Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvette Tarrant and Shani Bell.
Yvette and Shani, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Yvette: I had experienced my own difficulties and trauma as a child followed by numerous therapeutic encounters. I became determined to find my voice. It wasn’t until I re-engaged my creative gift of painting and drawing that I understood the value of creative expression and how its healing power can transform us and bring life and joy to our existence. Creative expression allowed me to be one with God and encouraged the freedom of expressing my innermost self. Art soothes my soul–whether painting writing, movement. Sometimes, we just need quiet moments where the stillness and silence create the perfect opportunity to be closer to Heaven. It was in one of those moments when I was listening for His guidance for my future creative endeavors that The Escape Studio was born. I wanted to create a place for people to experience the same healing creative experience. The Escape Studio offers time away to create, a space for the client to just “be,” and a sanctuary for personal spiritual renewal. Our combination of artistic and helping professional backgrounds equip us to help guide our clients’ experience if they’d like but they also have the option of going on their own Spirit-led journey. At the end of the day, our deepest desire is for clients to experience peace and God’s fullness.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have been finding our way through this uncharted territory. As an art therapist, I know that the idea of art for healing is not new but what we are doing with our business is unique. It’s not a clinically therapeutic environment or counseling. What we’re providing is a spiritual mini-retreat where creativity is the tool used to listen and encourage greater awareness. It’s been a process of testing out ideas, honing our services and discovering our direction. Our ultimate mission has remained consistent, but as two artists, we find ourselves coming up with fantastical ideas and feeding off each others’ excitement. Then we remember that we’re still in our growing stages so sometimes that means scaling back those big dreams and refocusing of practical growth.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Escape Studio – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’ve coined the term Creative Wellness Center (c) to best describe what we are. Our business provides an opportunity for creative self-exploration and restorative mindfulness. We recognize that taking multiple days off to rest and reevaluate life isn’t always feasible for many, being in a society that is consumed with busyness. Often, in our lives, we become so disconnected and distracted from our Divine selves–where balance and freedom exist. Our hope is to provide experiences that are short enough to be doable, enjoyable enough to be engaging and powerful enough to make an impact.
We offer 1 to 3 hour guided sessions with individuals, couples, small groups of up to three and larger groups of up to ten where we facilitate creative activities that are meant to be both enjoyable and insightful. If we are working with an individual, the goal is to gain personal insight, for couples we want to encourage intimate connection and increase healthy communication. With groups, we aim to build cohesion. For all parties, we hope to encourage them to be present, aware and engaged in life–to listen and learn how to be okay with being still. Before their appointment, we try to get an idea of the types of artistic expression that they are interested in exploring (visual art, creative writing, movement, etc.) so that we can incorporate that into their session. We make sure to emphasize that our experiences aren’t about being great at art but opening yourself up to explore life using a very natural tool for expression the arts, to focus on the experience of doing it and to be curious about what the end product has to offer.
We’ve worked hard to create a space that invites relaxation and healing. That’s our prayer. Almost every time someone walks into our space, I (Shani) notice a visible change in their demeanor. They automatically exhale and they begin to take temporary ownership of the space. It’s their place for that time to just get away. And we love that. That’s exactly what we want.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We would love to be able to expand physically and also expand our offerings as well. One day, we would like to have our own multi-room space where we can offer a greater variety of services and workshops. We are also working towards curating products that can supplement our clients’ self-exploration journey. We’d like to sell these products –anything from organic teas and body products to art materials and journals–that would help facilitate creative restoration and relaxation.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2700 Lake Olympia Parkway
Missouri City, TX 77459
(by appointment only) - Website: www.theescapestudio.com
- Phone: 832. 802. 8920
- Email: info@theescapestudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theescapestudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theescapestudiotx/
Image Credit:
Yvette Tarrant (black shirt), Shani Bell (jean shirt)
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