Connection through Paint!

Consistency and routine are key for kiddos with special needs. When we can predict what’s going to happen, plan ahead to help with transitions to different activities and make a plan B if something unexpected comes up, it calms our brain to know what’s coming.

One of the purposes of Thrive Night is to bring connection to families with special needs. Because they live a very nuanced life, sometimes it’s hard to explain, it’s hard to understand…it can just be hard. Thrive Night aims to take the “hard” out of connecting with other people who have similar experiences. There’s less to explain, more time to exhale and truly enjoy yourself. This is true for caregivers and also siblings of kiddos with extra needs.

Special needs siblings have their own unique experiences that can be hard for their peers to understand. Thrive Night allows sibs to connect with one another, play fun games to grow their self-worth and each night also always incorporates a therapeutic component. In April, our sibs were able to express themselves through painting on canvas, but the best part was the journey of shared connection along the way. Pause partnered up with MaryBeth Swindler from Gallery on the Go to bring this unique experience to life!

MaryBeth Swindler is married to her husband Jim and they have two kiddos, Cooper and Abby and live with their two dogs. While MaryBeth is building up her art business, she substitute teaches and is the family chauffeur, taking kids to track, drama and piano practices. (#Relatable!) She enjoys being an active participant at their church and volunteering in the community. When time permits, MaryBeth likes to read mostly biographies and historical fiction and of course....paint & do crafts! When she gets bored, she not only likes to paint on canvas, but also paints rooms in her house and even some furniture!

Gallery on the Go is a mobile paint party business. MaryBeth was introduced to it a long time ago when a friend did a party at her home and invited her to come! She loved it, but as a full time teacher at the time with two young kids at home, she didn't have the capacity to start a business at that time.

Several years later, after MaryBeth lost her job during the pandemic, she was feeling a little lost and started painting a lot and realized through the help of her husband that she was ready to become an entrepreneur in this new season of life. MaryBeth gathered her supplies and got connected with this artistic community based out of Colorado. Each Galley on the Go guide is independent, but they connect in various events online and through an online community, sharing ideas, resources, and encouraging one another and MaryBeth says she feels really blessed to be a part of it.

She also shared more with us about what it means to be connected to art and to Pause:

Why is art/painting important to you?
Art and painting have always been a part of me. My very earliest memories include me with a pencil drawing alongside my grandmother, who was an artist. As I grew up, as often happens, I set my sights on more "practical goals" and upon graduating from Xavier University with an Bachelor of Arts degree in History (which definitely included some Art History classes!), I decided to work on a teaching license and a Master of Education degree. I also enjoy working with kids, so it made sense. Sadly, I didn't get as many opportunities as I would have liked to utilize my creative talents, so they got put on the backburner. When I lost my teaching job due to budgetary cuts during 2020, it brought a lot of feelings of sadness and confusion. Since none of us could go anywhere, I did what I could do to ease the troubled times I found myself in...I painted. I painted a lot and did a lot of crafts with my kids. It was a way for us to connect, translate how we were feeling into the art we were creating, and just the satisfaction of completing a piece of art or doing something creative really fed all of our souls during that time. That is what art is to me; a way to connect, tap into how we are feeling, and feed the soul by creating something! 

Why did you choose to partner with Pause to serve special needs families?
I was very flattered and excited when Pause reached out to me to paint with the siblings during the Thrive event in April! I cannot pretend to fully know the extent of what families with special needs kiddos and their families go through, but my nephew, Tyler, is an amazing kid with special needs and has two amazing brothers who have been with him through thick and thin! My sister and brother-in-law live a life filled with the joys and stressors that come with going to therapies, doctors appointments, school, squeezing in sports for Tyler's brothers and making sure everything is working in their family the best they can...they are an inspiration to me, but they get tired. I think Pause does an excellent job having these events where dinner is served (so Mom or Dad don't have to cook) and the siblings are made to feel special, as are the parents and the kids in their families who have special needs. I was happy to have been asked to be a tiny part of this excellent evening event...thank you! 

Did you feel like you made an impact on families with extra needs when you came to Pause? 
I sincerely hope that the kids I got to paint with at the Thrive Event had fun! I saw them experience freedom in expressing themselves through their paintings...there were no two paintings alike! I saw joy in the activity and connection! That is one of the best parts of this business is the connections others make with each other during the process of creating! It doesn't really matter what it looks like in the end, but the conversations that happen during the process and the connections made with one another, sharing stories, ideas, etc. are priceless and to me, life-giving! I have yet to have a hum-drum party or painting class...art lets you let your guard down a little and see that others don't do things perfectly all the time either and is an opportunity to encourage and be encouraged! I hope the kids I worked with felt all those things! They all did such a great job (as did the volunteers, who also got into the fun!).  

MaryBeth - thank you so much for giving our sibs a space to truly express themselves in such a beautifully, artistic way! We are so thankful for your partnership!

This is CAN DO.  This is COMMUNITY.  This is YOUR SUPPORT.  

Interested in hosting your own paint party, event or class? Reach out to Mary Beth at artsyguidemb@gmail.com or text/call 513-374-0708. Check out her website!