The pandemic offered Audrey Jacobson time to search for clarity in her life.
“COVID-19 was really hard on a lot of businesses. It gave me an opportunity to step back and create something new,” said Jacobson, who opened Creative Wellness Studio’s Central Avenue location in February.
Jacobson has had two passions in life – art and massage therapy, but she’d never been able to marry both pursuits until now.
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For part of her life, she’d focused on the art side, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and holding jobs related to that field, but she wanted to do massage as well. When she worked in massage, the art area of her life wasn’t reaching its fullest potential.
Her new business model will highlight the physical wellbeing achieved through massage and the emotional wellbeing found through creating art.
“I envision holistic care for the body, mind and soul — not just taking care of the physical,” she said.
Jacobson plans to get into a full schedule of adult art in mid-August after school is in swing. She wants to help adults tap into their inner child.
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Children, she said, naturally gravitate toward art. They like to explore and create. As people grow up, they tend to fall into expectations of others. They compare themselves to others and shut off their artistic side, thinking they aren’t good enough or aren’t as good as someone else.
Jacobson’s art sessions aren’t structured so that everyone follows a pattern. She wants to present an environment where people can come up with their own ideas and freely explore. An assortment of art supplies will be available during the creative process.
The art sessions are aimed towards adults only, she said, and groups will be small. In a large group, people’s individual voices aren’t always heard, Jacobson said.
She also uses art classes as a different type of team building exercise for small businesses to foster creativity among their employees.
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Small businesses need creative risk takers to not only survive but to thrive, she said.
The art component is one piece of the business. Jacobson also has her massage clientele, and she plans to hire another massage therapist for the location. In addition, Jacobson has partnered with a reiki and yoga instructor to teach those disciplines.
To learn more, visit facebook.com/creativewholenessstudio/
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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