Original text

Published July 21, 2020

Jodi Rose Gonzales of Sister Bay says that her name was foundational in forming Jodi Rose Studios.

"I could definitely share stories about how hardship has informed this business," she explained. "Even the name, Jodi Rose, lends to that fact: Jodi Rose is actually a past-tense sentence, indicating that I rose above life's obstacles, using the exact methods that I now teach."

A Green Bay SCORE client of mine from years and years ago, it has been a joy to witness Gonzales' transformation from being what seemed overly cautious to developing a business model that proves the benefit of time.

Her website, jodirosestudio.com, testifies to the success of the slow, but a certain movement. She spent years finetuning a business plan that earned almost a perfect score in the business class she attended. It is a plan that melds her experience with her passion.

She obtained advanced degrees and had a career that included being an outreach and gallery director, grant administrator, artist, art director, yoga instructor, art therapist, deputy director of a World War II Museum, author, and coach. She gave talks on a variety of stages including colleges and conferences and was a finalist for TEDx Tucson.

"In the midst of this, there was a constant tension. When is the right time to leave a good-paying job and become an entrepreneur?" she asked.

One could say she was already an entrepreneur. While working full-time, Gonzales was creating art, writing books, developing art therapy programs, and teaching yoga almost every activity borrowing on past experiences.

"About 10 years ago, I left northeast Wisconsin," she said. "I lived in three places, first, middle Tennessee, where I was part of local leadership that founded the community's first economic development office. Next, I moved to the Berkshires, where I worked at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Wellness. From there, I moved to the Sonoran desert, where I met my husband."

Her career began as an art therapist, first with children in protective custody. Later, she worked in a treatment facility for women with eating disorders.

"Those years, and the five that followed, were full of life and career adventure, but there was a huge missing piece for me, and that was making art," Gonzales noted. "What I didn't realize until more recently was that my art is hugely informed by my family and community connections in Door County, my love of the land, the physical place, instilled by my grandfather and father."

While the return was expedited by her mother's cancer diagnosis (she has since passed), Door County has proven to be healing. Gonzales has embraced nature, and the art she creates uses elements found in the outdoors. This has freed her to find herself, and write a business plan that encompasses what she considers to be vital to a person's well-being.

Some of the basics were further defined by the pandemic.

"It's interesting, because, during the process of finishing the business plan, the pandemic hit," Gonzales said. "There is a sense of how great the need is right now. People need to use creativity, journaling and getting outdoors to help with stress. We need to have better self-knowledge to listen to and identify our needs."

She is working with various Door County organizations to share some of those techniques. Recommendations include journaling, art-making, and physical activity.

"Find activities that allow you to get out of your head. I often share art-making because that is demonstrated to reduce stress hormones and heart rate," she advised.

The full range of services offered by Jodi Rose Studios is vast. She says she is a CEO, creative director, workshops presenter, life coach, visual artist, speaker, digital service provider, content developer, office and program manager, photographer, and housekeeper.

She developed her website and handles social media.

But that doesn't mean she considers herself a jack of all trades.

"Be humble and know that it's okay not to be the expert in every aspect of your business," she said. "How could you be? Earlier in life, I felt like everything had to be perfect, but by reaching out to others, there is the feeling that we are all in this together."

She has again reached out to SCORE as she plans to license some of her concepts and invites stressed-out people to visit her website for a free copy of Wonder-Doodles, a fusion of art therapy, positive psychology, and neuroscience. Especially in these times, Gonzales says it is important to learn techniques that help us move forward and survive.

She concluded, "When we are concerned about problems, we see more problems. Where the mind goes, energy flows. It's like putting on dark sunglasses."

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and Past District Director for SCORE, Wisconsin.