{"id":19965,"date":"2024-10-31T20:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?p=19965"},"modified":"2024-11-03T18:36:17","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T23:36:17","slug":"empowering-art-a-mothers-journey-with-autism-and-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/2024-10-31\/empowering-art-a-mothers-journey-with-autism-and-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Art: A Mother&#8217;s Journey with Autism and Art"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Originally Published May 1, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The story of Betty Proctor and her Obsessions Gift business in Tallahassee\u2019s Railroad Square is a personal one. Betty created the business with her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum.\u00a0 As the business grew, Betty added special art courses and projects that helped her daughter and others on the spectrum increase their communication skills. \u00a0One specific type of project uses a record, a golf tee, and a bunch of paint to create art and opportunity for people of all ages and skills.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Video edited by Alex Campbell, Produced by Freddie Hall. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe style=\"aspect-ratio: 16\/9; width: 100%; border: 0;\" id=\"partnerPlayer\" src=\"https:\/\/player.pbs.org\/partnerplayer\/bTMs-84EbE45VEjkTIEd_g==\/?start=0&#038;end=0&#038;topbar=false&#038;autoplay=false&#038;muted=false&#038;endscreen=false\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Article by Suzanne Smith<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"border-width:12px;border-radius:0px;font-size:23px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500;margin-top:6px;margin-bottom:6px\"><blockquote><p>\u201cMy favorite thing about spin art is watching the faces of people doing it. Because spin art is the messiest art we have.\u201d<\/p><cite>&#8211;Betty Proctor, Co-owner, Obsessions Gifts<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u201cspin art\u201d that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obsessionsgifts.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.obsessionsgifts.com\/\">Obsessions Gifts<\/a> co-owner Betty Proctor is talking about involves an old vinyl record, a golf tee, and a willingness to make a really big mess. \u201cTheir reaction to it is like *gasps* or either \u201cOh my goodness!\u201d or \u201cWow!\u201d or something like that. So it\u2019s really cool seeing the actual paint fly off the record,\u201d she says with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19973\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Spin art paint from record covers someone's hands\" class=\"wp-image-19973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/messy-spin-art.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19971\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"View from above of a wooden table splattered with paint. Paint cups in different colors and brushes sit on the table.\" class=\"wp-image-19971\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/art-table-from-above.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19980\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Paint jars covered with splattered paint of other colors\" class=\"wp-image-19980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Splatter-paint-on-wall.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><em>Creativity can be a messy.  Left: Paint covers a record and a hand after a spin art session. Middle: Splatter from various paint projects cover table. Right: Even the colorful jars of paint aren&#8217;t safe from other colors flying off of splatter and spin art projects.<\/em>  (WFSU)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the t-shirt spin art of the 1980s, there are no machines that look like extra-large, high-speed record players involved.&nbsp; In Proctor\u2019s version, the artist adds the paint to a vinyl record, slips a golf tee through the spindle hole, and then turns the record sideways. The artist then uses their muscles to make the record spin as fast as possible. It\u2019s a hands-on process, designed to connect the artist to the artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing safety goggles on her head smiiles as she looks down.\" class=\"wp-image-19972\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7777777777777777;width:468px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Betty-Proctor-working.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Betty Proctor works an art piece at Obsessions Gifts in Railroad Square. (WFSU)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome people just make designs like hearts or circles. Some people make lines.\u201d Proctor told us. \u201cOne young lady did alternate colors like red and black and it turned out really, really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a variety of art experiences at Obsessions Gifts, which is located in Railroad Square. Spin art, acrylic pours, and splatter paint are just a few activities that people can do as individuals or groups. However, the real reason that Betty Proctor created this business and does this type of art is the real inspiration of this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A mother\u2019s love and a gift for the future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before she started Obsessions, Proctor had been a social worker. \u201cI always wanted to work with teens because teens have my heart,\u201d says Proctor. &nbsp;\u201cI always wanted to have something where teens could come, and they could just feel comfortable and just vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Proctor\u2019s sister had first gotten her interested in art, but it was her daughter, Nijah, who had Proctor finally leaving the 9 to 5 world. &nbsp;Nijah is on the autism spectrum and Proctor was concerned about her daughter\u2019s job security as she became an adult.&nbsp; When Nijah was getting ready to graduate high school, Proctor started to envision a different future for them both.&nbsp; She says one night she had a dream.&nbsp; \u201cI saw myself where I owned a business,\u201d says Proctor. \u201cI was sitting at a desk and my daughter was standing up and I was kind of moving out of the way and she was taking my place.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Proctor and her daughter turned a hobby of making jewelry into a jewelry-making business that progressed into Obessions Gifts shop in 2017. One summer, a graduate student asked Betty and her daughter to help her work on a special project for her Ph.D. \u201cShe was doing a dissertation on the effects of autism and art for females,\u201d says Proctor. \u201cMy daughter went to the art class, and she loved it. And her communication skills increased.\u201d&nbsp; Proctor was so impressed with the results in her daughter, that she permanently added the art classes and workshops to the business. &nbsp;\u201cA lot of the things that I do here is because of my daughter, or either the experience that I had with my daughter and I saw the effects of it.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-1024x501.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19982\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.0447284345047922;width:818px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-768x376.png 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-1600x783.png 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-1536x751.png 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-696x340.png 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-1068x522.png 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-859x420.png 859w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-324x160.png 324w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1-533x261.png 533w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Proctors-daughter-cropped-1.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Betty&#8217;s daughter, Nijah, creates art through a splatter paint method. Nijah is co-owner of Obessions Gifts and co-founder of MPAC with her mother. (Photos taken from video provided by Betty Proctor)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The addition of the art classes also expanded the duo\u2019s work with the community. Together, Betty and Nijah started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mpacobs.