Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Spoth.
Hi Theresa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started working at Paint Your Heart Out in Occoquan, Virginia in 2016 under Nikki Vandover, its founder and owner. Paint Your Heart Out opened in 2000, and has been operating for 26 years. We continued to work together for the next decade as the business continued to grow. When it came time to open a second location, she approached me about doing it together. We got right to work and found a neighborhood equally charming to Occoquan here in Shirlington Village. We have been so happy to see what a neighborhood and community feeling there is here in Shirlington, and we hope to see another 20+ years in the business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While there are always minor struggles in construction and planning, in general it has been a smooth road to opening. We have been in the business for a collective 35+ years, so we were ready for the next step! We believe that a positive attitude and creative spirit bring you only good things in return.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been a creative since childhood, coming from a family raised on crafting and creative cultivation. My creativity and freedom to choose my path for myself has always been protected by the people around me. I was in various art programs through school and eventually studied fine art for a short time. In my personal work, I focus mainly on oil portraiture. I also used to run an Etsy store where I sold custom pet and home portraits, which was featured on GQ’s website. That GQ article was super pivotal in my self-employment career. I am no longer running my Etsy store, but I sometimes still do portraits for past clients and friends/family. I am most proud of my ability to be empathetic towards the patrons in the studio. I can usually sense when someone is struggling with the fear of making art, and can support them in a way that lightens that load.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The nice thing about art, is it has always been around and it will continue to always be around. It is intrinsic to the human spirit. My prediction for the future of the industry, is that there will be a large shift to inclusion of stoneware ceramics in paint-your-own pottery studios. Most studios offer earthenware ceramics, which fire to a lower temperature. But over the last few years, particularly recently, there has been an increasingly large selection of stoneware ceramics available from wholesalers. We have yet to implement stoneware at Paint Your Heart Out, but there is a world where that could happen soon.
Pricing:
- Our prices are all-inclusive–no paint or studio fees.
- They range from $10-$70 (higher for Christmas trees) Most pieces land at about $36 average.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paintyourheartout.com/
- Instagram: @painturheartout @pyhoshirlington
