Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Jackson

Hi Stephanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

For twenty years, I was a committed–and financially unsuccessful–fine artist. I worked a day job at the public library to pay the bills, and dedicated most of my resources to painting and writing. Along the way I founded a couple of artspaces, in San Francisco and New York City, and lived in Mexico for a few years on a self-directed artist’s residency.

During that time, I became interested in alternative healing, and got licensed in massage therapy. Massage was a good way to earn rent money anywhere, and it connected me with people in meaningful ways. I built a massage business, Practical Bodywork, which focused on pain relief and problem solving.

When my daughter was born, following the financial crisis of 2008, my family’s finances took a tumble. We had to leave New York, and I recognized that art wasn’t going to support us. I gave up my studio and got serious about learning business skills.

A couple years later, one of my clients admired the art in my massage office, and invited me to paint her staircase risers. I told her no, I’m not making art anymore. She offered to write me a check. I said okay.

Working in my client’s space was a revelation. I used my understanding of her personality, the characteristics of her space, the colors she chose, and the idea she wanted to execute, and created a design that worked within those constraints. It felt like something I was born to do.

Over the next few years I launched Practical Sanctuary, Sensory Interior Design. We create spaces for highly sensitive people, including those on the autism spectrum.

I’m a highly sensitive person, and it’s always been obvious to me that most spaces aren’t designed for people who become easily overwhelmed by things like crowds, acoustic chaos, glaring lights, and intense smells.

Many of my friends and family are on the autism spectrum, including my late brother-in-law, the architect Leif Weaver. Through working closely with these loved ones, I became an accidental expert in neurodivergence. Neurodivergent people often become so overwhelmed in high-chaos spaces that they are unable to focus, track a conversation, or emotionally regulate.

There’s a huge gap in the architecture and interior design industry when it comes to creating spaces that are accessible to people with sensory issues, and my mission is to fill that gap.

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?

It’s incredibly hard to build a business without capital. I started both of my businesses because I was passionate about my mission, AND because I needed to pay my bills. Without savings, investors or a spouse with a full-time job, there’s no margin for hiring support staff or making expensive mistakes. You have to do everything yourself.

That means the business grows VERY slowly. I’ve been my own IT department, web designer, marketing and sales team, bookkeeper, strategic planner, client fulfillment team, and janitor. This may sound impossible, but it is the way most artists work. Keeping my overhead low allows me to experiment without risking the whole enterprise. I’ve been able to pivot, give reign to my creativity, and keep going when many a well-funded startup would have crashed and burned.

Shortly after starting Practical Sanctuary, my marriage imploded, leaving me with a ruined credit rating and deeply in debt. It took me five years to dig myself out of the hole. By 2020 I was debt free, and even after I repaired my credit I remained allergic to business loans.

During the pandemic I started working with clients virtually, and developed a process for supporting them anywhere in the world. Practical Sanctuary received a small EIDL grant, and for the first time I understood the magic of capital. The money allowed me to hire a web designer, a photographer, a coach and an editor, as well as expand my network with software tools.

The biggest challenge with building Practical Sanctuary is convincing institutional decision makers that sensory interior design is not a frill, but a necessity. When I give a talk or a workshop, people’s eyes light up, and they instantly grasp how creating a sensory inclusive space benefits everyone.

But changing Universal Building Standards is a heavy lift.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Sensory interior design is my way of integrating a raft of creative skills that I developed in other disciplines.

As a painter, I learned how color works with light–changing the shade just a hair will transform the emotional affect of a space completely.

As a dancer and a massage therapist, I learned a ton about the human nervous system, and how the cues in your environment affect how your body functions. The sounds, the textures, the layout and the light in any space all determine whether you feel calm and inspired, or stressed and overwhelmed.

As an OG blogger, I learned how to tell stories that engage people’s imaginations, and help them visualize their own transformations and superpowers.

What I’m most proud of is being able to create big shifts for my clients by making small changes. I’m also pretty proud of the book I’m launching this year: The Eccentric Genius Habitat Intervention. Find out more at https://eghi.practicalsanctuary.com/eccentricgenius

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?

Back in the mid 2000s, I developed a blogger persona called Pretty Lady, who made a hobby of teasing right-wing extremists online. She didn’t argue with people; she charmed them, and some of them changed their views as a result.

Pretty Lady was the archetype of femininity. She loved everyone indiscriminately, freely confessed her flaws, had a flamboyant writing style and a penchant for mysticism.

Pretty Lady taught me how to disarm hostility by meeting it with unconditional love–AND excellent boundaries. Through writing her, I learned a lot about empowering myself and others. She transformed many lives, including mine.

Pricing:

• Restorative Design Consultation: $595 flat fee

Contact Info:

• Website: https://practicalsanctuary.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/practicalsanctuary/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/practical-sanctuary-philadelphia
• Other: https://eghi.practicalsanctuary.com/eccentricgenius

Image Credits

Portraits of Stephanie: Amaris Hames

All others Practical Sanctuary