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.mpacobs.com\/\">MPAC, which is a nonprofit that stands for \u201cMotivating People through Arts and Crafts.\u201d<\/a> &nbsp;Proctor explains the variety of activities provided by MPAC (pronounced by the Proctors as \u201cM-Pac\u201d), \u201cWe help persons on the autism spectrum and also with disabilities.&nbsp; We provide art workshops. We also provide entrepreneurship opportunities as well as employment.\u201d&nbsp; Proctor is clear to point out that while MPAC does primarily serve people on the spectrum, it also works with those who are \u201cneurodiverse, with disabilities, and neurotypical persons.\u201d&nbsp; Proctor says the overall goal is to create a supportive environment for everyone.&nbsp; \u201cWe&#8217;ve had people to say to us, \u2018This is our place. This is my time, this is my space where I can freely be creative and be who I want to be without judgment.\u2019 And so that&#8217;s what we want to create in here. We want to create a vibe where people can feel comfortable and also can express themselves without judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"border-width:12px;border-radius:0px;font-size:38px;font-style:normal;font-weight:500;margin-top:76px\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;You just do what you feel.&#8221;<\/p><cite>-Betty Proctor<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Creative Process without Judgement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is that nonjudgement atmosphere that helped create Proctor\u2019s self-declared messiest and, possibly, the most fun Obsessions Gifts activity: Spin Art.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe had some FSU students, interns, that they were doing art on records. Vinyl records,\u201d recalls Proctor. \u201cLike painting and also just different things on there that people, you know, whatever they felt like doing.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then one of the teenagers tried something different.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe came up and he put some paint on there and then he threw it like a Frisbee,\u201d said Proctor. \u201cI was like, okay, let me come up with something where people can see it instead of throwing it. They could spin it like spinning records. They&#8217;re actually spinning a record. So that&#8217;s how we pretty much came up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19977\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"yellow paint poured onto a black record\" class=\"wp-image-19977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-before.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Step 1. Pour paint in various shapes on a record.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19976\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Woman gets ready to spin a record covered in paint on a golf tee to create artwork. The paint begins to drip off.\" class=\"wp-image-19976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Right-before-the-spin.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Step 2.  Ready, Get Set. Spin!  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"19978\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"various colors of pain spreading out from center of record.\" class=\"wp-image-19978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-1600x900.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Spin-Art-colorful-piece.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Step 3. Final desgin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><em>Three steps to creating a spin art record.  Notice in &#8220;Step 2&#8221; that before you can begin to spin, the paint starts to drip off the record.<\/em> (WFSU)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Proctor says that imaginative teenager then created three \u201cspin art\u201d records that they ended up selling to people at a restaurant in Railroad Square.&nbsp;&nbsp; \u201cYou don&#8217;t have to be a scholar to do, you know, to do art. You don&#8217;t have to have a master&#8217;s degree in art to do art. You just do what you feel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That lesson is exactly what Betty Proctor has done with her life.&nbsp; Betty\u2019s love for her daughter not only led her to create a business, but also created opportunities for all types of people to find and express their own unique voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Producer&#8217;s Inside Look<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By Freddie Hall<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Woman and man stand next to each other. Man holds a record with paint on it.\" class=\"wp-image-19985\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.75;width:415px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-1600x2133.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-696x928.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240404_143542-315x420.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Betty Proctor and I pose for the camera with a piece of Spin Art that I created.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"814\" src=\"http:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-1024x814.png\" alt=\"red, blue, black and green paint cover a record.  A golf tee sits next to it.\" class=\"wp-image-19986\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.257985257985258;width:453px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-1024x814.png 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-768x611.png 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-696x554.png 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-1068x849.png 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art-528x420.png 528w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Freddies-Spin-Art.png 1290w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close up look at my art right after I finished spinning the record.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:19px\">The moment you take your first step into Obsession&#8217;s Gift shop you are instantly hit with the scent of paint along with the view of all the colors around you. The creativity that drips from the place is empowering and strong. Not long after you take it all in you are greeted warmly by the owner, Betty Proctor. She has this wonderful process to help you create your own art with a particular, and literal, spin to it. It\u2019s where you let your ideas fly in the form of paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:19px\">Betty introduced me to the process of \u201cspin art\u201d by making sure I had on a poncho that covered me from my head to my feet. &nbsp;She let me pick out my favorite colors to use (blue and black) and I made a random design on a vinyl record. Next, we put a golf tee through the record and I used all my strength to rotate the disk as fast as possible. The paint not only flew but started to shape into something unique. Something that could only be called mine. This special art experience Betty created for everyone in our community is very self-expressive. In the short time it took me to spin this record, I felt connected to a piece of art that spoke to me. It made me feel great. That is what Betty Proctor does well: she helps people find their creative voice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">UPDATE | May 10th Tornado at Railroad Square<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On May 10th, 2024, A tornado ripped through Railroad Square Art district. In the video below you can see the damage that occurred at Obsessions Gifts and Betty Proctor talks about what she saw when she first arrived at the store that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"pbs-viral-player-wrapper\" style=\"position: relative; padding-top: calc(56.25% + 43px);\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.pbs.org\/viralplayer\/3096042852\/\" allowfullscreen allow=\"encrypted-media\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Betty Proctor has turned her Obsessions Gift Shop into a place where art gets a different type of spin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":19988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":136},"categories":[1626,136],"tags":[1137,878],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - 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