Patty Mitchell — artist, social entrepreneur, and founder of PassionWorks Studio — shares how collaborative art transforms lives, redefines inclusion, and generates $8.2 million in annual community value for Athens, Ohio. Born from her brother's institutionalization and her own dyslexic journey, Patty's "positive deviance" approach challenges every norm: hire people based on what brings them joy, change the environment (not the person), and focus on ability over disability. PassionWorks has sold 38,000+ Passion Flowers generating $3M+ in revenue, proving that social enterprise built on human potential is both sustainable and scalable. Patty unpacks how art becomes a gateway (NASCAR, ladybugs, whatever you love), why collaboration amplifies rather than stunts individual voices, the magic of "create structure to surrender the process," and how this model has transformed spaces from Moscow to domestic violence shelters. The secret? Curiosity, responsiveness, and discovering together — inclusion isn't a checklist, it's a daily practice of spiraling up.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why positive deviance matters — questioning rules and norms to create better solutions; "almost everything we do goes against the norm"
How to focus on ability vs disability — shift from deficit-based thinking; tap into what people can do, not what they can't
Why changing the environment (not the person) creates inclusion — design spaces that adapt to individual strengths, interests, passions
What "create structure to surrender the process" means — build framework that allows individual exploration, discovery, joy without prescribing outcomes
How social enterprise proves viability — $1 invested = $10-$12 return; $8.2M annual community value; economic participation creates rights and opportunities
Why art is a gateway to connection — NASCAR, ladybugs, whatever someone loves becomes entry point; meet people through their passions
How collaboration amplifies individual voices — 2-12 people working on pieces together; small circles blown up 8 feet tall; beauty finds place to land
What curiosity and responsiveness create — constant openness to what space and people need; potato for grip, weight bands for control, whoopee cushion for connection
Why discovery together is the magic — not giving punchline first; brain wants fun of figuring things out; exploration feeds confidence and belonging
How to spiral people up instead of down — one intervention can change trajectory; woman with cerebral palsy and whoopee cushion showed she was "in there"
LEARN MORE
Get new episodes every Thursday
June 5, 2025
Patty Mitchell
Building More Inclusive Communities Through Collaborative Art
"I am not interested in changing anybody at all. I can change the environment. And then we learn about each other and create the most possibility for joy, satisfaction, and being seen."
TIMESTAMPS
00:03:07 – Positive deviance — questioning rules and norms; brother institutionalized sparked calling to create better spaces; "what if" mindset
00:07:22 – Dyslexic strengths — visual spatial reasoning, entrepreneurial visioning; not rocket science but seeing what can be when others focus on data
00:12:52 – Focus on ability vs disability — change environment, not person; create possibility for joy, satisfaction, being seen
00:17:00 – Spiral up vs spiral down — wise interventions change trajectories; woman with cerebral palsy and whoopee cushion revealed intelligence, humor, connection
00:21:23 – "Create structure to surrender process" — framework allows individual exploration; banquet table setup, everyone explores own interest in concert together
00:27:05 – Art as gateway — if you don't like art but love NASCAR, let's build NASCAR; meet people through what they love; entry point to discovery
00:29:03 – Social return on investment — $1 invested = $10-$12 return; $8.2M annual community value; economic participation proves viability, creates rights
00:46:09 – Employment model — paying artists with developmental differences; hourly wage, commissions, design fees, stipends; generating money to put back into studio
00:51:36 – Collaboration amplifies voices — 95-98% collaborative; 2-12 people per piece; small circles blown up 8 feet tall; broadens viewer experience, elevates each voice together
00:58:01 – Curiosity, responsiveness, discovery — space tells you what it needs when people come in; constant openness; discovering together is addictive and fun
SHOW NOTES
In our new episode, Dr. Dan sits down with artist, social entrepreneur, and joy-spreader Patty Mitchell—founder of Passion Works Studio and Creative Director at Creative Abundance Consulting–to discuss how radical inclusion and acceptance of all differences and abilities in the artmaking process is redefining community worldwide.
Patty explains to Dr. Dan how her bold question “What if inclusion, economic empowerment, and community transformation could all begin with a paintbrush?” started a movement that keeps growing and today is a successful global model for inclusive, empathy-driven social enterprise.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Patty Mitchell & PassionWorks Studio
Website — PassionWorks.org (shop Passion Flowers, view art, learn about consulting/training)
Social Media — Find PassionWorks on all platforms
Book — Upcycling Sheltered Workshops (co-author)
Consulting — Two-week trainings, keynote speaking, space transformation; contact through website
Ohio University — Voinovich Center Social Return on Investment Report (available on PassionWorks.org)
GUEST BIO
Patty Mitchell is an artist and social entrepreneur specializing in collaborations between artists with and without developmental differences. She is the founder and executive director of PassionWorks Studio in Athens, Ohio, which has generated over $3 million in revenue and $8.2 million in annual community value through collaborative art and social enterprise. Patty is also the creative director of Creative Abundance Consulting and co-author of Upcycling Sheltered Workshops. She received a distinguished alumna award from Ohio University and is presently a fellow with the Barbara Gerould Institute of Storytelling and Social Impact at Ohio University. Her model has been replicated globally in communities from Kosovo to Moscow, in orphanages, domestic violence shelters, and extended care facilities. Patty lives in Athens, Ohio.
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