I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else."
Pablo Picasso
Concept sketch
This sketch was drawn on an airplane on the way to a Mom 2.0 conference in Austin, TX where I had the opportunity to visit Soma Vida, a coworking space designed for wellness professionals – which you can see in the background. It’s always a joy to visit other inspiring spaces that share our passion for designing “creative habitats” that promote work/life balance. You can learn more about our design process here.
Before
This space was previously a Ladies Footlocker. We have since transformed it into a coworking space for moms. We are neighbors with the DSM Children’s Museum on one side and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels on the other. Across the way, you will find The Children’s Place and a kid’s play area – not bad digs for a space catering toward families! This central West Des Moines location has been a great starter space to launch our vision and mission.
after
As a start-up nonprofit, we had to get creative with our design plans. We worked with what this space gave us which was a lot of bright colors and wall panels. We decided our design theme would be “white on bright” and “bright on white” in order to create an energizing and inspiring environment. We made our own tables out of doors from Habitat for Humanity Restore. They represent “open doors.” We hope this space creates many open doors for moms in their personal and professional lives. The bamboo mats on the tables represent sustainability and growth – something we hope for all of the business owners who use our space (bamboo is one of the fastest-growing and sustainable plants). The lilies in the center of each table represent Matthew 6:28 “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin,” as a reminder to enjoy one’s work. While Creative Habitat is a coworking space, we hope the work done here is a blessing and not a toilsome process. Finally, the “Brave Girl” artwork embodies the playful and fun design we were seeking for this space while also creating messages of hope and wisdom.
in use
It’s so fun to see the space in use. Knowing these moms are getting peaceful, focused time to focus on their creative gifts while their kids are involved in engaging play next door brings the design process full circle. We started with these mom’s needs in mind and now they get to experience the space as it was designed to serve as a creative habitat to work, play, and grow!
ARtist in Residence
Alli Rogosich
"Brave Girl" Series
My art journey began years ago when I was in between jobs & searching for a more fulfilling career path. Having never considered myself “artistic” before, believe me when I tell you becoming an artist was NEVER on my radar…but God had other plans! Originally a sign maker turned mixed media artist, what you find here came about through years of laboring to find my own artistic voice.
I’m passionate about art & passionate about Jesus so every piece I create includes meaningful messages of God’s truth tucked away within the work. Each piece is a treasure hunt to find the bits of hymn pages, poetry & words from books that have been cut & hidden for you to find. Each message reminding you of God’s love, faithfulness, goodness & your infinite worth.
Art & Soul exists not only to provide you with joyful, meaningful art but also to provide you with encouragement for your own dreams as well. Together, we can learn to live a more joy-filled, meaningful & brave life. You can see all 12 Brave Girls and read their stories here.
In Her Shoes
We decided stamping footprints would be a fun way to pay homage to this former Ladies Footlocker. We plan to hang our new “In Her Shoes” art piece in our space as well as create a related “In Her Shoes” blog series in 2020 highlighting the stories of the Creative Habitat moms. We can all relate a little more when we understand what it is truly like to be “In Her Shoes.”
