Hey there!

Welcome to the Studio. I’m Tricia Ballad, artist, writer, entrepreneur, and mom.

When I was 16, I told my mother I wanted a career as a writer, and heard the same advice so many creative souls receive: “That’s wonderful – but major in something that will allow you to support yourself.”

Trying to be a good daughter, I followed her advice. I suffered through several attempts at left-brain practicality that left me stuck in a spiral of depression and burnout before finally leaving my corporate job in 2004 to become a freelance writer. It felt like a turning point in my life.

Ten years later, I found myself, once again, feeling stuck. On paper I had a great career, but in reality I knew I needed something deeper.

I discovered art journaling and Intentional Creativity in 2015. At first, my art was purely a way to process ideas and cope with my chronic anxiety. It didn’t take long before I realized that the cure for my daily panic attacks was at the easel, at the tip of my paintbrush.  By the end of 2015, I knew it was time to do more with my creative work than pay the bills. It was time to make an impact.

I decided to combine my personal experience with the healing potential of the expressive arts and my background working with creative entrepreneurs to create Tangled Spirits Studio.

Tangled Spirit Studios is a safe space, a place where it’s okay not to have it all figured out, and to trust that the twists and turns of the creative process will inevitably bring you to exactly the place you need to be.

Want to come play in the studio? Here’s a list of workshops I offer regularly.

Looking for ramblings on art and life? Check out my blog. Also Pinterest.

Pretty (and not so pretty) pictures more your thing? Here’s my artist’s journal. More recent stuff goes on Instagram.

Just want to say hi? That’s awesome! Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. Also, good old fashioned email.