If you’re looking to do something creative and you don’t think you can, there are people and places that can teach you.

Located in Okemos and Lansing, two studios provide space for people of all ages to put their hidden talents to work—all under the guidance of staff with loads of ideas that get results. From paint-your-own pottery to watercolor to mosaics to glass fusing, Art Unlimited and Playing Picasso offer a safe haven for the artistically inclined on a walk-in or scheduled basis.

“We’re very teaching based,” said Anne O’Connor, the owner of Art Unlimited. “If you came in and you’d never painted before, we’d be able to help you do something very cool that you wouldn’t think you could do.”

The owner of Playing Picasso said the same.

“When you drop in to my studio, we show you all the possibilities,” said Caroline Lorenz. “It’s not like we just give you the paint and have you go for it. We show you what to do, and give you the technique to do it.”

Art Unlimited

Art was always in her future, but not always at the front of her career.

After selling cellular phones for 12 years, Anne O’Connor had a chance to buy a studio space and start a business, something she thought only “those crazy people” did.

“My dad said it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something that fit for me,” the Sault Ste. Marie native said of opening Art Unlimited in downtown Okemos five years ago. “I like to paint, I love kids, I love teaching. And now, I just love what I do.”

That testament shows in the 4,100-square-foot gallery suite where adults and kids can paint and decorate pottery pieces, create mosaics from colorful gems, or fuse glass into bowls or other functional items. Customers can also create their own pottery through wheel-throwing and clay- building classes, or transform old wine bottles into conversation pieces through a kiln-firing process called glass slumping.

“You can do it all here,” said O’Connor. “And we’ll help you.”

The basic concept is to provide a place where adults and kids can enjoy creative time with each other or by themselves. Customers can pick from a variety of inventory items like soap dishes, plates or vases, then choose glazing colors. Stencils, stamps, books and other items are on hand to add flair to any artistic creation.

“It’s a great place for kids,” said O’Connor. “You can sit and relax with your child, do something artistic, and have something to take home. You can’t really say that about going to a movie.”

Birthday parties are a big draw, with two-hour parties involving painting pottery, plates or creating other small ornamental objects. Children can also pick out a toy, stuff it, and then paint a shirt to go on their newly made friend. Field trips are popular for schools and other child-center organizations, with drop-off events and summer camps becoming increasingly viable for families on the go.

But activities and parties aren’t limited to children.

“My first birthday party here was for two men turning 65,” said O’Connor. “I remember their wives saying, ‘We have games for the guys in the car’—and my telling them to leave the games outside. ‘The guys will paint,’ I told them. And they did, with a neurosurgeon and a lobbyist spending the most time painting. It was a great party.”

Businesses, associations and other student organizations like fraternities and sororities have discovered the morale- and team-building benefits of an Art Unlimited workshop. Brides-to-be have also been staging showers and bachelorette parties that revolve around painting custom dinnerware or creating tiled mirrors or other unique bridal gifts.

“We’re always coming up with new things,” said O’Connor, as she mentioned her latest classes: water color painting and hand-building with clay. “We just want to be a place where you can come in and walk away with something really cool.”

Playing Picasso

Caroline Lorenz readily admits she’s not an artist. But with the combination of talented staff and strong business sense, she’s kept the kiln fires burning on her paint-your-own pottery studio.

Located in Frandor on Lansing’s eastern edge, Playing Picasso offers babies through seniors the chance to create something unique out of clay, glass and paint.

“I always tell people, if you can color in a coloring book, you can do this,” said Lorenz of the business she launched four years ago. “Most everyone who comes here walks out saying they’ve had fun.”

Customers at Playing Picasso can choose from 500 different clay pieces to transform through a choice of 85 colors, stamps, stencils or any custom pattern they bring in or can think of. After painting and decorating their vases, bowls or other piece, customers leave it for Lorenz to fire in the kiln, then pick it up a few days later.

“It’s like Christmas every time you open up the kiln,” she said. “It’s so much fun to see what you can create.”

The studio operates on a walk-in basis, with classes offered from time to time based on interest. Some classes are for children, some for adults, others are for both. One well-attended class involves parents and children making pottery pieces or tiles customized with hand, foot and thumb prints. Bridal showers and birthday parties are popular, too, with a special room set aside for socializing and the creation of tiled mirrors and mosaics.

Lorenz has encouraged community groups and schools to come and explore artistic possibilities. Some schools send groups to make pottery pieces for auctions and fundraisers; others come for occasional field trips. For those that don’t have the resources to come on site, Lorenz offers to-go activities, and provides a bundle of items that customers can pick up and take back to their home base.

“My biggest thing is watching everyone enjoy themselves, and seeing their reaction to what something looks like when it’s done,” said Lorenz. “That’s the best.”