Ep 152 Deborah Andress from The Tattered Artist on Creating Family Traditions
The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
Release Date: 11/02/2023
The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods
What if the path you’re meant for… is the one you return to? In this episode, Susan Harold shares how decades in publishing led her back to a role that feels both unexpected—and exactly right. In this inspiring episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, I sit down with Susan Harold—Editor-in-Chief of Where Women Create and What Women Create, and author of the stunning coffee table book The Art of the Studio. With over 30 years in magazine publishing, circulation, and editorial leadership, Susan has spent her career shaping creative storytelling and championing the maker community. In...
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What if your creativity wasn’t just a talent—but a calling? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with artist Casey Alvarez, a Missouri-based painter, entrepreneur, and former Christian counselor who has built a thriving creative business rooted in faith, color, and purpose. From painting large European-style armoires on her farm in the Ozarks to shipping her work to 46 states, Casey shares how she transformed her love of creativity into a meaningful and sustainable career. But this conversation goes deeper than art. Casey opens up about: • How her...
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What if your greatest creative superpower wasn’t talent—but vulnerability? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange with Dionne Woods, Dionne sits down with groundbreaking portrait artist ShenShen210 for a conversation that moves from freight trains and graffiti culture to faith, purpose, and the courage to fully embody who you were created to be. Growing up in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Shen began painting at just 15 years old—eventually becoming known as one of the first female freight train graffiti artists on the West Coast. At a time when the street art world was...
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What happens when calm strategy meets courageous vision? In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Erin Schlarb, founder of Hemlock Strategy and Design and the strategic guide behind many of Dionne’s most successful launches, websites, and digital expansions. Erin works as more than a website designer — she is a thoughtful partner to creatives, artists, and small business owners who want clarity, integrity, and confidence in their digital presence. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, she serves with intention, helping clients understand what...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Michelle Allen, the artist and creative force behind the globally recognized brand Allen Designs, for a heartfelt conversation about building a creative life by design. From the unexpected way cat clocks changed her life and career, to her love of list-making, bike riding, and creative structure, Michelle shares how motivation evolves over time—and what it really looks like to let go when burnout creeps in. Together, Dionne and Michelle explore the tension between discipline and play, productivity and rest, and how...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with Dallas-based abstract artist and photographer Andie Hamilton, the creative force behind Andie in Color. As a young girl, Andie dreamed of becoming a photographer and fashion designer. Today, she is fully embracing every layer of her creative life—using bold color, expressive abstraction, and intuitive storytelling to shift spaces, spark emotion, and encourage women to be seen. In this honest and motivating conversation, Dionne and Andie talk about the journey from imagining a creative life to actively living one. Andie...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods is joined by Saskatchewan-based artist Michele Rogers, whose powerful portrait work honors Indigenous First Nations women and reflects her Métis heritage through stories of strength, memory, and generational resilience. Michele’s paintings give visual voice to grandmothers, granddaughters, and female warriors—women whose lives and legacies shape cultural identity. Her work is deeply intuitive and emotionally layered, rooted in storytelling rather than surface aesthetics. Through her art, Michele explores what it means to remember,...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, host Dionne Woods sits down with Swedish mixed media artist Jenny Grant, whose imaginative art and creative philosophy celebrate the magic found in the mess. Known for her layered, tactile, and intuitive painting style, Jenny empowers artists around the world to embrace imperfection, trust the process, and rediscover the pure joy of creating. Once a physicist specializing in Optronics, she traded formulas for freedom — turning her lifelong curiosity into a thriving creative career built on courage and play. Through her global Café Flow – The...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, host Dionne Woods sits down with Juliette Crane, a full-time artist, author, and founder of The School of Happy Painting. Known for her whimsical abstract portraits, layered mixed-media techniques, and signature owls, Juliette has spent more than 15 years helping artists paint fearlessly and reconnect with joy in their creative process. After losing her job in 2009, Juliette rediscovered her purpose through painting — blending abstract and figurative elements to explore storytelling, emotion, and the beauty of imperfection. Her intuitive art...
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In this episode of The Motivatarian Exchange, Dionne Woods sits down with multi-disciplinary artist and Turquoise Iris Journal curator BJ Massa of Junk’d Up — a one-of-a-kind creative whose imagination knows no limits. Known for her surrealist face art, whimsical furniture, and intricate assemblage pieces crafted from vintage finds, BJ has spent a lifetime transforming forgotten objects into storytelling art. But as she reveals, motivation doesn’t always come easily...it’s something she builds. Dionne and BJ unpack the truth about self-motivation, creative discipline, and the...
info_outlineDeborah Watson Andress is a wife, a mother of three, a grandmother of eight...and a proud Southern woman who places a strong emphasis on faith, family, and creating memories through creative events and whimsical art. She is the creator of Nana’s Camp in a Box—a box inspired by her own personal experience of hosting a Nana’s Camp for her family for the past 11 years and designed as a tool to foster creativity among families. She’s a Christian with a wild imagination and has always been fascinated with the intricate details of all the things God has created around her. She often enjoys capturing these things in the form of a photograph, a drawing, a painting, or in the written word. She strives to share these details, these moments, and these memories with younger generations. She believes that it’s when we embrace the creativity that lies within us that we begin to fully see who we are in Christ and His direction for our lives.
Upcoming Events: Oct 26: Paint Talks. Launch Nana’s Camp in a Box: Christmas/Winter Edition
Nov 6: *MadeTV—Homer at the Beach…1st of 3 Snowmen Holiday Series
Nov 13: *MadeTV—Homer on Broadway…2nd of 3 Snowmen Holiday Series
Nov 17th: Launch Christmas Collection & Ornaments @thetatteredartist .com
Nov 20: *MadeTV—Homer at the Rodeo…3rd of 3 Snowmen Holiday Series
Fun Facts: 1) As a child, I was a Girl Scout; and I won Cookie Queen 3 years in a row.
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I like personality tests; I’m from Fun Country.
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I once designed and planned a Christmas Drive through a City Park.
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I’ve planned and hosted a Nana’s Camp for 11 years for my grandchildren.
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Without any prior experience, I designed, hand drew my own blueprints, and served as the general contractor to build my 5200 sq ft, 3-story home; it was off only 3” on one corner which was corrected by the truss company.
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I own a paint manufacturing company with my husband.
Website https://thetatteredartist.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thetatteredartist
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thetatteredartist