Have questions about mindfulness, creativity, or what exactly happens when you mix the two? You’re in the right place. Wings Open Studio is where mindful making meets joyful rebellion—a space for curious, soul-tired humans to breathe, create, and feel more alive. Here’s everything you’ve ever (and maybe never) wondered about creative mindfulness, art as practice, and finding joy that feels real.

What is Wings Open Studio?

Wings Open Studio is a home for mindful mischief, creative courage, and joyful rebellion. It’s where mindfulness meets making—through art, writing, photography, and practices that help you feel more alive and connected to what’s real. Think of it as equal parts sanctuary, studio, and spark.

What is creative mindfulness?

Creative mindfulness is the art of paying attention—on purpose, with curiosity, and maybe a little paint under your fingernails. It’s using creativity as a mindfulness practice and mindfulness as a creative superpower. You don’t have to sit still to wake up; sometimes awareness arrives through scissors, cameras, and messy joy.

How can art be a mindfulness practice?

Art invites you to pay attention—to color, texture, emotion, and moment. When you make something slowly and intentionally, you’re meditating through movement. Each brushstroke, click, or scribble becomes a breath made visible.

Do I need to be an artist?

Online and in-person, you’ll find mindfulness practices, creative prompts, art projects, reflective writing, and occasional workshops or retreats. Some are guided; some invite you to wander. Everything is designed to help you return to yourself—through presence, play, and the quiet bravery of joy.

Who’s behind Wings Open Studio?

Hi, I’m Jillisa Hope Milner—a joy coach, mindfulness facilitator, and creative mischief-maker. My work lives where art and awareness meet, helping people slow down, pay attention, and find joy that feels real.

What does a joy coach do?

A joy coach helps you rediscover what lights you up. I use mindfulness, creativity, and play to help people reconnect with curiosity, meaning, and that quietly rebellious kind of joy that can exist even in hard times.

What if I’m burned out, skeptical, or just plain tired?

Then you’re exactly where you belong. Wings Open Studio isn’t about being calm or fixed—it’s about being real. Come as you are: anxious, curious, grieving, inspired. We make room for it all.

What’s the philosophy behind Wings Open Studio?

Three core principles guide everything here:

1. Everyone is creative.

2. Every moment matters.

3. Joy is possible.

They’re not rules—they’re reminders. This is how we stay awake to our lives.

Is Wings Open Studio a religious space?

Nope—just a deeply human one. My Buddhist training informs my mindfulness teaching, but everything here is inclusive, accessible, and rooted in compassion rather than dogma. You don’t need any particular belief system—only curiosity and a willingness to begin.

Why “Wings Open”?

Because this space is about opening—to creativity, to presence, to joy. It’s about remembering that even when the world feels heavy, you still have wings.

The name also comes from one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda, “It Is Born.” In it, he writes:

Every day on the balcony of the sea,
wings open, fire is born,
and everything is blue again like morning.

That’s the heartbeat of Wings Open Studio—those moments when light breaks through, creativity sparks, and something inside you remembers: you’re alive, and everything is possible again.

How can I start?

Start small. Read the blog, try a free mindfulness practice, or follow a creative prompt. You don’t need a plan—just a little curiosity and the courage to begin.