When I started this journey of building a therapeutic arts program for survivors of sexual assault, I knew that this aspect would only be one corner of the overall program.  I understood that the niche area I intend to specialize in would be bracketed and supported by a bevy of other therapeutic approaches to art.  It is difficult for me to put the ideas in my head down into a cohesive and relatable context that anyone could understand. I frequently struggle to explain what I'm trying to build to other people.

I'll be adding the foundational ideas here in this blog to keep a record, keep that record transparent, and educate myself as I go on how to talk about what I'm building with others.  It can't just stay in my head- I need a cohesive record. This blog space will, if I can stay on target, serve to provide all of these things.

We're throwing magic.

 

I aim to enrich the experiences of the arts through the arts, filling each clay vessel to brimming with magic.

Through the continued creation of specialized pottery collections, supported by original sticker designs and custom painting sales, I will help finance the program's creation, create fundraisers to build up The Studio's features,  raise money for progressive and humanitarian causes, support our local LGBTQIA+ populations, and provide safe and inclusive access to classes here at The Studio.

Art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of means.

To ensure that art is always accessible, I want to offer creations on a sliding payment scale.  I want customers to be able to choose the price point that best fits their means.  Further, I want to offer customers the ability to donate to a community fund, which would help provide art and access to the healing power of creation for everyone who needs it.  I'm still working out how to make this happen, and it's a big part of my delay in the shop opening (though not as big of an issue as having all of my pottery pieces misfire in a broken kiln.  I'll get into that in an upcoming post- today is for joy, not sorrow...).  If anyone has experience providing sliding payments in online shops, I'm open to your suggestions!

We're learning to love ourselves through art.

I'm launching the shop to help pay for the long-term goal of hosting a studio space where we can collectively learn to love ourselves through art.  In addition to the online shop, I'll host therapeutic arts classes where we learn to process our authentic emotions through creating art, group clay parties where we embrace imperfections and throw clay with wild abandon, diving headlong into the playful, erotic nature of art by hosting coaching sessions devoted to exploring individual sexuality, and ultimately, launching my program as a somatic sexologist, working directly with clients on expanding their joy through pleasure, healing, and artistry.

I'm taking courses and growing with the program I am building.

I've spoken out on social media about returning to college after discovering how I was cheated out of my access to higher education when I was a teen, but I haven't really addressed it on this blog.  I will tell that story properly someday- but for now, let's rejoice in what healing can do for a body as I'm almost done with my first degree and well into my second professional certification.  I've got many more ahead of me, and I'm so excited to start sharing this journey publically.  It's been exclusively behind the friend's list lockdown for the past three years, and now that all the pre-prep stuff is out of the way and I'm actually approaching the starting line?  IT'S FINALLY GO TIME.  I'll post more, schedule ahead, and start sharing videos of all the upcoming steps so we can all thrive together.  We're gonna do this side by side, my friends.

What are we going to tackle together first?

One of the main reasons I have not incorporated clay videos into my social media already is that apart from being time-consuming to edit, I do not love the idea of people seeing my garage space online.  It's not really a studio yet- it's just my wheel and a slip of shelving amid gardening tools and messy piles.  It's a mess.  So, the first major project I'm going to document is reclaiming the garage.  We'll take it from a random dump all space that also has a pottery wheel in it, and hopefully end up with a gutted, organized, and repurposed space for housing the household needs and supporting a proper studio space.  And since we are poor, we'll be doing it realistically and as cash-free as possible.

I already picked out a room divider screen, so you KNOW it's for real now.  I'm fully committed to making this work, and I'm excited to have you on board with me.  I feel like I've been dying to talk about this more candidly for the past three years.  Now I finally feel like there are things to talk about!

It's time.