Remember those 8 p.m. howls we had during the pandemic to thank health care workers and also to let out our guttural angst? They were cathartic for some, but they disappeared as things got back to “normal.” Now it’s generally frowned upon to howl in public, much as we might want to.
But thanks to TheraPaint Studio we do have another opportunity to let it all out. Jackie Laurian Long and her husband, former NFL player Jake Long, have been through a lot of personal ups and downs. (The list includes 14 cross-country moves, 24 orthopedic surgeries and not one but two near-death experiences due to surgical staph infections, the birth of two children and one miscarriage.) In the privacy of their garage, the Longs started throwing paint at a canvas (first Jackie, then Jake) and found it offered a safe, primal release and a way to process emotions about all those events.
Earlier this year the Longs opened TheraPaint Studio in a 1920s Music Row bungalow to share the experience. They offer clean rooms, PPE and compostable paint and paper. Think of it as a kinder, gentler rage room. You spend 45 minutes throwing paint in a private room with sound buffers — that way no one else hears you cursing elected officials, your ex or whatever else has you seeing red. But because the space is pristine, you don’t see the detritus of other people’s rage. It’s just a blank canvas for you and your emotions. There’s a speaker if you want to play music (or other audio) to make it a multisensory experience. When you’re done, everything you created is collected and composted into TheraPaint’s garden, which you are encouraged to visit and meditate in.
TheraPaint Studio was the 2024 answer to my question, “What am I supposed to do about all this?” It doesn’t replace therapy, but sometimes you don’t want to talk about it. You just want to act. Or howl.
—Margaret Littman
Contributor, Nashville Scene
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