We recently connected with Ksenia Khelman and have shared our conversation below.
Ksenia, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’m an artist, and I’ve been doing this full-time since 2017. Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s not over unless _you decide it is. Bad times don’t last forever—they’re always followed by good ones. Sometimes I’ve kept going because of hope, sometimes it was just pure stubbornness. When I first quit my job, I was clueless about self-promotion and marketing. I made mistakes that cost me big, and there were so many moments where I was this close to giving up. But one thought always pulled me back: if I quit, everyone who doubted my dream would be right—and I just couldn’t let them have that satisfaction. So, I took a breath, came back to my work, cleared my head, and tried again. And here I am—still doing what I love, and I’m grateful every day that I didn’t throw in the towel.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
It’s a funny story—I never imagined I’d become a bag designer. It all started when my favorite leather bag, one I’d loved for years, fell apart. I couldn’t find a good replacement, so I thought, ‘It can’t get any worse if I’ll try making it myself.’ I had no experience with leather or professional tools, so there were definitely some tears and swearing along the way. But when I finally held that finished bag, I knew I’d opened up a whole new world—and it was so exciting. That’s when I realized you can learn anything if you’re passionate enough.
For a few years, bag making was just a hobby and a side hustle. Some clients encouraged me to take it further, but I wasn’t confident enough to go all in—until I fell in love and moved to Chile to be with my partner. I didn’t speak Spanish, but I still needed to make a living, so I told myself, ‘It’s now or never.’ That was the turning point. It wasn’t easy, but now I run Khelman Studio, creating custom bags right here in San Francisco, CA.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
For me, three things were really important in the beginning. First, I learned to celebrate the small victories along the way—they keep you motivated. Second, I stopped expecting perfection on the first try, especially when I was doing something for the first time. And lastly, I stopped blaming myself for failures. It’s okay to fail. When you’re learning and striving to improve, failure is just another experience that helps you grow. Every mistake teaches you something valuable and helps you avoid bigger ones in the future.
My advice for those early in their journey is to embrace the process. Focus on progress over perfection, don’t be too hard on yourself, and remember that every experience, good or bad, adds to your growth.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Honestly, when I was younger, I used to look at successful people and think, ‘She was lucky.’ But over time, I realized that luck is just a tiny piece of the puzzle—there’s always a huge amount of hard work behind those so-called ‘overnight successes.’ I love reading biographies of strong, successful women and brands. It helps me see their journey and ask myself, ‘What would I do in their shoes? Would I be brave enough to face the same challenges?’ This perspective shifted my focus from envy to action, asking myself, ‘What else can I do to make my dream work?’ If they could do it, I can too.
One of the most helpful habits I’ve developed is a morning ritual where I close my eyes and imagine my perfect day—what I’m doing, where I’m going, what’s around me. I ask myself, ‘Do I like myself there? Am I happy there?’ That vision of who I can become keeps me inspired and often points me in the direction I need to take. I still love learning from those who are already at my point B or C. I study their journeys, asking what struggles they overcame and how they got to where they are today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.khelman.com
- Instagram: @khelmanbags
- Youtube: @khelmanbags
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