Making art for happiness, health, & wellbeing
Let's
get
messy.
The UGLY ART Studio
Making art for happiness, health, & wellbeing
The Ugly Art Studio is a pop-up art-for-wellness studio based in Lake Nona, FL. We believe making art is good for everyone, so we've developed zero-barrier classes that allow people to experience the benefits without the pressure. You'll find us popping up in unexpected places—parks, hotels, hospitals, cafés, offices, and senior homes—anywhere people could use a little more connection and wellbeing. We're on a mission to spread the word that art doesn't have to be good to be good for you.
Our art experiences focus on the process, not the product. And we carefully curate projects that integrate the latest science: research shows that making art boosts brain health, reduces stress, and promotes overall wellbeing. Now that's inspiring.
And the best part? You don’t need talent or prior training. The benefits come from creating the art, not how it looks at the end. We believe everyone deserves access to these benefits, so we removed the obstacles --
Bye-bye pressure and perfectionism!
Our goal is simple: provide opportunities for more people to make more art, more often.
Why UGLY?
Because perfection is stressful.
Because ugly is freeing.
Because in a world that’s filtered, optimized, & productivity-obsessed...
making something pointless, playful, & weird is a
radical act of self-care.
We believe:
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Making is medicine
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Process > product
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Everyone is creative (yes, including the ones who say they’re not!)
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Your messy, beautiful, flawed humanity belongs here
We're here for:
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The “non-artists”
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The creatively curious
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The overworked, overwhelmed, and over-Zoomed
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Teams, families, elders, teens—and everyone in between
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Anyone ready to feel a little more human
🧠 The SCIENCE
Thats right, we’re nerdy.
Art is good for you. Like, really good.
The Ugly Art Studio was founded on the growing body of research showing that creative expression isn't just fun — it’s good for your health. Backed by findings from the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab, and more, engagement in the arts is linked to improved mental, physical, and social wellbeing. Our studio aims to bridge the gap between this amazing research and the people by providing arts engagement opportunities in a playful, relaxed, and zero-pressure setting.
This isn’t just about doodles and good vibes. Check out the research behind what we do:
🎯 Stress Reduction: Art-making decreases cortisol (the stress hormone)
Even a short creative activity can lower anxiety and shift your nervous system into rest mode.
🌈 Neural Activation: Creativity activates reward pathways in the brain
Engaging in visual art has been shown to increase dopamine and promote flow states
(that good, focused, timeless feeling).
💞 Social Connection: Making art in groups builds social connection
Shared creative experiences boost oxytocin, increase trust, and reduce loneliness.
🪞 Emotional Regulation: Expressive art helps process emotions
Mark-making, collaging, or even just scribbling can support emotional regulation and make abstract feelings tangible—especially helpful in clinical or high-stress settings.
And the best part? You don’t need to be “good” at art to benefit. Simply making something with your hands, whether pretty or ugly, can change how your brain and body feel.
🎨 The ART
An Array of Hands-On Art Experiences
At The Ugly Art Studio, we offer process-focused art workshops that invite people to make art without pressure to be “good” at it. Rooted in research on arts in health, our sessions are designed to support wellbeing through creative exploration, connection, and the freedom to just be.
We offer three delightfully creative ways to tap into the science-backed benefits of making art — Social Hour, Educational Classes, and Wellness Workshops—each with its own vibe. Whether you're laughing with new friends, learning something fascinating, or unwinding with a mindful art moment, the research says your brain still gets the same feel-good boost. So choose what feels right. Or ignore directions completely and try all three. We won’t stop you.
All sessions are guided, inclusive, and supply everything you need. Explore them below.
We’ve worked with:
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Community parks and cultural hubs
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Corporate professionals
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Educators and students
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Hotels & hospitality venues
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Local festivals & art fairs
Settings we love:
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Parks, Cafés, Hotels, Event Venues
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Wellness & Yoga Studios
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Corporate Offices & Retreats
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Children’s Hospitals
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Senior Homes
Let us serve you. Here are a few ideas to get us started:
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Are you a hotel, workplace, or care facility interested in offering art-for-wellness workshops as a free service to your patrons? We dig this idea, and offer easy plans to make that happen.
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Are you a cultural or wellness organization looking for custom workshops to align with wellness weeks, themed events, or team retreats? Let’s talk about how we can provide casual or formal art stations for you.
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Are you a therapist or wellness professional who practices social prescribing? Let's discuss how The Ugly Art Studio can become a trusted service provider for your patients.
👩🏻🎨 Who We SERVE
👩🏻🎨 MAKE ART with us!
Ready to reap the benefits of making art?
Here's how to get involved.
RIGHT NOW:
Share our website with your boss, coworkers, events managers, family, friends, and neighbors. Ask them to book an event with us today!
REALLY SOON:
Keep an eye out for our first pop-up calendar! We are working on building a colorful array of events for Lake Nona -- drop your email below to get notified when it's released.
👋 Meet the FOUNDER
Hi, I'm Samantha Dunne. Founder and Creative Director at The Ugly Art Studio. I'm a creative mischief-maker, wellness enthusiast, and lifelong believer in the magic of making things just because. I started this little weird studio with one bold idea: art doesn’t have to be good to be good for you.
My background is a colorful patchwork of art, education, and sustainable architecture — all stitched together by a love of deeply meaningful creativity. I’ve spent years cultivating spaces where people can reconnect with their inner artist (you know, the one who got sidelined somewhere around 4th grade). I’ve worked with college students, kiddos, community members, corporate professionals, and curious souls of all ages, helping them to reignite their own creative magic.
In 2024, I stumbled upon a book called Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. This book changed how I thought about everything. Suddenly, my world imploded and my purpose on this planet became very clear -- I would become a service provider for the field of Arts in Health. In doing so, I would continue making and teaching art, but this time, with the clear intention of helping others live happier and healthier lives.
My personal mission? To nurture creativity that’s not bound by perfection.
The Ugly Art Studio is my mobile experiment in joy, play, and art-making without pressure. I’m not here to teach you how to draw like Michelangelo. I’m here to invite you to make your mark—crooked lines, weird colors, feelings and all—and see what unfolds. Discover the power of process. Because honestly? The process is the point.
Let’s make some gloriously freeing, radically human art. Together.
— Sammy 🎨✨
15% Off All Items
Psst! This is the
life-changing book I was talking about.
💬 CONTACT
Want to bring The Ugly Art Studio to your space?
Let’s talk about how we can create something together.
📍 Lake Nona, FL - serving Greater Orlando
📧 samanthadunnestudio@gmail.com
