Alison (Ali) McKleroy, M.A., LMFT

Hi, I'm Ali.

I've been making things for as long as I can remember. I'm an artist, a musician, a DJ, and a dancer, and creative expression has been the thread running through every chapter of my life.

I hold a master's degree in art therapy, and for two decades I worked as a licensed therapist/art therapist, and over time that work grew into something wider. Today I think of myself as an art guide, helping people find their way back to the wellspring of joy and aliveness that is always there when you're making things, expressing yourself, and following your spark.

To me, spark is that small flicker of interest that pulls you toward something before you can explain why. It might be a color that excites you, a song that gets you up and moving, or an idea that keeps circling in your mind.

When I follow it, I feel more like myself: playful, curious, and awake in my body. When I let it go quiet for too long, my humor fades and life starts to feel flat. I've come to trust my spark as an inner compass, and I believe everyone has one.

Making things on my own brings me joy. Making things alongside other people expands that joy into something bigger, full of delight and connection. Something happens in a room where everyone has their hands in paint, or the music is playing and people start to move. People experience a lightness of being and laugh more. They surprise themselves, and when one person tries something brave, the whole room feels it. I've watched this happen over twenty years of leading art workshops, and it still lights me up every time.

That's what Center for Spark® is here for. Every circle, workshop, and gathering is an invitation to come home to your own creative aliveness in the company of kindred spirits.