Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeniffer Hutchins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I tell someone I am an artist, they often respond with a self-defeating attitude. “Oh, that must be nice. I’m NOT creative at all!” They then continue to tell me stories of how imperfect their straight lines are and their lack of skill at drawing stick figures. I listen and smile. Then pull out my invisible soap box, drop in on the floor and hop up.
We are all born creative. It is a natural birthright of being human.
Elizabeth Gilbert is quoted as saying, “If you are alive, you are a creative person.” I agree 100%. Each of us is a creator in some way, shape or form. It most certainly is not determined by your ability to draw a straight line. Yes, drawing and painting are creative outlets, but so is cooking, gardening, writing letters, singing (even in the shower counts), and … you get the point. Even everyday activities at home and at work require creative thinking. On the broadest spectrum, you are the creator of your life. Each thought, word and action is like a brush stroke adding to the portrait of you.
Not creative. Bah! I don’t believe it for a second.
After having this conversation approximately one hundred and two times, I decided it was going to be my mission to help people reclaim their creative birthright. And to use that creativity for self-expression, self-awareness and personal growth.
Unity Arts Ministry was formed out of my seminary experience blended with my background in art education. Having taught art to children in schools, hospitals, and museum programs, I knew the power of a few crayons to liberate the soul. Through Unity Arts Ministry, I help people reawaken to the Creative Spirit within us all.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Launching a business is like booking a one-way ticket on a mystery tour. It’s a journey filled with adventure, purpose and passion. However, the road one travels on that journey is anything but smooth. It is filled with twists and turns, ups and downs and lots of potholes – some you narrowly avoid and others you hit dead on with a cringe.
Being on the journey with Unity Arts Ministry for nearly nine years has been an interesting adventure. It started with my personal goal of helping people reclaim their innate creative nature. This blossomed into the non-profit’s mission statement: to inspire personal growth through creative expression and spiritual enrichment. While our mission has not changed, how we have gone about it certainly has.
Each time we encountered a detour or found ourselves in an unexpected destination, we had to make some course corrections.
The first few years were focused on community building at the local level. We rented a studio space at Unity Village where I taught workshops focused on expressive arts and led book studies such as The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. We developed volunteer led networking groups for visual artists and writers; hosted Open Studio; and planted a Kindness Rocks Garden on campus at Unity Village. We were growing and it was great.
Then Covid-19 hit. That was one of those cringe worthy potholes for sure. Blown tire, stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, during a storm, level of cringe.
Luckily, we had been exploring the concept of hybrid classrooms for a while and already had a Zoom account. It was an easy decision to go virtual. However, it was not necessarily easy to do. We were in all new territory, learning a new terrain.
Through our virtual studio I hosted a weekly art journal program; created community building events like a Bob Ross paint along; and brought in guest presenters from across the country to teach at our first ever online retreat.
Making the shift to go virtual was certainly challenging, but ultimately it led to expansion for our ministry. We now have a global community. Many of whom participate in our online community group, monthly ATC (Artist Trading Card) mail art exchange program, and our international art retreats.
What I’ve learned is that challenge can be seen as an opportunity to yet again stretch our creative muscles. When plans we so carefully laid out are disrupted, we must pivot. We become willing to be curious, to try things out and see what sticks.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Unity Arts Ministry ?
Through Unity Arts Ministry, I offer classes, workshops and retreat experiences that nurture the Creative Spirit. These programs emphasize process over end product. I teach that creating for the sake of self-expression and self-awareness can lead to personal growth. This is where the spiritual aspect comes in.
What sets us apart is our supportive community and the shared recognition that creativity is a spiritual practice. It is not about perfection, judgment, and art critiques. It is about leaning in, getting into the flow, and letting things emerge on the page. Art becomes both meditation and prayer – communion with our own soul.
It is not my goal to have students launch careers as professional artists – although that has happened. My intention is to help people reawaken their own power and authority as creators in their lives.
Whether you sign up for a class with me or one of our other instructors, you will find a safe place to explore your unique expression. Unity Arts Ministry Programming is open to teens and adults from all walks of life. Prior artistic experience is not required.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
It likely won’t surprise you to learn that I’ve always seen myself as a creative person. As a child I would write and illustrate my own books and act out my favorite scenes from The Wizard of Oz for my mother – while wearing tin foil on my head when playing the role of the tin man. My favorite class in school was art. I absolutely adored my art teacher Mrs. Blitzer who hung everyone’s art from the ceiling. It was because of her influence that when still in first grade, I declared I was going to be an art teacher when I grew up. Apparently, the idea stuck.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unityartsministry.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unityartsministry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnityArtsMinistry
