The Happy Brush

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The Happy Brush We provide everything but the creativity. DIY walk-in art studio located in Grand Island, NE. No experience required. Any age welcome.

Featuring ceramics, canvas, glass, door hangers and splatter room.

♥️ Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.Here's a little throwback to one of my many adventures in small business owner...
10/23/2026

♥️ Sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn.

Here's a little throwback to one of my many adventures in small business ownership!

Before COVID, I had this brilliant idea to add a clothing boutique to The Happy Brush. Because apparently running an art studio wasn't keeping me busy enough! 🤣

If you've known me for any length of time, you know I'm willing to try just about anything I think might help The Happy Brush succeed.

And let me tell you, I've tried some things!

Some ideas have worked beautifully. Some have been just okay. And some, like my little clothing boutique, didn't exactly turn out the way I'd hoped.

But you know what? That's okay.

I've learned over the years that failure isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the things that don't work teach us far more than the things that do.

Would I have preferred every idea to be a smashing success? Of course! Wouldn't we all?

But life doesn't work that way. And neither does owning a small business.

Sometimes you take a chance and it pays off. Sometimes you give something everything you've got and it still doesn't work out.

And sometimes you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and figure out what to do next.

There's strength built in those moments. Perseverance. Patience. Wisdom. And maybe even a little humility. 😉

And isn't that true of life in general?

We all have things we've tried that didn't work out. Dreams that didn't unfold quite the way we imagined. Decisions we'd probably make differently if we had the chance.

But those experiences don't have to define us as failures. They can be the very things that help us grow into stronger, wiser, more resilient people.

So if you're in a season where something isn't going the way you hoped, here's a little encouragement from someone who's had her fair share of ideas that didn't pan out.

Hang in there. ♥️

It's okay to try and fail. It's okay to change direction. It's okay to admit something didn't work.

And it's absolutely okay to try again.

You might not be where you thought you'd be, but that doesn't mean you haven't made progress.

Sometimes success isn't about getting everything right. Sometimes it's simply about not giving up.

And if nothing else, someday you might have some pretty entertaining pictures to look back on. Like these! 🤣

Here's to trying, learning, growing, and finding the courage to keep going. ♥️

Stop in this weekend for some painting! (We are still upstairs for now 😉)
10/23/2026

Stop in this weekend for some painting! (We are still upstairs for now 😉)

⏰ Ever wish you could go back in time? 😂Oh, the things I would tell my younger, overly optimistic, idea-filled self!If y...
10/22/2026

⏰ Ever wish you could go back in time? 😂

Oh, the things I would tell my younger, overly optimistic, idea-filled self!

If you've followed The Happy Brush for a while, you might remember when I had this brilliant idea to turn our main floor into a reception and event venue.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time!

Of course, I have LOTS of good ideas. Just ask my family. They've learned to brace themselves whenever I start a sentence with, "So, I've been thinking..." 🤣

I knew it was a risk. But isn't that what being an entrepreneur is all about? Taking chances, trying something new, and believing that maybe, just maybe, you've stumbled onto something wonderful?

Well, sometimes you stumble onto something wonderful.

And sometimes you just stumble. 😂

Not every idea turns out the way you imagined. And when you're a small business owner, those lessons can come with a pretty hefty price tag. Financially, physically, and emotionally.

Would I do some things differently if I could turn back the clock? Absolutely!

But I can't. And I've learned that spending too much time wishing you could undo something doesn't do much to help you move forward.

So, lesson learned. Maybe a few lessons, actually!

And while I can't turn back the clock, I CAN keep moving forward, making changes, and figuring out what comes next for this crazy little business I started back in 2014.

And here's a little hint... some things might eventually start looking a bit more like they used to. 😉

Sometimes moving forward means bringing back a little of what worked in the past.

So stay tuned! I've still got a few ideas up my sleeve.

And yes, that should probably make my family nervous. 🤣♥️

After school art camp was all about axolotls yesterday. One more art camp next Wednesday and then we will take a little ...
10/22/2026

After school art camp was all about axolotls yesterday. One more art camp next Wednesday and then we will take a little break until after Thanksgiving. Then look out for some fun Christmas camps!

