Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaymar Higgs.
Hi Shaymar, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been creating community spaces long before I ever had a name for it. In middle school, I turned my mother’s basement into an art studio where I’d share anything I’d learned enough to teach. By high school, I had expanded into her garage, with painting, ceramics, photography, gardening, sewing, and kept inviting friends, neighbors, and anyone curious to come make things. Looking back, that was the earliest version of the work I do today: opening doors and giving people a place to create freely.
Years later, a trip to Cambodia changed everything. I saw how communities thrive by showing up for one another, sharing what they have, and creating together. On the flight back home, I started writing the first ideas for what would become The SPACE Free Art For All.
When The SPACE opened in 2018, it was supposed to be a three-week pop-up. But the community embraced it, and with the support of people like Kappastein and Rusty, that temporary project grew into a month-to-month, then year-to-year community hub. By 2019, we became a 501(c)(3) offering free art, tech, wellness, and entrepreneurship programs.
Everything we do today is rooted in those early beginnings—I’ve been building creative spaces my whole life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Building something rooted in community means navigating uncertainty, limited resources, and constant change. In the early days, I was often funding things out of pocket, learning nonprofit systems in real time, and trying to balance creative vision with survival. Even after becoming a 501(c)(3), sustainability has always been a challenge—rent, equipment, staffing, and programming all require consistent support.
There have also been emotional and personal struggles. Leading a community space means showing up for others even when you’re exhausted, unsure, or carrying your own healing. I’ve had to learn hard lessons about boundaries, burnout, trust, and pacing myself.
And of course, the fact that The SPACE was never guaranteed—starting as a three-week pop-up—meant I was constantly building without knowing how long the ground beneath us would hold. But every challenge shaped the clarity of the mission. The struggles didn’t stop the work; they refined it. They taught me that community isn’t built through comfort—it’s built through consistency, honesty, and showing up even when it’s hard.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The SPACE Free Art For All is a community arts, tech, wellness, and entrepreneurship hub built on one simple belief: access changes lives. We specialize in creating environments where anyone—regardless of age, income, background, or experience—can walk in and learn something new. From free art studios and open maker spaces to workforce development, business incubation, and youth entrepreneurship programs, our goal is to remove barriers and make creativity and skill-building available to everyone.
What sets us apart is that everything we offer is rooted in care and community-first design. We’re known for being warm, welcoming, and radically accessible. We don’t gatekeep creativity. If someone is curious, we make room for them. We empower people through 3D printing, laser cutting, photography, videography, sewing, painting, music, wellness practices, and more—offered in ways that feel human, not transactional.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that The SPACE has become a genuine home for so many people. We cultivate environments where folks feel safe to explore their talents, ask questions, make mistakes, heal, and grow. We’re also an official American Job Center, offering pathways into skills-based training and workforce development right in the heart of the community.
What I want readers to know is this: The SPACE isn’t just a series of storefronts within a mall—it’s a movement. It’s a commitment to showing up for one another and creating opportunities where they didn’t exist before. Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill, build a business, find community, or simply create something with your hands, there is a place for you here.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy is watching people grow, especially in spaces where they once felt stuck, unseen, or unsure. There is something deeply fulfilling about witnessing someone create for the first time, land a new skill, gain confidence, or realize their own potential. That moment of recognition, that “I can do this,” never gets old for me.
I am also happiest when I am creating with my hands, whether that is building something, designing, gardening, teaching, or simply making space for others to show up as they are. Community brings me real joy. Shared meals, shared stories, shared effort. That is where I feel most alive.
And finally, happiness for me is rooted in alignment. When my values, my work, and my heart are moving in the same direction toward healing, access, creativity, and care, that is when I feel the most grounded and grateful. It reminds me why I started in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.FreeArtForAll.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/TheSpaceFreeArtForAll
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheSpaceFreeArtForAll
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thespacefreeartforall7757
