Nicole Root
Founder of DesignBoards, exploring material arranging as an accessible, hands-on pathway to creativity, focus, reflection, and connection. I'm interested in connection with practioners who want to explore its possibilities in their own settings.
My work has long centered on creating accessible, hands-on experiences that invite people to explore, make choices, and discover through materials. With a background in psychology, early childhood education, and more than a decade facilitating sensory and creative engagement with older adults, I have seen how working with the hands can open pathways to focus, expression, reflection, and connection.
I am the founder of DesignBoards, a reusable creative system that pairs a specially designed board with curated collections of tactile materials. Participants arrange, rearrange, and begin again-- without adhesives, artistic pressure, or a prescribed outcome. The process is open-ended, temporary, and choice-centered.
I am interested in exploring material arranging through the neuroarts lens and learning more about its possible connections to creativity, cognition, regulation, learning, well-being, and social connection. I hope to connect and collaborate with therapists, educators, researchers, facilitators, and others whoare curious about how material arranging might support the people and communities they serve.
Interests
Material arranging, artful material curation, visual harmony, hands-on creativity, sensory engagement, mindfulness and contemplative practice, spirituality and meaning-making, creativity and cognition, attention and presence, regulation and well-being, creative aging, arts in health, experiential learning, choice centered facilitation, nature experiences, accessible creative practice, social connection, interdisciplinary collaboration.
