"I was unaware that I was setting out on a deep inner voyage that would lead to a more fulfilling life."
-Anne D. LeClaire,
Listening Below the Noise: The Transformative Power of Silence
“It is said that in ancient times souls intent on living would reach deep into their would and bring the fire living there into the light. Then, they would wrestle with it and forge it into a tool that would help us live. In this way, when we do authentic inner work, we’re forging tools for others to use. And just as the body needs healthy cells to stay alive, the Universe needs healthy souls to keep going. In this way, when we do authentic inner work, we’re sustaining a living Universe. For when we care for the part, we care for the Whole.”
-Mark Nepo,
Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression
I’m Emma Freeman, an Artist, Soul Writer, Reiki Therapist, Intuitive Medium, Expressive Arts Teacher and Speaker. I’m passionate about finding the sacred in the everyday. Slowing down, exploring quiet, authentic connections and getting in touch with the deeper parts of myself and others makes me feel alive and full of hope.
Healing to me means unearthing our truest essence, our soul, that is always right there at the very core of each of us, waiting to be cared for and listened to. Healing means choosing to go on an inner journey of self-discovery, growth and evolution full of challenges, surprises and extraordinary beauty and wonder. Healing means living a rich, meaningful, empowered life on our own terms, guided by our own unique radiant light.
My own difficult healing journey led me into the world of healing and spiritual exploration. I have struggled through addiction, trauma, an eating disorder, chronic illnesses, anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive behaviors, grief and loss.
It has been through this healing journey that I have felt deeply called to share my experiences and learn healing modalities to support myself and others as we work collectively to recover our light. That’s how Deep Rooted Healing was born.
I have worked in arts education for 20 years. I am certified in three levels of Reiki and as a Reiki Teacher. I have a degree in Philosophy and Studio Art from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have also trained in massage therapy, mindfulness meditation, Quantum Touch, art and poetry therapy, shamanic studies and am currently studying to become a certified spiritual counselor.
I’m endlessly curious, a voracious reader, sober, silly and playful, deeply sensitive, Buddhist, an animal lover and part of the LGBTQ community. I live in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin where I grew up. After many years living in other places, I was called back home to grow deeper roots.
Here’s a glimpse into my world…
Education, Training & A Few Fun Things About Me…
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist in the State of Wisconsin.
I completed a 650+ hour massage therapy program through Everyday Bliss School of Massage in Waukesha, Wisconsin in July 2023. I’ve been trained in many massage modalities as well as anatomy, physiology, pathology and kinesiology.
I am certified in Reiki Levels 1, 2, 3 and Master/Teacher Level 4 in the Usui lineage. I was trained by Kristine Joy in Hales Corners, Wisconsin and Christine Eartheart of Joy Potential in Bloomington, Indiana.
I am a certified member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals national organization.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Studio Art from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I have over 20 years of experience in the arts and arts education. I have taught art classes in a wide variety of mediums to thousands of students from ages 3-85 in schools, community education centers, libraries, art centers, non-profits, museums and online.
I created and ran a photography business for 15 years. I fell in love with photography when I was in high school in the 1990’s and spent hours in the darkroom processing film and learning how to see in new ways. In my 20’s and 30’s, I photographed weddings, events, portraits, worked in a photography school in New York City, organized and led a women’s photography collective and got to work with wonderful, big hearted humans who taught me so much.
I have explored many different creative mediums including drawing, collage, jewelry making, greeting card design, product design, web and graphic design, painting, printmaking, mixed media, bookmaking, stitching, weaving, cyanotypes and poetry. I’ve shared my art in art exhibits, books, small shops around the country, farmers markets and craft fairs.
I created a brick and mortar shop called Polka Dot in Saint Paul, Minnesota that was a combination of secondhand clothing and home goods that I gathered, local art and art classes taught by me and other artists for people in my community. I closed it at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I love to read, watch documentaries and movies, have deep one-on-one conversations, be silly and playful, be outside connecting with nature, dance, laugh, cook with people I love, listen to music, meditate, write, talk to animals and trees and be with my family and friends.
I grew up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and moved away for many years. I have lived in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Brooklyn, New York, Massachusetts and China.
A few other fun things to share: I have always loved animals (my grandparents operated the first animal refuge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), I’m a twin, I’m silly and sarcastic and I’m an Aquarius.
Teaching and Speaking Experience
I have taught many classes, workshops and retreats.
