We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deja Richardson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Deja, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
The mission behind Neon Paint Place was born from my journey as a painter and mixed media artist, and my belief in the healing, connective power of art. For years, I explored abstraction as a way to process emotion, embrace chaos, and make sense of the world around me. But over time, I realized that the transformative experience I was having in the studio wasn’t something that should be limited to trained artists or gallery spaces; it was something everyone deserved access to.
In 2023, I founded the company under the name Making Art Matter, with a mission to create a judgment-free, joy-filled space where people of all backgrounds could reconnect with their creativity. I started small, offering intimate art sessions where guests could let loose, get messy, and make something without fear of doing it “wrong.” What I witnessed was powerful: people laughed, relaxed, opened up, and left lighter than they came in. It was clear that we weren’t just offering art, we were offering release, connection, and emotional reset.
As the demand grew, so did our impact. Through community partnerships and public support, we brought art to festivals, schools, and corporate spaces, offering experiences that united strangers and sparked joy across the city.
Our mission today remains rooted in that same spark: to provide playful, accessible, and transformative art experiences that empower people to express themselves freely. Neon Paint Place is not just a studio, it’s a movement that invites everyone to make a mess, make memories, and make meaning through creativity. We believe art should be for everyone, and we are committed to creating space where joy, freedom, and community collide.
Deja, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a painter and mixed media artist with a deep-rooted passion for abstraction, storytelling, and community building. For over five years, I’ve worked with a wide range of textiles, acrylics, and found materials to create immersive, large-scale installations and expressive abstract works inspired by chaos theory. My artistic practice is grounded in the belief that creativity is not just a personal outlet; it’s a radical, healing force that can break down barriers, foster connection, and create meaningful transformation.
In 2023, driven by a desire to share the therapeutic power of creative expression with others, I founded what was originally known as Making Art Matter. It began in a small, shared studio space with a simple but radical mission: to create a cathartic, judgment-free space where anyone, regardless of experience, could let go of stress and rediscover joy through the process of making art. Rooted in abstraction, my practice has always embraced freedom, emotion, and spontaneity, and I wanted to give people the same sense of liberation I found through art.
What started as intimate painting sessions with just two or three participants quickly blossomed into a larger movement. Word spread. Friends brought friends. Strangers turned into regulars. What followed was a groundswell of community support that transformed our humble studio into a creative hub for Baltimore’s residents, visitors, and artists alike. We began hosting corporate team-building events, pop-ups at city festivals, and interactive art experiences with up to 100 participants at a time. Our commitment to accessible, community-centered programming led to partnerships with incredible organizations such as the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, ArtScape, and the Bromo Arts District. Together, we provided interactive art experiences across the city, bridging gaps, uplifting neighborhoods, and creating spaces for people to be seen and heard through color and creativity.
By 2025, thanks to public grants, grassroots support, and deep relationships with our community, we were able to expand into a vibrant 5,000-square-foot storefront in the heart of Downtown Baltimore. With this growth came a rebrand, Neon Paint Place, a name that better reflects our bold, immersive, and electric approach to creative expression. This new space unites our signature offerings under one roof: glow-in-the-dark splatter painting, spin art, sip & paint classes, private parties, and more. Every experience is designed to be inclusive, joyful, and unique.
But Neon Paint Place is more than just an art studio. It’s a mission-based creative destination committed to building community, supporting emerging artists, and proving that art can be a tool for both personal empowerment and social impact. We’re creating opportunities, jobs, training, and career paths for artists and creatives in Baltimore. As we grow, we’re focused on sustainability.
Whether you’re a tourist seeking a one-of-a-kind experience, a couple on a creative date night, a resident needing a mental reset, or a company looking for meaningful team-building, Neon Paint Place is here to spark joy, ignite imagination, and turn chaos into color. We believe everyone has an artist inside them; our job is to help them let it out.
This is just the beginning. Our vision is to build a national brand rooted in community, creativity, and radical inclusion. A place where art becomes experience, creativity becomes connection, and everyone, regardless of background, has a place to play, heal, and thrive.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Yes, my side hustle grew into my full-time business and career, though it began with humble roots and a lot of late nights. I’ve always been a painter and mixed media artist, deeply inspired by abstraction and the emotional power of color and texture. But for a long time, I was balancing my creative practice with a full-time job, constantly seeking ways to merge my passion for art with something that could have a broader impact.
In 2023, I started offering private glow-in-the-dark splatter paint sessions through Airbnb Experiences while still working full time. I hosted these sessions out of a modest shared studio space. It was small, but I made the most of it, adding fluorescent paint, a Bluetooth speaker, and neon lighting to transform the room into a playful, expressive space where people could laugh, let go, and just create freely. Within one week of launching the experience, WJZ (CBS Baltimore) reached out and featured me on their platform. That early media attention gave the business an incredible boost and validated that what I was offering truly resonated with people.
What started as a passion project quickly began gaining momentum. People loved the vibe, the freedom, the messiness, and the word-of-mouth spread fast. It wasn’t long before my side hustle was booked out on weekends and evenings. I began hosting more sessions, growing my audience, and building relationships with local artists and organizations.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I started this business with limited resources, hosting sessions in a tiny shared studio using basic supplies and a DIY setup. In the beginning, I faced judgment, was laughed at, and made mistakes that taught me hard lessons through failure. I worked long hours every day, before work, after work, and on weekends, constantly learning, adjusting, and improving. There were moments I questioned everything, but I never gave up. Over the years, I stayed committed to the vision, grew through every challenge, and turned what started as a side hustle into a thriving creative space built on passion, resilience, and purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.neonpaintplace.com
- Instagram: @neonpaintplace
- Facebook: @neonpaintplace
- Twitter: @neonpaintplace
- Youtube: makingartmatter
