WELLNESS FOR MAKERS
Take the pain out of making.
Movement built around the way you actually work. Learn to sit, stand, and move in ways that support your practice, so you can keep making for years without strain and burnout catching up with you.
MOVEMENT FOR YOUR CRAFT
There's no one-size-fits-all stretch for makers.
Your hands, shoulders, and spine work differently depending on what you make, so your movement practice should match your process. For more than ten years I've traveled the country teaching artists in their studios, studying how each discipline moves as you create.
β¦and painters, printmakers, sculptors, enamelists, and makers of every kind.
You make with your hands, and your body is feeling it.
- Your hands ache after a long day at the bench, wheel, or loom
- Your neck and shoulders tighten up while you focus
- Your low back complains after hours of sitting or standing
- You're not sure which stretches actually fit your craft
- You'd rather prevent an injury than recover from one
- You want to keep making for decades, not just years
GRAB THE BOOK
Wellness for Makers: A Movement Guide for Artists
Forty-plus exercises with detailed photos to help you sit, stand, walk, and move in ways that reduce your risk of injury in the studio. Use it as a resource to improve your posture and build a body that supports a lifetime of making.
LEARN ABOUT THE BOOKStart small. Keep making.
Wherever you are right now, there's a simple next step.
Explore movement made for your medium, from jewelry and clay to glass, textiles, and wood.
Explore your craft ↑A Movement Class Pack targets the part of your body that takes the hardest hit from your work.
See the class packs →The Mindful Maker Series brings a short, alignment-based class to your inbox every week.
Join the series →Book a private 1:1 session, or bring a live workshop to your guild, school, or studio.
Ways to work with me ↓WHERE TO START
Ways to work with me
Every option is built around how makers actually work. Pick the one that fits where you are right now.
Short, targeted classes for the part of your body that takes the hardest hit from your craft. The easiest way to start feeling better this week.
FIND YOUR PACK
I’m making art all day long, so my hands really, really hurt. With all these stretches and everything, I think I’m going to be a long-lived artist! I’m relieved and fired up.
ANA BIANCHI · @analovescolor
weekly movement
A 15-minute alignment-based class in your inbox every week for six months. Yours to keep and come back to anytime.
“These practices might seem small, but they’re going to make a long-lasting, meaningful impact on people’s lives. The skills and simple tools she taught are helping creative people prevent burnout.”
RACHEL KELLY · @makelemonadeco
“Our members LOVED the Wellness for Makers workshop with Missy. It was informative and fun. Missy is an insightful instructor and helped the participants learn simple exercises to help them avoid injury while working in clay.”
JESSICA DUBIN
Peekskill Clay Studios
“We spend money on tools and equipment for our studios… and often discount our most important tool, our bodies. Wellness for Makers® is a brilliant resource to help us nurture, maintain, and repair our bodies.”
KRISTIN MULLER
Executive Director, Peters Valley School of Craft
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Hi, I'm Missy Graff Ballone.
I'm a lifelong artist and a licensed massage therapist since 2007. I founded Wellness for Makers in 2015 after realizing how few movement resources existed for people like us, and I've spent the years since helping makers move better and feel better in their studios.
LMTLicensed massage therapist since 2007800+ hrsAlignment yoga training, AYC Level 2 →MFAFine metals and jewelryAuthorWellness for Makers: A Movement Guide for Artists, published 2022. See the book →2015Established Wellness for Makers
LEARN MORE ABOUT MISSYAS FEATURED IN
FREEBIES
Free resources to get you started.
Two free ways to start feeling better in your studio: a mini course for your neck and shoulders, and a podcast to keep you company while you work.
FREE MINI COURSE
Neck + shoulder relief
Learn how to stretch, strengthen, and release tension in your upper body, so you can feel better while creating.
FREE PODCAST
Wellness for Makers
Honest conversations, movement tips, and expert interviews to help you feel strong and supported in your studio.
FEATURED EPISODES
Fuel Your Creativity with Holly Zajur β
