let's get the intros out of the way...

By: Danielle Kearns     
     Hi there and welcome to the claypen! I am the new resident blogger on staff, Danielle K. (there's two of us here), and I double as a Studio Associate here.  You can feel free to call me Dani as we are soon to be fast, creative friends. You may have seen me around over the past few months here as I’ve been settling in and learning the ins and outs of the claypen, and so far, I’m absolutely loving it.  (I mean, who doesn’t love an excuse to roll their sleeves up and get creative, especially at your job.) I’ve been listening to the feedback from our customers and have heard a desire for more information, inspiration, and artistic resources.
     So often, we direct our customers to Pinterest or Google for their planning, but instead, we’d love to direct you to things we’ve made ourselves in house.  These will include achievable projects where we have all of the resources and materials readily available in our studio to help guide you through the process.  This is our newest platform for party planning ideas, a GNO (girls night out), date night advice, and achievable artist tips -- not to mention sneak peaks on upcoming events and workshops. We’ve seen so many amazing things come from the minds of our customers, and we’d love to share more of that magic publicly.  I’m here to give you a little bit of all of the things, but I figured a solid starting point would be just a little background on our studio as some people have been routine customers and some have just discovered us for the first time -- and let me tell you, there’s a lot that the claypen has to offer you as an aspiring artist and neighborhood friend.
     The claypen has been a fixture of West Hartford Center for over 20 years.  We are conveniently located right on Farmington Avenue with easy access from our nearby parking lots (and even some street parking if you’re lucky).  We started primarily as a “paint your own pottery” studio, but over the years and through the evolution of new ownership, the studio has transformed into an artist’s studio, dabbling in other mediums and holding workshops for other art forms, as well as hosting exhibitions for local artists.  We’ve covered a little bit of everything, but our main hope is just to expose you to something new that might bring you peace, enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspire creativity and relaxation. Zen is the ultimate end game here.
     Our current focus is to reach a whole new audience of creative souls and hear from our community -- YOU!  We are a small but mighty business that attempts to meet the needs of our customers and keep things fun, artsy, and relaxing at all times.  We encourage creativity, individuality, and playfulness. We are an all inclusive studio with a relaxed atmosphere and fun-loving staff. What we hear most often is that people come here for their weekly rehab and art therapy.  A moment to catch your breath, calm your mind, and enjoy some quiet time. The importance of those little moments can never be understated or underestimated.
     So, let’s get it done and create something special together -- just remember, give it your all and give it your heART!  
                                                              
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