Mother-daughter duo in Tallahassee crafts dreams into reality with art classes
Betty Proctor said she had a dream at the beginning of 2017 of passing something down to Nijah, her now 24-year-old daughter.
"I had a vision where I was behind a desk and my daughter was standing up beside me and she was about to take my place," Proctor told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Proctor said she quit her job in social work at Florida State University's Autism Institute that year after her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, was having panic attacks at her high school.
As she was looking for ways to keep her daughter relaxed, she found that creating art and jewelry was the best remedy, so they started selling jewelry in Frenchtown.
A few months after her prophetic dream, she realized what she would pass down to her daughter. Proctor admired her passion for crafting jewelry and opened Obsessions Gift Shop in October 2017 in the Railroad Square Art District, with Nijah as co-owner.
Now the mother-daughter duo are living the dream in the vibrant gift shop that offers unique handmade gifts from local businesses ranging from bubble gum and watermelon-scented candles to paint-splattered decor and beaded bracelets created by Nijah.
"This is where everybody has a passion or everybody has an obsession and it's just allowing people to be creative," Proctor said.
Proctor said her daughter participated in an FSU study on the effects of art on women who are on the autism spectrum soon after opening the shop. "Her social skills really started to improve, and her communication really increased," Proctor said.
In 2018, she introduced art classes and business workshops for people with special needs. "We've been doing art workshops with persons on the spectrum, and we want to be inclusive because the world is all made up of (people) that are neurodiverse or have varying abilities," Proctor said.
The concept of neurodiversity suggests that autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other conditions are simply variations of the human brain, rather than deficits or disorders that need to be cured or fixed.
Proctor said those workshops have taken off as parents and patrons find the same positive results she did with her daughter. She said each workshop has had at least 30 attendees since launching.
Her hope is to help those on the spectrum transition into professional workspaces and become entrepreneurs like her daughter.
"I like the atmosphere and just being able to help out," Nijah Proctor said of working alongside her mom.
In 2020, the duo started the nonprofit organization Motivating People through Arts and Crafts (MPAC), where they offer career development and art workshops to help encourage people to enhance their social skills and career goals, especially those with autism.
The workshops include lessons on social interactions in both formal and informal settings as well as professional development to guide attendees through starting their own business.
Proctor said through MPAC, they have helped over 100 people gain professional development through interactive volunteer opportunities at the shop and since 2018, they've helped over 50 people start their own small businesses.
To find out more
Looking to attend an art class at Obsessions Gift Shop or connect with MPAC? Call (850) 792-2737.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Railroad Square gift shop aims to help those with autism and others
