A huge Webster welcome to the Village’s newest — and most creative — business, Serenity Life Creative Studio.
Located at 10 North Ave. (formerly Mabel Jane’s Vintage Shop), the new Serenity Life Creative Studio is an extension of Serenity Life Counseling Services, which already has established locations at 93 West Main St. and 98 North Ave. Owned and operated by professional therapist Mattye McKibben, the studio is the realization of her long-time vision to bring a community-driven art therapy space to life.
She’s delivered that in a big way. Step inside the new studio and you’ll find a bright, open, welcoming atmosphere, enveloped in warm tones with vibrant splashes of color. It’s an environment which Mattye says is “built around the concept of Open Studio Art Therapy, an approach that combines the freedom and joy of creating art with the presence and support of trained creative arts therapists in a welcoming, community-centered environment.”
Rather than feeling like a traditional therapy office or a typical paint-and-sip studio, we’re trying to create something that blends the best of both worlds. We want people to be able to stop in for a girls’ night, a parent-child outing, a date, a family activity, or simply an hour of quiet creativity, while also knowing that licensed Creative Arts Therapists are part of the environment should they want a deeper therapeutic experience. Our hope is to bridge the gap between clinical art therapy and everyday community life, making creative wellness feel approachable, welcoming, and accessible for everyone.
The concept is simple. When you walk in, you step up to the “art bar,” peruse the menu and select an art box stocked with supplies for your favorite medium — watercolor, acrylic, clay, oil pastel, pencil sketching and more. Each box includes all the art supplies you need, with optional add-ons. Grab some paper at the Paper Bar, find a comfortable spot to work (at a table, on a couch, or you can even sit in the front window) and start creating. There are even options for “little artists,” children 10 and under.
If you don’t have your own ideas and aren’t sure where to start, you can get inspired by one of the creative ideas posted in the studio. Or just experiment. You’ve got 90 minutes to work at your own pace, and licensed creative arts therapists are on hand at all times to help with materials, offer creative guidance or provide a little extra support.
Mattye describes the experience as “an approachable way to get some emotional wellness. It’s not a clinical environment.” Rather, “it’s ‘therapy-forward,’ more an open-structure art therapy.” And who couldn’t use a little therapy once in a while, especially when family and friends are part of the fun? What a great way to relax and put life’s problems aside for just a little while.
Serenity Life Creative Studio is located at 10 North Ave. in the Village of Webster. Find out more on their website, where you can also reserve a time to visit. Or just walk in during open studio hours. You can also follow the studio on Facebook and Instagram. And stay tuned for news about upcoming special events, like Ladies’ Nights and Teen Tuesdays.
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(posted 8/28/2026)
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