Today we’d like to introduce you to Janessa Prawer
Hi Janessa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In October 2021 a national emergency in child mental health was declared. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported that 1 in 6 youth faced mental health issues annually, with suicide as the second leading cause of death among 10-14 year olds and the 3rd for those 15-24. LGBTQ youth were 4 times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers and transgendered people were 9 times more likely to end their lives.
After spending nearly two decades in a myriad of mental health leadership roles navigating complex regulations, I knew I wanted to advocate for mental health in a new way. I found studies showing that if we can increase empathy, there is less aggression, prejudice, and bullying and that simple reality motivated me to make a change.
In January of 2023, I fused my art and business skills to launch Tiny Art With Heart, alongside my 9 year old daughter. Our mission was to create more caring communities that normalized mental health, using approachable conversation and creative channels of kindness.
After seeing how taking medicine repeatedly made my daughter feel like something was wrong with her, I was inspired to make and sell Med Snugglers, which are colorful crochet holders for medicine bottles and sorters. They improved our med taking experience by allowing us to leave her meds out on the counter as a reminder, while maintaining her privacy with the label covered. We even added fun buttoned-on characters.
We then expanded our products by integrating my drawings into stigma busting apparel and gifts that buyers could wear, use and share in their communities.
We sold all our products at local markets, which allowed us to get a lot of customer feedback. I always knew when I reached our niche target market because they were so excited to see mental health awareness quite literally woven into the warm and accepting brand.
In parallel to sales, and to support operational costs, I provided business consultation to local practices.
By September of 2023, we launched a volunteer program teaching volunteers how to crochet Med Snugglers to donate to youth facing significant mental health challenges.
We procured donated supplies of yarn and crochet hooks and met volunteers at birthday parties, offices, and schools. Each donation receives a QR sticker sharing the maker’s first name, age, where (and with whom) they made their donation, why they wanted to donate, and their own personal message of support.
Roughly 74% of our volunteers are 11-14 years of age because I increasingly came across research highlighting the lack of empathy that adolescents have, due to an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex.
This age group experiences increased insecurity at a time when a focus on peer relationships is high and empathy for one another is low. Add in the shortage of mental health providers, delays in treatment, and the high suicide rate for this age group, and I knew I wanted to focus on them.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My first obstacle was being vulnerable enough to leave my stable career to launch something on my own. I am not a risk taker. I grew up in northern Minnesota working for my parent’s small restaurant and resort, so there wasn’t a lot of room for dreaming. However, I am now fortunate to have a partner who is willing to support me.
The next barrier I ran into was a technological one. In the first quarter of 2024, we already had 284 Med Snuggler donations, but the QR stickers were manual to produce and the message landing pages were definitely not the warm experience I hoped to provide to recipients.
So, I reached out to my brilliant friend and entrepreneur Lukasz Lazewski, owner of LLInformatics in Berlin, for help. When he learned about what I was doing, he donated 2 weeks of his staff’s time to build a backend messaging system and a beautiful landing page for the messages! I was incredibly moved by his generosity. Without LLI, we would not have been able to process the over 460 donations we have received today.
We are always looking for clinicians and practices who can see how acts of creative kindness can work toward building empathy and more caring communities. Healthcare is a realm that is highly regulated and dominated by liability, so another barrier will be getting more clinicians and practices in place to receive our donations of tiny art. This is always a work in progress!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My previous boss, Todd Archbold, PrairieCare CEO, called me a “jack of all trades.” He was always teasing me and I couldn’t help but wonder if that meant I was the “master of none?”
Fast forward to today, and it’s clear that I have always been a learner. I got my MBA and my greenbelt deliberately to round out the creative side of me and I always want to keep learning. Launching Tiny Art With Heart is what I am most proud of, as it is the pinnacle of my efforts, is the biggest risk I have taken, and provides so much possibility to touch lives.
I have always been a true lover of people- quirks and all. I rarely find someone that I cannot work with because I always find a way to see their best quality. While I grew up on a heavy dose of Disney, I also faced hardships early and often. As a result, I have a depth of empathy that has been cultivated since I was little. It’s that empathy, paired with my artistic and analytical brain that’s driven to solve hard problems in new ways.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I loved the book The Power of Vulnerability, by Brene Brown. I read it when I was contemplating launching Tiny Art With Heart. If I am being completely honest, I only scanned past the third chapter because she pegged me so fast that I was already willing to take the leap to launch the LLC.
Other than that, I read a lot of children’s books, which quite frankly are the best at reminding us of the important things.
I use the app Headspace for focus music when I am drawing, painting or crocheting. It offers mindfulness, sleep sounds and positive morning wake up messages and so much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tinyartwithheart.com/
- Instagram: @tinyartwithheart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinyArtWithHeart
