Artful Makeovers

I design inspiring, beautiful, effective spaces where your creativity will thrive!

Art Studios . Classrooms . Trade + Vintage Show Booths . Events

Artful Makeovers are for creatives who want a beautiful, inspiring, efficient space to work in!

Join with me and embark on a journey of discovery, definition, decorating and delight...

Let's claim our right to create beauty that surrounds us in our studios, workshops, classrooms, and offices.

Let's express our artistic souls by the purposeful and joyful selection of what inspires us, 

and fill our shelves and walls and desks with those precious choices.

Let's overcome the overwhelm, and replace the mess with a message – 

of encouragement, inspiration, creativity and style!

Have you been walking into your workspace with a feeling of the walls closing in?
Are your boxes and bins overflowing with supplies?
Do you sit at your desk, easel, or workbench and try to ignore the burgeoning chaos around you?

If you've experienced anything like this, congratulations – you're in good company!
Most of us who work creatively have felt like this a time or two (or a year or two!). 

It's easy to just keep jumping from project to project, doing the work you have to do, 

and letting the 'Gee, I'd love to do that' ideas slip away.
And isn't it hard to justify spending time on YOU when life is so busy? Sure it is! We all deal with it.

Do you know that making time to address those bothersome things that you've been avoiding 

can make your creative work BETTER?
That saying 'I need this, and I'm WORTH IT!' can free up your creativity and imagination in a way 

that will enrich not just your art, but your whole life?

Having an inspiring place to work is an achievable goal - 

you CAN have a space that brings you JOY!

With my Artful Makeover Services, I'll come alongside you to educate and encourage you, 

giving you tools to use and insights to apply every step of the way 

as you go through the process of making your space tell YOUR story. 

We're not just replicating photos you've seen on Pinterest.
We're not comparing you to articles about other artisans, businesses, and studios seen in glossy magazines.

We're getting honest and revealing the true, joyful, purposeful, meaningful truth 

of your heart and your art 

through the way you set up the place you do your creating in!

It's about treating your work space just like you treat a piece of art or product you are working on:

 Imagine the possibilities. See what doesn't exist yet. Figure out how to MAKE it exist. 

Then have fun bringing it to life!

Friends, I know what it's like to be overwhelmed with the idea of changing. 

Sometimes we think it just might be easier to keep plodding along the way we have been – 

even though we know oh so well that it's not working for us. At ALL.

We just don't know how we'll make time, or where to start, or where we want to end up.

We ALL have challenges in our creative lives, and I LOVE helping you find solutions...

My goal is to enable you to see your limitations as creative opportunities, liabilities as possibilities, 

and to apply your marvelously creative brain in a new way!  

Imagine the creative energy you will have when your SPACE is designed just for you, 

for your processes and enrichment and work flow and storage needs!

You will come out of this process changed, refreshed, and excited by your expanded creative capacity!

With my guidance, you'll be empowered to begin – 

you'll get past those thoughts about how daunting it is, that you just don't know where/how to START. 

You'll be excited when you begin to see the possibility of change. 

You'll be energized as you see your surroundings in a fresh new way and undertake each step... 

I'll be there, encouraging you... and your enthusiasm will grow by leaps and bounds 

as you see progress made with every effort along the way!

Let's make your space INSPIRINGLY, invitingly, individually reflective of wonderful YOU!

See examples of my space design work here  here and here
and a post about my process of designing my own creative studio/office space

(I am currently working on creating NEW posts for art, craft, and creative studios/offices)

 

Professional artist Sharyn Sowell works with many companies who license her artwork...

her calligraphy, letterpress, watercolor, and 'scherenschnitte' cut paper artwork appear on stationery, stamps, stickers, die cuts, ceramics, wall art, books, and accessories. 

I recently undertook an artful makeover of Sharyn's sweet backyard cottage studio, 

and she had this to say about the process:

"Seriously, Deb is an artist's dream! 
She studies your work needs and your style, 
makes your studio far more efficient and then the eye candy is packed in... 
Who knew my own studio would turn into such an inspirational place for me?!?!? 
And I'm working faster, too. She's a real gift!"

How to begin an Artful Makeover journey with me...

* Hire me to come to your location and work with you IN your space.

From start to finish, we'll go through the steps to re-define, re-imagine, and refresh your space.

From reviewing your space, creating a design plan, re-using what you have 

and shopping for what might be needed in addition, to moving things around your space 

and then decorating with delightful details, I'll be there. With my muscles ;) 

From concept to final reveal, I'll be there.

This process can take from three to seven days, depending upon the size of your space 

and the level of interaction and physical work we have to do.

I bill this at a very reasonable day rate. 

No matter how many hours and days, (seven-cups-of-coffee early mornings and dance-music-filled late nights!) it takes, 

you are getting MORE than your money's worth from me. 

My 40+ years of visual experience, design expertise, retail and show knowledge, and creative thinking skills

 will be applied full-force to YOUR project alone during that time. You get me all to yourself ;)

I can hear you now: “I can't stop working for three days, let alone seven, to get this done!”
I know. I get it. There are ways that we can work that allow you to continue creating and producing – 

in the space, and in alternative spaces. 

Though I need your participation for a part of the makeover process, 

there are phases where it's just me working, and you are free to continue your work. 

With pre-planning, this can be done – and done very, very well!

* Hire me as a design coach to guide you through your artful makeover.
I approach the project exactly the same as I would if on-site – except I work from my own office. 

I utilize measurements, floor plan sketches. photos and videos that you send to me. 

We communicate via email and phone.

I provide you with an entire plan and breakdown of the steps needed for you to do all of the physical work yourself. 

And all along the way, 

I'll be at the ready to answer questions, help you solve challenges, and give advice & encouragement.

I bill this at an affordable hourly rate, 

so that you only pay for the time I spend in contact with you or actively working on your design.

This option allows you to take on the project at your own speed, 

working it into your schedule as your creative work projects allow.

Maybe you'll do it all in a week. Maybe you'll take two weeks, or two months.
It's all up to you.... but I'll be there, cheering you on! 

* Engage me as a speaker/presenter for your workshop, symposium, or event

The concepts that make up my design process can be presented onstage as a live seminar, 

or in an actual studio environment as a hands-on workshop.

My flat rate speaking fee includes my presentation of an on-stage display and/or slideshow, 

along with printed handouts of my topic for each attendee.
If you are interested in this option, 

please contact me via email to begin the conversation about how I can help you reach your event goals!

For more information about how I can help YOU, my reasonable fees, and availability, 

please email me at debi.wardkennedy@gmail.com