Some highlights include:
Slow Stitched Sacred Scrolls Workshop, Wisdom and Wonder Retreat with Dr. Minette Riordan, Estes Park, Colorado, 2024 (I taught this outside in Rocky Mountain National Park under the trees overlooking a gorgeous lake! It was absolutely incredible!)
Create Buried Fabric Meditation Books, Books in the Woods Retreat with Handmade Book Club, Snowfarm Art Center, Massachusetts, 2024
Ensō Meditative Painting Workshop, Unlock Your Artist Challenge with Elizabeth Foley, 2023
Make Wabi Sabi Scrolls Online Workshop, Sketchbook Revival Summit, 2023
Written from the Body: A Somatic Writing Workshop, Creative Unearthing Community, 2022
Make Earth Body Books, Sacred Makers Retreat, Squam Lake, New Hampshire, 2022
Create Wabi Sabi Mixed Media Books, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota, 2022
Create Poetic Prayer Flags Online Class, Creative Unearthing Community, 2022
Make Fabric Meditation Books, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota, 2022
Stitching as Poetry Workshop, The Nook Online Community with Zak Foster, 2022
Make Wabi Sabi Scrolls, The Nook Community with Zak Foster, 2022
Make Fabric Meditation Books, Handmade Book Club, Online Workshop, 2022
Stitching as Poetry, Weaving as Meditation / Collaborative Workshop with Kate Kilmurray through the Making App, 2022
By the Light of a Poem: A Solstice Online Writing Circle, Deep Rooted Healing, 2021
Make Fabric Meditation Books, Milwaukee Art Therapy Collective, 2021
Painting with Raindrops: Mixed Media Art Online Workshop, White Bear Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2021
By the Light of a Poem: An Online Writing Workshop, Saint Paul Community Education, Minnesota, 2021
Weaving with Nature Workshop, White Bear Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2021
Weaving with Nature Workshop, Creative Unearthing Online Community, 2022
Zen and the Art of Slow Stitching Online Class, White Bear Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2021
Transform an Old Book into a Sketchbook, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2020
Make an Art Journal Workshop, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
Ice Dyeing Workshop, Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2019
Art Making for Anxiety and Stress Relief, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
Explore Painting with Ink Workshop, Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2019
Painting with Feathers Workshop, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
Make Tiny Nature Prints Workshop, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
Make Block Printed Dish Towels Workshop, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
“I Can’t Draw” Drawing Class, Polka Dot Shop, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2019
Drawing Animals (K-2 Grade), Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2018
Printmaking with Nature Workshop, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota, 2018
Mural Painting (teens), Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2018
Meditative Nature Drawing Class, Minnetonka Community Education, Minnesota, 2018
“Art in Our Neighborhood,” Art Summer Camp for Kids, Urban Arts Academy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2018
“Reduce, Reuse, Recreate,” Art Summer Camp for Kids, Urban Arts Academy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2018
Teen Textile and Dye Camp, Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2018
Art Camp for Teens, Urban Arts Academy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2018
Create Botanical Notecards Class, Minnetonka Community Education, Minnesota, 2017
Introduction to Sun Printing, Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2017
Sumi-e Japanese Painting Workshop (for Teens), Artistry/Bloomington Center for the Arts, Minnesota, 2017
Support Circles and Discussion Groups I’ve Facilitated and Interviews with Lovely, Creative Humans:
Zen Peacemaking and Art Making Discussion Circle, Creative Unearthing Community, 2022
Sober Stitching Circle, 6 week gathering online, Deep Rooted Healing, 2021-2022
Putting it into Practice: The Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path and Art Making, Creative Unearthing Online Community, 2022
Highly Sensitive Artist Circle, 6 week gathering online, 2021-2022
Stitching Sangha Circle, weekly gatherings for 8 months, 2022
Quiet Writing Circle, Creative Unearthing Online Community, 2022
Stitching Meditation Circles, Creative Unearthing Online Community, 2022
On Slow Art, Sobriety and Spiritual Awakening, a Conversation with Daphne Cohn, Slow Inside Podcast, 2022
Intuitive Creativity, a Conversation with Amy Eaton, Bold Company: A Creative Business Podcast, 2022
From Doer to the Most to Sober Contemplative Artist, a Coversation with Robin Mayberry, Art, Magic and Medicine Podcast, 2022
Nature, Poetry and Buddhist Teachings, a Conversation with Margret Petrie, Authentic Creative Obsessions Podcast, 2021
Burying Books, a Conversation with Zak Foster, Seamside Podcast, 2021
Endless Possibilities, a Conversation with Rebecca Potts Aguirr, Teaching Artist Podcast, 2020
License, Diploma & Certificates
