We were lucky to catch up with Deanna Barton, ATR-BC recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Deanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
It’s been about four years since I quit my full-time job to start my art and wellness business. When I compare myself now to the person I was then, there’s been a lot of change. Four years ago, I was burnt out, lost, overworked, underpaid, stretched too thin, and feeling stuck. Today, I feel more aligned with my authentic self. So, yes, I would say I am happier as a creative. I am a creative. I don’t think there is a better way to describe me. In my mid-20s, I relocated to a new city to take a new job as an art therapist. Due to budget cuts, I lost that job after two years. I had no idea what to do – adulthood had no mercy. So, I took an art teacher job out of fear – fear of failing in a new city and not having enough money to pay my bills. I stayed five years at that job out of fear – fear of losing stability and not being able to actualize my entrepreneurial dreams. I had to face these fears. I had to unlearn being an employee and rediscover who I was personally and creatively. I had to undo my belief that my work defined me or measured my worth and value to the world. I discovered my real fear was not taking a chance on myself. In my work coaching creatives, we focus on rediscovering and reclaiming our creative selves. As creatives, who we are is what is valuable. We bring new ideas, innovation, play, truth, art, and beauty to the world. There is happiness in aligning with your authentic self, and if your authentic self identifies as a creative, find a way to actualize your creative potential. Create the life you want and keep trying until you and living it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Throughout my life, art has been one of the constants. Dance, visual arts, and music were a huge part of my life, starting from a young age. The creative process has been my lifelong teacher. I love being creative and greatly value creative space and time. Creating things draws us into a state of flow and introspection – things we need daily for mental wellness. In college, I learned about art therapy. I began to understand how art-making provides space to explore our thoughts and feelings and move emotional energy out of the body. Releasing what we no longer need can help us feel more grounded, calm, whole. That’s when it all started making sense – all my life, I used art to cope with my external world and express my inner world. I knew I wanted to share this creative, healing practice with others. My work focuses primarily on holding space for women of color healing from layers of trauma. I specialize in treating anxiety, depression, raced-based stress/trauma, perfectionism, and creative blocks. We use art – drawing, painting, collage, visual journaling, sewing, photography, creative writing, working with clay, textiles, or natural/found objects to process deep pain and discover our strengths. At Alluma: Art & Healing, currently a virtual space, being “in-process” is welcome. My services offer time to be reflective, create art, play, and process emotional content. Collectively, we are here to find our voice, reclaim our space, heal generational wounds, and learn to thrive as creative beings. I received a Master’s in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and completed my undergraduate studies at Spelman College. In addition to running my practice, I teach at Edinboro University’s Art Therapy Department, and I consult with community organizations and companies working to bring art-based programming into their spaces. I believe humans are intrinsically creative. Expressing our creativity helps us find balance and fulfillment in life. You do not need to be “good” at art or feel creative to benefit from the creative process. Living is a creative process, and our creativity can be a tool and a resource for healing.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Deciding to resign from a full-time job and start my own business definitely pivoted my life. During this transition, there were a lot of lessons to learn – both in business and personal life. The biggest lessons I learned were trusting my intuition, leaning into my support system, enjoying the present moment, and being open to change. However, I never once regretted my decision, even when things were really tough. There were indeed a lot of tears, fears, and disappointments throughout my entrepreneurial journey. My support system (family and friends) provided me with validation and encouragement. They poured into me when I was feeling low and empty. Listening to my intuition helped me tune out any external noise that might take me off track. There were times I got lost in my vision and felt like I wasn’t doing enough or that I wasn’t enough. The self-doubt and bouts of imposter syndrome were real. In these moments, I had to slow down, rest and reflect. Calling upon mindfulness, nature, and art-making helped me to calm the inner critic and enjoy the process of creating a business. I learned to stop equating my value to my level of productivity. The hardest lesson was being open to change. Change and I have a love-hate relationship. Often change requires losing or letting go of something – letting go of an idea, releasing old thought patterns that no longer serve you, or evolving into a new version of self. There is grief and growth in change. The internal shift that helped me be more open to change is realizing that by letting go, you are making space for more and possibly better things to come.

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What helped me succeed in my field was honoring my inner self, staying connected to and involved in my professional organizations, and caring for my mental health. When we step out and chase our dreams, we are succeeding. We succeed when we honor our innermost authentic selves. There is no failure in that. Pursuing a goal can be stressful and takes a toll on our mental health. Seeking professional mental health support during an entrepreneurial journey might be helpful. When we are mentally stressed or unwell, it can make the journey harder Rest and recharging can be just as crucial to success as training. Don’t let our society’s obsession with productivity and the hustle culture make you feel small or not enough. Our brains and bodies need a break from learning and training.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allumabewell.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allumabewell/