I’m Emma Freeman, a Heart-Led Contemplative Mixed Media Artist, Passionate Art Teacher, and Massage Therapist. I love exploring slow, soulful, fun and intuitive creativity and connecting with people through what I love. Compassion, kindness, peace, deep feeling and joyful expressing guide me. I also love stories…listening to people talk about their lives, listening to nature, listening with my hands and my eyes to art materials and to the physical body during bodywork sessions, reading books, watching movies…authentic, heartfelt stories are one of my greatest inspirations. I’m also a Highly Sensitive Person, sober and Buddhist.

My Education, Training, Teaching Experience and Background:

My journey has led me to explore a variety of creative mediums, healing modalities and philosophies, all inspired by my deep curiosity and need to learn and heal. Here are a few highlights:

  • I am a Licensed Massage Therapist in Wisconsin and completed an intensive 650 hour certification program through Everyday Bliss School of Massage in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2023.

  • I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and Philosophy from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I graduated in 2004.

  • I am certified in Levels 1, 2 and Master Level 3 in Usui Reiki. I am also certified as a Reiki Master Teacher.

  • I have worked in the arts and arts education for over 20 years in a variety of ways and love the arts so much. My childhood included a wonderful elementary school art teacher and a charismatic choir teacher named who both encouraged me to create and express myself. My mom put me and my siblings in theatre and dance at a young age and allowed me to take voice lessons as a teenager. When I was in high school in the 1990’s, I was in musical theatre, choir, and got obsessed with black and white film photography. From there, I went on to study Studio Art in college, worked as a professional photographer in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in New York City. My art career blossomed and included jobs as a Studio Manager for two amazing photographers when I was in my 20’s (I’m now almost 44). I also worked as for a photography non-profit and at the International Center for Photography in Manhattan, New York. I created a little shop called Polka Dot in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2018 that was a place of color, joy, art making and community building. There are many more beautiful and meaningful stories from all of my art related experiences!

  • My teaching career has been so fulfilling and rewarding. I love teaching! I began teaching in 2004 when I traveled to Shanghai, China and taught 3rd grade at an international school for 8 months. I went on to grow into becoming a freelance teaching artist in 2015. I have taught art classes to children ages 4-18 and adults of all ages through partnerships with art museums, art centers, libraries, community education programs, community centers, after school programs, art non-profits and through my own company for over 11 years.

Here are some photos from my art and healing practice and amazing teaching experiences:

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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.
Person's bare feet standing on grass, wearing a green and white patterned dress, sunlight casting shadows.
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.
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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.
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.
Hand with turquoise ring touching tree during a grounding meditation practice.
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.
Person's feet dipped in clear water from dock, wearing black pants at Squam Lake at Sacred Makers retreat.
Emma Freeman from Deep Rooted Healing with glasses and a blue headband standing in a lush green field with trees in the background.
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.
Spiritual altar setup with owl image, sage bundle, crystals, feathers, stones, birch logs, and inspirational quotes.
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
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 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 hand holding a small rolled-up linen scroll tied with twine.
Hand holding a decaying piece of fabric covered in soil, surrounded by green foliage in a garden setting.
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Person holding a red admiral butterfly with orange and black wings featuring white spots.
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Decorative elephant figurine with intricate patterns on a table, next to a candle, a Buddha head statue, a nature-themed card, and other small decorative items.
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."
Hand holding a black and white feather over grassy ground with visible bare feet.
Hands holding a smoldering piece of Palo Santo wood over a frayed brown cloth with stitching, next to a metal bowl containing more Palo Santo pieces.
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