By Victoria Kuntz
You never know where God is going to call you to go in life, especially when you face a decision about a certain job. For Shannon Schumacher, God was calling her to join the fun, messy world of opening a Kidcreate Art Studio in San Antonio. Schumacher is a ’07 graduate of UMHB. The studio she owns is for kids ages 18 months to 12 years.
“We provide a positive, self-esteem building environment where children not only learn but also have a lot of fun,” Shannon said.
Kidcreate was originally started in Minneapolis by a mother who noticed that her son was not engaging in enough creative art. Her son loved participating in art because it was a way for him to enjoy himself while doing something productive. In order to combat this problem, this mom decided to start Kidcreate. It is a studio where children can go to get as dirty as they want and create something from their imaginations. It offers art classes, camps, and hosts birthday parties. Schumacher understood the founder's reasoning behind Kidcreate because her daughter loves art too but does not get to enjoy it as much at school. Some may ask, why not just create art at home? The biggest reason is the mess.
"My oldest daughter was seven at the time and really into slime,” Shannon said. “Slime had been banned from our house so she could only make it in the garage. One day, while in the garage making slime, I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where kids could make slime and be messy so it doesn’t have to be at home?’"
The Schumacher's researched different art businesses when they came across Kidcreate. Shannon made the decision to start a Kidcreate in San Antonio.
“After signing the franchise agreement in May 2019, we set a goal to be open in March 2020, which would have been just in time for spring break,” she said.
As the opening day came closer, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, and she and her family were not able to start their new business. God was fully in control of the whole situation, she said because when they look back now, they realize if they would have opened their business it would have shut down soon after. God gave them time to prepare further for when they finally opened the doors on Dec. 12, 2020.
The Schumachers continue to serve their customers and make children’s art fun and messy. She thanks UMHB and how her experiences there shaped her into the person she is today.
“I hope that in this new journey, I can make the university proud to call me an alumna,” Shannon said.