10/21/2026

What's new is old and What's old is new...

🎨 Sometimes you just have to laugh! ♥️I love this picture. Two friends painting each other, laughing, and probably not t...
10/20/2026

🎨 Sometimes you just have to laugh! ♥️

I love this picture. Two friends painting each other, laughing, and probably not taking their masterpieces too seriously. 😂

And it got me thinking about something.

I've owned The Happy Brush since 2014, and let me tell you, I've had some ideas over the years! Some were great. Some were pretty good. And some? Well, let's just say they sounded a whole lot better in my head. 🤣

That's one of the things nobody really tells you about owning a small business. You can pour your heart, your time, your energy, and your money into an idea and still watch it flop.

And when you're a small business owner, those failures aren't just disappointing. Sometimes they're expensive. Sometimes they're exhausting. And sometimes they make you wonder what in the world you were thinking!

But here's what I've learned along the way.

Failure doesn't always mean you made a bad decision. Sometimes it just means you were brave enough to try something.

And hopefully, you learned something in the process.

I've had to reinvent, rethink, rearrange, and occasionally abandon more ideas than I can count. And I'm pretty sure I'm not done yet!

Maybe someday I'll sit down and make a list of all the crazy things I've tried since opening The Happy Brush in 2014. I suspect some of them will make me laugh out loud. Others might still make me cringe a little. 😂

But I hope I never stop trying new things. Because somewhere between the ideas that worked and the ones that didn't, I've managed to keep this little business going for more than 12 years.

And that, in itself, is something worth celebrating. ♥️

So here's to trying new things, learning from the flops, and finding a reason to laugh along the way.

And maybe, just maybe, not taking ourselves quite so seriously. 🎨♥️

♥️ A little bit of everything, just not all at once! 🎨Ever wonder why The Happy Brush isn't open more days or hours? The...
10/19/2026

♥️ A little bit of everything, just not all at once! 🎨

Ever wonder why The Happy Brush isn't open more days or hours? There's actually a pretty simple explanation!

I'm a one-woman operation. 😊

I love being able to offer a little bit of everything! Kids' camps, adult classes, special workshops, and of course, walk-in pottery painting. But offering all of those things means spreading my time around. A little here, a little there, because doing it ALL, ALL the time just isn't possible.

So why not hire employees and offer more hours?

The simple answer? I can't afford to.

The reality is that people often spend more on coffee in a week than they do on art in a month. And I get it! Art is an extra, not a necessity. But that also means running a small art studio requires some creativity of its own. 😉

I've had to find a balance that allows me to keep offering the things I love, keep the doors open, pay the bills, and not completely run myself into the ground, personally OR financially.

So that's why our week looks the way it does!

🎨 Tuesday–Thursday: Classes, camps & workshops

🖌️ Friday–Sunday: Walk-in pottery painting

After more than a decade of The Happy Brush, I'm still here, still creating, and still doing my best to make this little art studio a place where our community can come and make something wonderful. ♥️

And here's my little reminder: If you love having unique, locally owned places in your community, the best way to keep them around is to actually visit them.

Likes, shares, and kind words mean so much, but it's the people who walk through our doors who make it possible to keep opening them.

Thank you for helping me keep The Happy Brush going, one brushstroke at a time! ♥️

November is in a few weeks and YES our calendar for classes will have all the good stuff!
10/19/2026

November is in a few weeks and YES our calendar for classes will have all the good stuff!

Well. We gave it a solid two years. After our last venue booking in November we have other plans for this space. What I ...
10/19/2026

Well. We gave it a solid two years. After our last venue booking in November we have other plans for this space. What I have learned over the past two years is that this building works best as one thing. Not two. Adding the venue and moving the happy brush upstairs was a decision based on trying to simplify my life and generate more income in a struggling economy. It did neither. Not sure when it will happen, maybe early 2027 but things around here will look a little start to look a little more like 2024.

Something for the kids and something for the grown-ups! You must register for both on our website (the link is at the to...
10/19/2026

Something for the kids and something for the grown-ups! You must register for both on our website (the link is at the top of our page)

Address

305 3rd Street W
Grand Island, NE
68801

Telephone

+13086751199

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