During a challenging, grief-filled period of her life, psychology graduate Jackie Laurian Long sought a healthier alternative to “rage rooms” and discovered something powerful: throwing paint. She founded TheraPaint Studio in her garage, transforming her personal trauma into a sustainable, creative practice.
Today, TheraPaint’s beautiful studio on Music Row, co-founded with Jackie’s husband, former NFL player Jake Long, offers a cathartic release for visitors who splatter paint onto compostable canvases —“throwing out” buried stress or grief rather than breaking objects. Having experienced a session personally, I can attest that the emotional release through throwing paint feels both liberating and restorative, making TheraPaint a remarkable complement to traditional mental health practices. Meet our newest FACE of Nashville!
What inspired you to create TheraPaint Studio?
I have always been fascinated with psychology and decided to major in it at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I knew going clinical wasn’t in my future, but my love for the work remained. The idea for TheraPaint Studio was born out of a traumatic season of life that involved multiple cross-country moves, the caretaking of my husband through 24 orthopedic surgeries (seven of which were emergent and life/limb threatening), the birth of two children, and one miscarriage.
It was an incredibly difficult time, and I felt like everything around me was crumbling … and I had to hold it all together. I felt like no one could truly see how I was struggling on the outside, but on the inside, I was carrying the weight of one trauma after another, and I had this deep desire to throw this feeling out of my body. I had heard of smash places and rage rooms, but those places felt like they were wasteful and just left more brokenness and destruction in their wake.
I wanted to get this feeling out of my body … I felt that if I could just see a visual representation of what I was holding on the inside, I would be able to let it go and begin to heal from it — beyond the work I was already doing through regular therapy and exercise.
After creating a makeshift studio in our garage, it quickly became a regular practice. Eventually, I started sharing my practice with friends who were going through their own challenges, and it just took off from there … I knew I wanted our materials to be compostable so we could give the final product over to the earth to transform the released energy into something beautiful and productive.
What role does TheraPaint play in the mental health arena?
TheraPaint allows the body to process whatever it is going through without using words. There is no need to make sense of it or make it pretty or have any judgment of the work because the final canvas goes directly to be composted. The work itself is much more about the artist than the art.
TheraPaint is not art therapy. It is the cathartic act of intentionally and physically throwing out what no longer serves you, or feels blocked, that provides a feeling of instant lightness and relief. One hundred percent of our clients leave their sessions feeling better than when they arrived. We are happy and honored to have created this adjunct therapy to be used in conjunction with other wellness practices.
So visitors don’t get to take their work home?
No. You have to let it go and let it grow! You are welcome to take photos or videos of your creation during your session, but you must leave the actual giant wall of dripping canvas behind so something beautiful can grow from it in our on-site garden. At the conclusion of your session, we will gift you a Polaroid of your creation to take home with you as a nostalgic memento of what you released in the studio.
When you’re not working, what are some of your favorite ways to unwind and recharge?
I really do love to have my own paint-throwing session after hours. I make sure to get at least one maintenance throw in every few weeks for my own sanity. I also love just being outside in general and find it hugely restorative. Some of my favorite things to do are taking our dog Lulu for walks in the Warner Parks, exploring Nashville’s yummy and exciting dining scene with my husband Jake, playing soccer with my daughters, and having quality time with small groups of friends.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I have ever received (and that took me the longest time to learn) is no one is meant to do it all alone. We all have unique gifts, and it’s important to allow ourselves to lean on others, especially in times of need, to use and receive those gifts.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, name three things can’t you live without.
Sunscreen, time in nature, and dark chocolate.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Go-to gift and where to get it? Salt cellar and Maldon Sea Salt. That stuff is good on everything! I always find gifts for people at The Kitchen. They also have great cheese, charcuterie, and other little housewares to grab if you are heading to a dinner party!
Favorite self-care item or treatment you can’t live without? The Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator by goop. I use it multiple times a week, and it is my favorite!
Favorite hidden gem in Nashville? Cocorico Bakery & Cafe at the top of Music Row. They have the best almond croissants of all time and easy parking!
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