It all started when…I knew I liked to make mud pies

The most innovative thing I have done in my career is connect the dots of all my creative experiences from childhood to the ripe age of 56. I am a professional textile designer, print maker, fine artist, potter, and lover of  life . I started my own company in 2019 called Heartful Yoga to integrate yoga & art  processes for cultivating creativity, community collaboration and  freedom for self- expression from the soul  so there is a place to move with the body and a place to make a mark on our own life through creative play.

My love affair for color, print and textures started at a young age.  There were never enough colors in the crayon box.  And my hands were always dirty in the mud.  The tactile world fueled me as did my ability to drop into the space of child- like wonder and awe. This is the opposite  “work world” I had as commercial textile designer.  I had to limit the number of colors and techniques based upon price points of commercial production and know how processes affect the outcome of products.  I realized early on while working in the 7th Ave chaos – my brain and creativity excelled at both .  I was able to step into the process of designing based on cost, timing and type of printing process. And I am a "process junkie ". I love the uncertainty of not attaching to a hard end goal but rather working in the problem-solving, directing space for many teams of people.

My position as Director of  Operations at Design Works Internation for over 25 yrs gave me the ability to teach  analyze and lead  by example.   My team and I had our hands dirty  in  many  unique projects  with crazy ass deadlines for runway shows, movies, theater, museum restorations and  retail products.

 It wasn't until I did my first yoga teacher training in 2013 that my creative worlds collided as I had to do a soulful project. This project of incorporated textile design, pottery and creative teaching techniques placed me in the pivotal intersection of yoga and art. I used art techniques to teach about yoga and yoga techniques to help with cultivating creativity.  These intersections of process led me into making the Heartful Art Making  processes  for process sake, to spur healing, community connections, creativity and  human connectedness .  I was orchestrating the creative flow of induvial to be expressed with mark making purposes as a conductor leads his orchestra to make music. Each important to the collective whole.  Every yoga -art making workshop is based on a theme to capture the time, the place and the people involved. Later, every print is  custom printed and sewn into a product /sold on my website ,  so that all people can  wear this art from the heart ! If I was designing and mfg product for companies like Nike, Tibi and Danskin …. Why shouldn’t I do it for myself and others??

This process turned into my company - Heartful Yoga, LLC

 It has been a few years in the making. I have a team of specialized teachers and creatives who have helped me connect the dots in all facets of my life long love of the arts ….I  have the honor of conducting these workshops for  large music &yoga festivals, art & yoga studios, elementary schools, wellness centers, weekly retreats and monthly workshops, non-profits , corporations  and private family events.    

I am truly grateful for every facet of my creative life and for the support of my family who always stuck my drawings on the fridge, my friends who would always say “Dani is just being Dani”, and my fellow yogis who just jumped back from the mat to the canvas !

I hope you make you mark on your life.

OM SHANTI

Dani