no matter what that may be. Success is knowing gratitude, Success is being present. Success is being humble. Success is kindness. Success is love … I’m a Cancer, so I’m going to throw around the love word. Success is paddling over that next larger wave.
I don’t have a website, everything has been through word of mouth through human connection – amazing. I suppose if I had a website, I’d be a ca-zillionaire, hmmm… oh and I believe in Santa!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @texas_surfr
- Facebook: @texasurfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlenenowak/
