Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Fortino.
Hi Gina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember.
My mom saw that in me early and signed me up for every kids’ clay and art class she could find. I took classes at Syracuse University at night and on weekends, went to art camps in the summer, and spent a lot of my childhood making things, performing, and exploring whatever creative outlet I could get my hands on.
I was also lucky enough to attend a high school where students could choose a trade or area of study. I chose art, which meant a large part of my school day was spent learning different forms of art. Clay quickly became my favorite and my primary focus.
Since then, I have spent more than twenty years teaching art, theater, ceramics, and creative programs for kids and adults in all kinds of environments. I have planned public art projects, taught creative classes, worked with children and adults, and built a career around helping people connect with their own creativity.
I moved from Upstate New York to Sarasota during the pandemic without really knowing exactly where I would end up. I sold almost everything I owned, packed what was left into my car with my cat, and drove south trusting that the right place would reveal itself.
At first, I thought I might end up in the Keys. But people kept telling me I needed to see Sarasota because that was where the artists were. Then a friend offered me a place to stay for the weekend and showed me around the city. I fell in love with it immediately. It was one of those rare moments where something just felt right. I knew I had found where I needed to be.
When I first arrived, I started reaching out to people, looking for places where I could sell my art and offer classes. That eventually led me to The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, a local marketplace filled with artists, small businesses, and creative people building something of their own. I began teaching classes there and in other spaces around Sarasota.
More importantly, I found people who thought creatively, supported each other, and were building lives that looked more like the life I wanted for myself. For the first time in a really long time, I felt like I fit somewhere…and it felt amazing.
I did not originally plan to open a permanent studio. Honestly, the idea of sitting in one place and waiting for people to walk through the door sounded terrifying. But by my third year in Sarasota, I knew the business needed a home of its own. The opportunity to create a studio at The Bazaar grew naturally from the relationships and community I had already built there.
That is how The Makery SRQ began.
I started The Makery because I wanted to create the kind of studio I had always wished existed; a place where people of all ages could experiment, make a mess, try something new, and feel comfortable being beginners. Especially those of us of the ‘neuro-spicy’ variety.
Almost every day, someone walks into the studio and tells me they “can’t even draw a stick figure.” A lot of people come in genuinely nervous that they are going to mess something up or be in over their heads. I always joke that it is the same way I would feel walking into an algebra class!
That is really what The Makery is built around. Yes, we offer pottery and art classes, summer camps, homeschool programs, birthday parties, private groups, and team building events. But what we really specialize in is making creativity feel accessible.
For me, art is much more about the process than the finished product. It is about experimenting, trying something new, making mistakes, changing direction, and discovering what happens along the way. My job is to create a space where people feel safe enough to do that without worrying so much about whether they are doing it “right.”
I think that is what sets The Makery apart. We are not a studio where I make one example and ask everyone to copy it exactly. I introduce the materials, demonstrate the basic techniques, and then encourage people to bring their own ideas, experiences, personalities, and imaginations into what they create.
That is why people often feel so connected to the finished piece. It is not my version of the project. It is genuinely theirs. They have gone through their own process of trying, failing, adjusting, and succeeding.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not always been easy, but it has also never felt like I was forcing something that was not meant to happen.
In almost three years, The Makery has survived two floods, equipment failures, staffing challenges, financial uncertainty, and even a car driving through the studio wall in the middle of a birthday party! Like most creatives and small business owners, I have learned a lot by just doing it, making plenty of mistakes, and trying again.
Each challenge has made me more resourceful. It has taught me to trust myself more, to ask for help when I need it, and to keep going even when the path looks completely ridiculous on paper. And some days, it really does look completely ridiculous on paper.
But the hard parts have also shown me how much this space matters.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What I am most proud of is the community that has grown around the studio. Kids come back to camp year after year. Adults find a creative outlet they did not know they needed. Families celebrate birthdays, weddings, and new babies with us. Homeschool students build confidence. People who walk in feeling intimidated often leave feeling proud of themselves.
What matters most to you?
I used to think I was building an art studio. Now I understand that I was building a place where people could let their guard down, explore their own creativity, and feel like they were part of something.
What matters most to me is creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and free to explore their imaginations without being judged. Art is the vehicle, but connection and safety is really at the center of everything we do.
There are not many spaces where adults are encouraged to play, make mistakes, and try something simply because it feels good. Kids need that freedom too, especially in a world that puts so much pressure on them to perform, behave, and get everything right.
I want people to walk into The Makery and feel like they do not have to prove anything. They can come as they are, try something new, laugh when it goes wrong, and leave feeling a little more connected to themselves and the people around them.
That matters to me because leaning into my own creativity has changed the course of my life. I have seen what happens when someone is given the space, encouragement, and permission to discover that part of themselves.
It is so important.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themakerysrq.com
- Instagram: @themakerysrq
- Facebook: @themakerysrq
