Ashley Daramola thinks art has the power to heal.
Through her Atlanta art studio, ArtzyBella, she offers art installations, classes, and (soon) products, including an upcoming line of subscription boxes designed to let people tap into the therapeutic potential of creativity in the comfort of their homes.
“Our mission is to empower people to live creatively using art-making as a stress relieving tool,” Daramola said.
When she launched the company with $50 in 2016, Daramola’s focus was mainly on art as a service—she provided commercial paintings, such as murals and installations, for residents and businesses around Atlanta. She soon expanded her business to include “sip and paint” sessions, trendy group classes in which participants make art in a causal environment, typically while imbibing. But for people attending lessons at ArtzyBella, the goal was more than just practicing brushstrokes and shading. Daramola wants to help them use art to attain a sense of inner calm.
“Our concept was to infuse therapeutic art [into the lessons] and teach people…how to use art as a way to relieve stress,” Daramola said. “Not just to do something fun, but how to use creativity to help with wellness and mental health as well.”
Prior to launching ArtzyBella, Daramola worked in the mental health field for ten years. She began by providing support for therapists of young women who suffered from trauma. In that role, Daramola sought creative ways to help these patients complete the tasks assigned in their treatment plans.
“Because of my background in art, I was often allowed to use artistic measures to help them meet those demands,” she said.
Many of the people Daramola worked with struggled to express themselves verbally. Art gave them a way to express their feelings and tell their stories.
After earning a master’s in psychology, Daramola continued her career in mental health as a social worker, incorporating art into daily activities with survivors of sex trafficking.
Since launching ArtzyBella, Daramola said her ultimate goal has been to create a product-based business. The services, including commercial art commissions and classes, allowed her to generate income and build the ArtzyBella brand, while developing her first product, a line of monthly subscription boxes that include the materials and instructions needed to perform a few art activities each month. Always focused on the positive social impact of her work, Daramola said the art activities put an emphasis on therapy.
“Each box includes a guide that shows them how manipulating the different materials can be therapeutic depending on the textures, fields of the colors, and how they appeal to the senses,” Daramola said. The box will also contain information about the importance of mindfulness, focus, and patience in alleviating things that can cause stress. What’s key, according to Daramola, is that art has the potential to help people express emotions that they may struggle to express in words.
ArtzyBella boxes will come in three tiers—$31 for the standard box, $26 for the mini box, and $35 for corporate boxes, which include a focus on team-building. $1 from each purchase will be donated to organizations that seek to prevent sex trafficking in Atlanta. Daramola plans to ship out the first set of boxes in July.
Last year, Daramola was selected for Georgia State University’s Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund along with 20 other startup and seed stage companies in metro Atlanta. The program offers early funding and mentorship to Georgia State entrepreneurs in underserved local communities.
Daramola hopes that through ArtzyBella, she can help conquer the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote the idea that mental health is for everyone.
“Not everyone is quite ready to say, ‘Hey, I suffer with mental illness or I have mental health issues that I need to concentrate on,’” she says. “So we don't just focus on people with a diagnosed mental illness. We teach people how art making can help with overall wellness in general.”
