Many of us have had the experience of walking through an art gallery, seeing a priceless painting on the wall, and saying, “I could do that.” Now, in a sense, you can. Or, at least you can learn to create works of art right in your own home. Think Bob Ross for the 21st century.
DVINci Box is the brainchild of Sara Meredith, local artist, teacher, and resident artist and art director for Matrix Coworking in Madison. DVINci Box allows people to follow instructions for creative projects from beginning to end, from wherever they feel most comfortable and with whomever they choose.
“DVINci Box is basically the art projects/processes I would teach in my art class only in a video format, with all of the supplies needed for the project shipped to you,” explains Meredith.
If that sounds a bit like the Paint Nite concept brought directly to the consumer, you’re not so far off. That was intentional, according to Meredith.
“It occurred to me that not every single person is comfortable working on a creative project in public or with complete strangers,” Meredith notes. “People starting out and building confidence with their own creativity can get stuck comparing their project with someone else’s. I see that as a barrier to creativity, so in order to [teach] people at any level I needed to expand the way I reach people. At the same time, some colleagues and friends from Matrix Coworking approached me with a way to design a website that would allow me to provide different sized boxes to easily allow for customization based on consumer need. That is when the ball really got rolling that this idea was a good fit.”
As a small business owner, Meredith says it’s increasingly important to use technology in innovative ways to solve problems in our industries and an ever-changing world. “In order to continue to drive business, small businesses need to be adaptable and ever changing or they get left behind. I prefer to drive change rather than letting change drive me. As a creative entrepreneur, I have always seen so many avenues where I can go to evolve over time.
“I want to continue helping people and business with their own creativity while expressing my own along the way,” continues Meredith. “That can include offering team-building events for businesses, offering more private events for showers, weddings, and parties, and once DVINci Box is up and running there could be affiliate opportunities for other artists and businesses to get involved. I am open to all of those things but really everything boils down to creativity and not closing any doors. Anything is possible!”
What’s in the box?
Meredith launched a Kickstarter campaign for DVINci Box following a Dec. 1 launch party for the project that saw nearly 30 people creating art, eating tacos, and revealing what was inside an eight-person DVINci Box.
According to Meredith, the goal of the Kickstarter campaign is to cover the cost of supplies and get a head start on designing the unique website that will follow. The website will feature a series of questions that when answered will customize the supplies that will come in the box. Whether a person wants to paint alone or have a party, already has supplies or needs extra, the box will be customized accordingly.
Starting off, DVINci Box projects focus on using acrylic paint. Supplies include acrylic paint, paintbrushes (set of five per person), palettes, aprons, and canvases. Each box will also receive a cocktail recipe that pairs with the art project, which adds a fun surprise element and puts a fresh spin on the wine and paint events happening in public, explains Meredith.
“For the Kickstarter campaign, the DVINci Boxes have been standardized with supplies for one person, three people, five people, or six to eight people,” notes Meredith. “After the Kickstarter, the website will be built to allow people to customize what kind of box they need by answering a series of questions.”
Whether an individual, family, or group of friends wants to work on an art project all supplies are shipped in one box. The costs of the boxes vary depending on customization and the number of people the boxes support, with prices ranging from $50 for one person up to $250 for six to eight people.
Using Kickstarter for the initial product serves multiple purposes, notes Meredith. It provides market research, allows for feedback before building the website, and gets DVINci Box exposure outside of Madison. “If we don’t reach our Kickstarter goal we will start off offering standardized boxes instead of customizing the boxes and look into other marketing strategies.”
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Creative pursuits
While working full-time in the print industry in 2009, Meredith started Smere Tactics as an Etsy shop showcasing her artwork. Smere Tactics provided an outlet for all of her artistic endeavors. The project has evolved over the years to include design, curating art shows, and helping other artists.
While she’s no longer working in the print industry, Meredith says it did provide her with a lot of knowledge and insight about producing products from start to finish, as well as shipping. Without having that base of knowledge, doing the research, sourcing materials, designing/packaging, and shipping would have been a bit more difficult, she notes.
“Last year my focus shifted to teaching my own flavor of art classes, focused on bringing out creativity in others,” Meredith says. “All of the services and art offered through Smere Tactics are centered around being able to be myself in every part of my life, not just my career, so I wanted people to get a taste of what that looks like for themselves in an art class and carry that beyond. Creativity is undervalued in our society but it is also essential in order for people to gain an understanding of their own authenticity.”
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