Based in Ventura, California, organizational psychologist Areni Arslanian is well versed in helping people navigate the challenges and complexities of their careers. With this special focus, she is intrigued by those pursuing the creative arts, who tend to exhibit a dominant right-brain, which, generally speaking, accounts for jobs that pivot around artistic expression, intuitive thinking and strong visual skills. By contrast, left-brain thinkers are typically more comfortable in careers that require a greater degree of analytical, logic-based and detail-oriented functions, such as the fields of science, engineering and business.
Arslanian is among those who break the mold and has managed to flourish in both hemispheres, especially when it comes to her online business, Pop Fly Pop Shop, which specializes in limited-edition sports memorabilia. “It’s an art project that my artist husband, Daniel Jacob Horine, and I established in 2020. Basically, Daniel hand draws every single ‘pop fly,’ which is a collectible art piece that features a specific athlete, such as Michael Jordan, Randy Johnson, Pete Rose, Wade Boggs, Dale Murphy, Nolan Ryan and other famous names from the world of baseball and American football. The design is then published on the Pop Fly Pop Shop website and social media channels, and customers are given a week to order the artwork before it is removed from the page,” she says.
Authenticated, numbered and signed by Horine and the athlete at the heart of the print, each ‘pop fly’ retails at an affordable price, making it accessible to all. And, in just a few short years, the brand has built a loyal and dedicated customer base of sports fans and collectors eager to get their hands on the highly desirable, limited-edition collectibles. “Some of Daniel’s artworks have fetched eye-watering amounts, with resellers charging as much as 10,000 US dollars. Can you believe it?” remarks Arslanian.
Indeed, the rapid growth and success of Pop Fly Pop Shop is quite extraordinary, especially when one considers the novelty of the concept. Yet today, the passionate founders are reaping the fruits of their labor, recently achieving a significant milestone with the release of the 200th work of art, which features the legendary former baseball and football player Bo Jackson—the only professional athlete in history to reach All-Star status in two major North American sports.
At first blush, it seems like an unlikely enterprise for someone with Arslanian’s educational and professional background. However, as soon as one learns about the twists and turns of her personal journey, it is plain to see that everything has fallen neatly into place.
An empath at heart, Arslanian is all too familiar with overcoming hardships, particularly early in life. She is hard of hearing—something she is wholesomely open about—and uses aids in both ears.
“Elementary school was hard, as my disability had not been detected, so nobody knew what the issue was. I was always behind in my schoolwork and was told that I wasn’t paying attention. The negativity I faced during my younger years was tough,” she admits.
However, AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, was also a place of comfort, self-discovery and growth for Arslanian. Her mother, Lena, taught pre-kindergarten at the school for 35 years. Other family members were also teachers—some still are.
Among the educators who helped shape Arslanian was fourth-grade teacher Arek Momjian. Acknowledging the enormous effort her young, timid student was making, Momjian surprised Arslanian with a special recognition award during the customary end-of-year ceremony. “She saw how hard I was working, and I still didn’t have hearing aids at that time. I remember the moment she stood in front of the class and said that she had a Knott’s Berry Farm ticket to present to the student who had shown the greatest level of commitment and had refused to give up. When I heard my name, I was in total shock,” she says, her voice tinged with pride.
“I finally felt seen and validated. In fact, I stuck the amusement park voucher to the wall and kept it there for ages. I had no intention of redeeming it,” she recalls.
With her confidence boosted, Arslanian began to shine in her own right. She discovered a talent for writing and soon saw her words in print. “I have Mrs. Momjian to thank for my work being published in the yearbook. She encouraged me to express myself and nurtured my creative side. I am forever grateful for what she did and how she cheered me on. We are still in touch,” she explains, excusing how emotional she is as she tells the story.
Ultimately, my fourth-grade award for effort and determination became the unseen thread that reinforced my journey, weaving resilience into the fabric of my life.
Indeed, writing and reciting became a form of catharsis for Arslanian. She excelled in storytelling at high school and was fortunate to be given a platform to do it, performing original compositions in front of her peers. She describes this period as a “defining” one, marking a major turning point. “What one might think held me back actually propelled me forward,” she asserts.
While studying for her undergraduate degree in psychology at California State University, Northridge, Arslanian started her own creative enterprise. “I liked fashion jewelry, and I wanted to make it inexpensive for undergraduate students and for myself. And so I started a little side business with an initial investment of just 20 US dollars. It was a hobby,” she says. Yet, the smart and savvy entrepreneur soon found herself making a considerable profit.
What helped Arslanian succeed were her nonverbal skills. By carefully observing each client, scanning their style and mentally running through her inventory, she’d know which items to recommend. “I was confident that they were going to feel good wearing the piece of jewelry I had suggested, so much so that if they were unsure, I would give it to them for free. They’d always come back and my business just blossomed,” she says.
By the time Arslanian reached graduate school, she was more astute, especially in business. She wrote and delivered a training session on how to increase the bottom line by listening with your “third ear.” Unsurprisingly, Arslanian didn’t miss the opportunity to draw on her own experiences. “My graduate professor asked me to be his teaching assistant for that class the following semester. There was suddenly this ripple effect and things started to come together,” she adds.
Since finishing graduate school, Arslanian has come a long way, dividing her time between her work in leadership development and her duties at Pop Fly Pop Shop, where demand for the couple’s artworks keeps growing. Indeed, sales have skyrocketed since the company was launched, helped in part by media coverage—including a coveted appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove with Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds—and an invitation to join the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, nine of the sought-after prints are preserved within the Museum’s Library Archives.
While Arslanian describes her role modestly, using the words “practical” and “behind the scenes,” it is obvious that she is very much front and center: a strategic partner, championing her partner’s creative genius as they ride the business roller coaster. “We have a lot of people that reach out that want to work with us, and we have learned in a short amount of time that value alignment is really important,” she says, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the process and that the athlete is as involved as he wants to be in his storytelling through art.
Another important matter to Arslanian and her husband is how they raise their nine-year-old son, Daniel Jr. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the couple decided to move to be close to the exact same Armenian school Arslanian had attended all those decades earlier. “I was looking for that family feeling, and I wanted people that I knew and I trusted. Ultimately, my fourth-grade award for effort and determination became the unseen thread that reinforced my journey, weaving resilience into the fabric of my life. It’s what I value most and instill in my son,” she explains.
And that isn’t her brain talking; it’s what her gut is saying.
