Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Serkan Korkmaz.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story began far from New Jersey. I grew up in Turkey in a family that faced many hardships. After my parents divorced, my mother worked extremely hard to provide food and shelter for my siblings and me. Life was not easy, and I began working when I was only six years old. I sold water and sandwiches in local bazaars and accepted any work I could find. Those early experiences taught me responsibility, resilience, and the importance of never giving up.
After high school, I went to Germany, where I studied the German language and continued pursuing my passion for soccer. I later returned to Turkey and completed my university education. By then, I had learned several languages and began working as a flight attendant, a career I continued for four years.
After the devastating earthquake in Turkey, I decided to immigrate to the United States at age 25 and reunite with my mother, brother, and sister, who had already moved here. Coming to America meant starting my life again from the beginning. I worked in almost every kind of job imaginable, including pizza delivery, roofing, kitchen work, modeling, production, filmmaking, video editing, projection work, children’s entertainment, and soccer coaching.
Every job taught me something valuable. Over time, my experience with art, technology, entertainment, coaching, and working with children began to come together. That combination eventually became Indigo Art Studio.
When COVID arrived, our event business disappeared almost overnight. Parties were canceled, the studio closed, and suddenly I had to find another way to support my family and keep the business alive. I began using my tailoring experience to make masks and sell them locally through Instagram. From there, I opened an Etsy shop and started learning everything I could about running an online business.
After selling masks, I realized I could also offer the pre-sketched canvases we had been creating for our birthday parties. I learned how to create online listings, photograph and package products, market them, fulfill orders, and reach customers across the country. We eventually expanded from Etsy to Amazon and sold more than 200,000 canvases. What began as a way to survive one of the most difficult periods in our business became an entirely new chapter in our story.
When families were able to celebrate together again, we reopened and brought everything we had learned back into the studio. Today, Indigo is much more than a birthday-party venue. We create immersive celebrations that combine art, personalized themes, music, animated projections, dancing, and entertainment. We also offer art classes, camps, adult birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, paint-and-sip events, and many other private and community events at our Westfield and Middletown locations.
I am now the father of six children, with our seventh on the way. My family is the center of my life, and our love for children is a major part of everything we do at Indigo. We want every child who enters our studio to feel welcomed, encouraged, creative, and special.
My journey has included childhood hardship, immigration, many different careers, building a business, losing that business almost overnight, and finding a way to rebuild it. Through everything, I have continued to believe that the future is bright when we guide children with love, faith, strong values, creativity, and respect. My greatest goal, both as a father and as a business owner, is to help inspire talented, wise, strong, and kind human beings who will contribute something positive to the future.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I experienced hardship from a very young age and began working when I was only six years old to help my family. After immigrating to the United States at 25, I had to start my life over in a new country. I spoke several languages and had a university education and professional experience, but I still had to accept any work available. I delivered pizza, worked in kitchens, did roofing, coached soccer, and worked in production, modeling, filming, editing, and entertainment.
Building Indigo Art Studio also came with many challenges. I had to learn nearly every part of the business myself, from creating artwork and organizing events to marketing, customer service, technology, and managing the financial risks of operating a physical location.
The biggest challenge came when COVID caused our party and event business to disappear almost overnight. The studio closed, celebrations were canceled, and we lost our main source of income. With a large family depending on me, giving up was never an option. I began making masks and selling them locally through Instagram. I then opened an Etsy shop, started selling our pre-sketched party canvases, and taught myself how to operate an online business.
There were many long days and nights spent learning how to create listings, market products, package orders, manage inventory, and serve customers across the country. We eventually expanded to Amazon and sold more than 200,000 canvases. That experience taught me that some of our greatest opportunities can come from our most difficult moments.
Even today, running a small business is never easy. You constantly deal with rising costs, changing customer expectations, competition, and the responsibility of supporting your family and employees. At the same time, my wife and I are raising six children, with our seventh on the way. Balancing family and business can be challenging, but my family is also my greatest motivation.
Every struggle has made me more resourceful, patient, and determined. I have learned that success is not about avoiding difficult times—it is about continuing to move forward, adapting, and finding a new path when the original one disappears.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Indigo Art Studio creates immersive art experiences and celebrations for children, families, and adults. We are best known for our customized children’s birthday parties, but we also offer art classes, camps, workshops, slime parties, paint-and-sip events, bridal and baby showers, adult birthdays, corporate gatherings, and other private events at our Westfield and Middletown locations.
Our birthday parties are designed as complete experiences rather than simply room rentals. Children receive guided art instruction and paint customized, pre-sketched canvases based on the party theme. We also provide the art supplies, pizza and juice, music, personalized attention, setup, and cleanup. The celebration ends with dancing and animated visuals projected around the room.
What truly sets us apart is the way we combine traditional art with technology, entertainment, and personal customization. We can transform the space using large-scale animated projections featuring the child’s name, favorite characters, colors, or theme. Each celebration is designed to make the birthday child feel as though the entire room was created especially for them.
My background in art, video production, editing, projection, entertainment, and coaching allows me to bring many different skills into one experience. Because I have spent so many years working with children, I understand that a successful children’s event needs structure, energy, patience, and the flexibility to make every child feel included.
I am especially proud that we offer more than an activity. We give parents a complete, hosted celebration where they can enjoy the moment instead of worrying about every detail. The children create something they can take home, celebrate with their friends, dance, laugh, and leave with a lasting memory.
I am also very proud that the pre-sketched canvases we originally created for our parties eventually reached families and art programs throughout the country. After moving our products from Etsy to Amazon, we sold more than 200,000 canvases. Something that began inside our local studio became a creative product enjoyed on a much larger scale.
What matters most to me is seeing a child walk into Indigo, recognize that the artwork and animations were personalized for them, and immediately light up. That reaction is what we work for. Our goal is not simply to host another party—it is to make every family feel welcomed and every celebration feel personal, creative, and unforgettable.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that surprises many people is that before becoming known for art and children’s celebrations, soccer was one of the biggest parts of my life. I played at a very high level, spent time playing and studying in Germany, and later became a professional soccer coach. I developed my own training methods and have coached children and adults for many years.
People are also surprised to learn that I worked as a flight attendant for four years and speak several languages. My life has taken me through many different worlds—sports, aviation, tailoring, filmmaking, projection technology, online retail, and event production.
At first, these experiences may seem unrelated, but I use something from every one of them at Indigo. Coaching taught me how to lead and connect with children. Aviation taught me how to communicate with people from different backgrounds. Tailoring taught me precision and creativity, while production and projection work helped me create our immersive party experiences.
Indigo Art Studio may look like one business, but it is really the result of a lifetime of very different experiences coming together in one place.
Contact Info:
- Website: indigowestfield
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigo.artstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoartstudiowestfield/
