Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherrie Savage.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins in Detroit, where art became both a sanctuary and a lifeline at an early age. I started drawing at three years old, long before I understood that creativity would become the throughline of my life. Like many children, I navigated joy and trauma simultaneously, and art became the place where I could process, express, and make sense of those experiences. What started as instinctive self-soothing grew into a passion that carried me through adolescence and into my professional life.
I went on to study illustration at the College for Creative Studies, grounding my natural creativity in formal training. Yet the turning point in my journey came years later, when I began exploring how art supported my own well-being as an adult managing stress, anxiety, and the complex realities of everyday life. I realized that the same crayons, pencils, and playful tools that comforted me as a child still had the power to bring relief, clarity, and joy.
In 2016, I self-published my first coloring book, Naturally ILLustrated, which unexpectedly opened the door to a much larger purpose. Community coloring events, partnerships with nonprofits and major brands, and an outpouring of feedback from people who felt genuinely soothed by the experience affirmed what I suspected: creativity is a form of care. And people were craving it.
This evolution led to The Coloring Museum, a concept born during my time in TechTown Detroit’s Retail Boot Camp and now becoming a permanent fixture in the Grandmont Rosedale community. What began as a coloring book has grown into a full creative wellness brand—offering immersive coloring experiences, custom illustration services, a retail product line, and soon, a 26-foot mobile Coloring Truck designed to bring creative engagement directly to neighborhoods, schools, and events across the city.
At its core, The Coloring Museum is the culmination of my life’s journey. It is a tribute to resilience, culture, and the healing power of art. My aspiration is to build a space where people of all ages—especially youth and underrepresented communities—can reconnect with creativity as a tool for grounding, joy, and emotional well-being. It’s a place where stories like mine, shaped by both struggle and imagination, can inspire others to explore their own paths through color, play, and reflection.
In many ways, I didn’t just build The Coloring Museum—my story built it for me. And now, my mission is to ensure it continues to inspire, uplift, and heal the communities it serves for years to come.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has been meaningful, but it has definitely not been smooth. My journey has been shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a willingness to rebuild—sometimes more than once.
One of the earliest challenges was navigating my own personal history. Much of The Coloring Museum is rooted in childhood trauma, mental health struggles, and the experience of trying to find peace while growing up in environments that didn’t always feel safe or stable. Turning those experiences into something healing and celebratory required years of inner work, self-awareness, and courage.
From a business perspective, the challenges were just as real. Naturally ILLustrated originally launched through pop-up events, and when the pandemic hit, everything changed overnight. I lost the ability to host in-person experiences, partnerships shifted, and I had to pivot quickly into freelance illustration just to keep the business alive. Those moments forced me to stretch every skill I had—artist, marketer, educator, entrepreneur—often all at once.
Funding a vision as large as The Coloring Museum has been another mountain to climb. Grants, pitch competitions, and community support have been essential, but there is no blueprint for building a creative wellness museum from scratch. I’ve had to learn construction timelines, financial forecasting, architectural design language, and how to advocate for my business in rooms where creative wellness isn’t always understood.
Balancing full-time graduate school, entrepreneurship, and building a brick-and-mortar space has also been a challenge. There were many nights of exhaustion, uncertainty, and questioning if I could carry all of this. But every time someone tells me “I needed this” after experiencing one of my products or events, it reinforces that the struggle has purpose.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth—but the rough parts shaped the mission. Every setback clarified my commitment to creating a space that supports mental health, celebrates culture, and brings joy to Detroit communities. The challenges weren’t obstacles—they were the foundation.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Coloring Museum?
The Coloring Museum is a creative wellness brand rooted in the belief that art should be accessible, healing, and joyful for everyone. What started as a single coloring book has grown into a multi-dimensional experience that blends art, culture, mental well-being, and community engagement in a way that is both nostalgic and innovative.
At its core, The Coloring Museum is dedicated to using creativity as a tool for emotional grounding and connection. We specialize in immersive coloring experiences—from large-scale Coloring Walls to interactive workshops, custom illustrations, youth art sessions, and a growing line of coloring-based lifestyle products. Our services show up in schools, community events, corporate spaces, festivals, and soon, through our 26-foot Coloring Truck that will bring hands-on creativity directly into neighborhoods.
We are known most for our signature Coloring Wall—a vibrant, oversized, museum-style illustration that people of all ages can color together. It has traveled to major events including the NFL Draft, Detroit Tigers games, and large community festivals, becoming a favorite wherever it goes. The Coloring Wall is more than an art activity; it’s a moment of pause, play, and shared joy.
What sets us apart is our mission and the intention behind every offering. The Coloring Museum isn’t just about coloring—it’s about emotional wellness, cultural representation, and creating a safe space for people to reconnect with themselves. Much of our product line reflects positive, affirming images of Black and brown people, Detroit culture, and themes of empowerment. We bridge nostalgia with purpose, inviting people back to a childhood experience that so many of us haven’t revisited in years.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the authenticity that anchors everything we do. The Coloring Museum was built from my own story—using creativity to heal—and that purpose is woven into every mural, every product, every event, every design. The brand reflects real Detroit energy: resilient, colorful, community-oriented, and full of heart.
For readers unfamiliar with us, I want them to know that The Coloring Museum is more than a store or an art service. It is a movement to make creativity a normal part of wellness. It is a place—both physical and mobile—where families, schools, organizations, and individuals can experience art in a way that reduces stress, strengthens relationships, and celebrates culture. And with our brick-and-mortar location opening in 2026, we are building a permanent home dedicated entirely to the power of color and community.
Ultimately, The Coloring Museum invites people to slow down, pick up a crayon, and reconnect—with themselves, with each other, and with the joy of being creative again.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are so many meaningful ways people can work with, collaborate with, or support The Coloring Museum, and each one helps us further our mission of bringing creative wellness to the community.
For organizations, schools, nonprofits, and corporations, we offer a wide range of collaborative opportunities—from booking our signature Coloring Wall for events, festivals, employee wellness days, youth programs, and conferences, to commissioning custom illustrations or interactive art experiences tailored to your audience. Our services are designed to meet people where they are, whether it’s a classroom, a community space, or a major public event.
With the launch of our 26-foot Coloring Truck, we’re also expanding our ability to partner with neighborhoods, summer programs, family events, birthday parties, and community initiatives. The Coloring Truck is essentially a mobile creative studio, giving groups the chance to bring an engaging, therapeutic experience directly to their space.
For those looking to support us as we grow, there are a few ways to get involved. Supporting our retail products—like our coloring pillows, coloring socks, custom coloring books, and gift sets—helps sustain the business and allows us to continue developing accessible, culturally affirming creative tools. Shopping with us, booking us, and recommending us to friends or organizations makes a bigger impact than people often realize.
We also welcome partnerships with funders, community leaders, mental health practitioners, and local businesses who believe in the power of art and want to help expand creative wellness in Detroit. Whether it’s sponsoring community programs, collaborating on youth initiatives, or partnering on upcoming museum exhibits, we are always open to purposeful, community-centered collaborations.
Above all, I encourage people to stay connected—follow us on social media, visit our pop-ups like the Downtown Detroit Winter Market, and join us when our permanent brick-and-mortar opens in 2026. The Coloring Museum is designed to be a gathering place built by and for the community, and every form of support contributes to making that vision real.
In short, if you believe in creativity, healing, and community joy, there’s a place for you here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheColoringMuseum.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecoloringmuseum/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoloringmuseum
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoloringmuseum
