Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marlo Marrero Fernandez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marlo, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Marrero Fernandez – Chief Operating Officer, Brendaliz Ayende – Chief Customer Experience Officer, and Irmie Sauntinez-Chief Information Officer. We are equal co-owners of our business.

Creative Jam Art Co., is Connecticut’s premier paint splatter room. The size of our splatter room and our Glow in the Dark nights make for a great experience for all ages. Our customers pick a canvas of their choice, from 6×6 up 16×20 and will throw paint at it with more than just a brush! Combs, silicone basters, paint squirters, paint filled water balloons are just some of the versatile tools our customers use to create a one of a kind piece.

The studio is large enough for workshops too, such as paint pouring and, coming in 2024 to our studio, is water marbling. Paint pouring, is a technique that is very popular right now, where one pours layered paint colors over/onto ceramic/wood figures such as, skulls, pumpkins, snowmen, candle holders, canvases and more.

We believe that art is for everyone, no matter your age or experience. We have designed an art studio with an additional party room that is perfect for families, date night, girls’ night out, large and small groups, kids’ parties, team building events, and so much more.

Whether it is our paint splatter experience or a paint pouring/marbling workshop, every piece is unique and tailored to the customer. No replicating. The process is free of guidelines and allows personal expression and release. Creative Jam Art Co. is committed to delivering the highest quality of service and making sure that every customer leaves our studio feeling satisfied and inspired. The mission is simple: to ignite the artist within and show that creativity knows no bounds.

How’d you meet your business partner?

As mothers we are always on the brink of “what’s next?” Our kids are growing up and each of us had been taking steps to prepare ourselves for the next phase of our lives; I was working toward my art teacher certification and was reclaiming my status as a practicing artist, Brenda was making decorative pieces for sale on her Etsy page, and Irmie was furthering her professional credentials with certifications and workshops. Then, kismet.

One snowy morning in February, while working on a weaving project together, I turned to Irmie and said, “Are you happy at work?” She and I have been friends for over 10 years; we met at the local library where Irmie was running a bilingual playgroup. But the two of us had never really spoken about our jobs or futures. At the time, Brenda had recently moved into the house across the street, and we had been having long talks and dreaming of a future as artists and making a space for that.

The three of us got together to talk of our futures in the arts and what we could contribute to an art studio business and the community. I asked us to write a “Why Statement”. It really helped us learn more about each other as potential business partners and understand what skills each of us brought to the table. I am originally from Connecticut, Brenda is from Queens, NY, and Irmie is from Brooklyn, NY. All three of us have Puerto Rican roots.

Remarkably, each of us has skills that fill out our team: I am a professional art teacher, photographer and artist – I connect the dots, source materials and ideas for our amazing projects, and I oversee the flow of our studio; Brenda is a professional planner and organizer, with a passion for interior design – she has created our wonderful studio space, is our private party planner and makes sure our interior space is always neat, colorful, and inviting; Irmie is the techie with experience in web development, project management, and hardware and software implementation – she created our fun logo, our website, and manages all our technology needs.
Was it a leap of faith, or “kismet” as Irmie said? Yes, and I think we are smart, Latina women and we have so much potential and power together.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

The joy of creation, as corny as it may seem, is real. Creating something makes me feel good, and crazy and even mad sometimes because I try to control the process. In our studio, we want to emphasize how much letting go of that control is good for you. Kids already know how to do it, we can learn from them.

Before acquiring our studio space, we designed a mobile splatter room and signed up as vendors at several festivals in our town, to help get our name out there. In August, at the Rockwell Park Summer Festival In Bristol, CT, we met a really cool kid and her mom. The surprising part is that they both showed up again, at our booth at the Mum Festival, in September. The cool kid (my name for her) is about 10. She recounted our words back at us (like our pitch lol) and even remembered that we were opening our studio in October. Even though she had already splattered in our mobile splatter room, she wanted to do it again, her mother obliged. She made a new splatter painting in her fav colors, obviously, as she sported the same colors. And as she walked away she shouted, “See you in the studio!”

The absolute delight of her enjoyment of the art/splatter process and ours, as the spectators to her joy, is immeasurable. We received a gift from her, a new hashtag. #seeyouinthestudio. Thank you, Cool Kid in the purple and lilac shirt! We will see you in the studio!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.creativejamartco.com
•  Instagram: www.instagram.com/creativejamartco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativejamartco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creativejamartco
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@CreativeJamArtCo
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/creative-jam-art-bristol-5
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@creativejamartco