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Bio

I’m Emma Freeman, a Mixed Media Artist, Creative Writer and Expressive Arts Teacher living in Wisconsin. I love color, pattern, textiles, slow stitching, collage, words, painting, poetry, nature, heartfelt stories and deep, authentic conversations. I’m fascinated by people and the ways art making reveals itself as an innate human need for soul expression. Creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm have always been at the core of who I am. I have turned to art making in my hardest moments for healing and in my most joyful moments for play, fun and delight. I absolutely love sharing my passion for creativity through teaching and am obsessed with researching, reading and learning.

I’m also a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and have been sober since 2021.

Right now in my art and writing practices, I am inspired by textiles that carry human stories of connection, expression and care, slow, expressive stitching done by human hands, the rich emotional delight that color brings me, the spontaneous beauty and connection I experience in conversations with people, the power of human touch to create, to care and to express, poetry from the heart, expressive painting and drawing that shows the unique marks of being a human in a fleeting moment, and art journaling as a way to invite play in the moment with colors, patterns, words and images connected to memories. 

I love to listen…to heartfelt stories people have lived through, to physical materials with my hands, to how people express themselves and the words they spontaneously choose, to nature, to music, to the stories and thoughts in my own mind to understand myself more deeply… 

And the listening always leads to questions. I love questions. 

I also love moments and the meaning that is created within them.  

And I love taking things slowly, savoring moments and connections, slowly creating something, having a slow conversation with someone, slowly walking around the world and noticing small details. 

I find making art to be an incredible adventure and a journey of self-discovery, learning and healing that awakens possibilities, hope, wonder, happiness and joy within me. Creating art is also such a beautiful bridge to connect with other people, nature and the world that I love. 

Writing pours out of me everyday through journaling. I have journaled since I was a kid and love to write poems, gather quotes, write reflections on my life and my creative process and teaching ideas. I come from a family who loves to play with words.

Creativity has supported my well-being and mental health in many ways throughout my life. I’m fascinated by the ways making art affects our brains and overall health in positive ways.

I have been a professional artist for 25 years but can look back and see that I have really been an artist for my whole life. It’s funny though, like many people I meet, I didn’t think I was an artist because I didn’t think I could draw. Now I know, that is a lie and all we need is curiosity, openness and determination to learn and to find support to develop our own unique expressive language with pen, pencil or ink.

When I was a kid, I loved (and hated) certain colors and patterns. I was passionate about decorating my room, choosing outfits to wear, dancing with my friends, singing in choir and being in theatre. I dove into black and white film photography as a teenager and would spend hours in the darkroom in my high school developing film and watching images emerge like magic. That passion led to me creating my first business as a professional photographer, which I did for over 15 years.

I’ve had my work featured in wonderful books and exhibits around the United States over the years. I’ve also worked in community arts education in a variety of roles for the past 25 years including as a teaching artist for thousands of students worldwide, as an Arts Administrator and Teaching Assistant Coordinator at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan, New York, as a Workshop Coordinator for Douglas Beasley and Vision Quest Photo Workshops in Minnesota, as a Gallery Coordinator for the Minnesota Center for Photography and as a Group Facilitator for online international support circles that blend mindfulness and creativity.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Studio Art and Visual Studies from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thank you so much for being here, I hope you find something that inspires you on your creative journey through life. 

Here are some photos of my art studio and teaching practice over the years:

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A hand touching a piece of textured fabric with stitched designs and a circular embroidery, next to a skein of blue yarn and a paper with the text 'Return to FINGERTIPS'.
A group of artists sitting around a wooden table engaged in a buried book making workshop taught by Emma Freeman at the Books in the Woods retreat hosted by Ali Manning and The Handmade Book Club.
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Stones and seashells arranged on a white surface, accompanied by a note reading "yutori: living with spaciousness." A glowing orange salt lamp and a card with flying birds silhouetted against a sun complete the scene.
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Emma Freeman from Deep Rooted Healing wearing overalls kneeling in a forest, burying art, a fabric meditation book, in the ground near a large tree during an art retreat with Ali Manning and the Handmade Book Club.
A tabletop with various textiles and sewing materials. There are different colored fabric swatches, a ball of dark blue yarn, a blue spool of thread, and a needle. The swatches include indigo-dyed and patterned pieces.
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Spiritual altar setup with owl image, sage bundle, crystals, feathers, stones, birch logs, and inspirational quotes.
Person's feet dipped in clear water from dock, wearing black pants at Squam Lake at Sacred Makers retreat.
Open notebook with writing and a black pen on a white desk, surrounded by art supplies like paintbrushes in jars, fabric samples, and a bowl of beans.
A decorative hand sculpture holding a small lit candle sits on a table next to a piece of paper with the text "Kotodama: word spirit, the mystical force inherent in language." Nearby, there is a small bowl and some crystals on a fabric.
A piece of paper with Japanese kanji "Ma" meaning pause, gap, or breathing room, with a description in English, is taped to a green wall. Dry lavender is pinned next to it.
Corner of a room with spiritual decor featuring dried lavender, crystals, a sage bundle, a carved hand lamp with a candle, artwork of an owl, and a pyramid ornament. There is also a framed picture of a person with the text 'full of light,' mala beads
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A white desk with assorted items, including a book titled "The Wakeful Body" by Willa Blythe Baker, hand-dyed fabrics, a spool of thread, a mug with floral patterns, and natural objects like stones, beads, and candles.
A hand holding a small rolled-up linen scroll tied with twine.
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Hand holding a decaying piece of fabric covered in soil, surrounded by green foliage in a garden setting.
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Hand holding a black and white feather over grassy ground with visible bare feet.
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Person holding a red admiral butterfly with orange and black wings featuring white spots.
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A rustic altar includes a stone Buddha head, a decorative elephant figurine, a butterfly, a small wooden bead necklace, a bird's nest with an egg, and lavender on a blue cloth. A sign reads "SANCTUARY."
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