Intro

My name is Colin Darke, and I am passionate about helping people use art to slow down and find joy in their lives.  I juggle a lot — father of three and husband of one (a Harvard trained doctor); an executive of a growing fintech company (RocketLoans) and adviser to companies within the Quicken Loans family of companies; the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Online Lending Policy Institute (a policy think-tank I helped form); and on the Board of the Detroit Artists Market.  I say yes to a lot of roles, and speaking engagements, and leadership opportunities, and mentoring roles.  I have a daily art practice and a daily learning practice (listening to books on tape and podcasts and reading, a lot).

Most importantly, while I juggle a lot, I am am not overly stressed and I truly am able to not sweat the small stuff.  I firmly believe this is because of my lifelong art practice.  I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember.  My mom was an artist and my older sister, Kelly, is also an artist.  We have been collaborating for years, and recently we have started to focus on how we can use what we have learned and what we have observed to help others.

The Mindful Art Center (MAC) is an art therapy studio in Livonia, Michigan (hopefully moving to Detroit soon). At MAC, my sister Kelly Darke helps individuals through art therapy sessions, group workshops, and self-care workshops. She is expanding her important work beyond the walls of MAC.

In an effort to assist Kelly’s efforts, I am giving a portion of proceeds of anything I sell on this site to MAC to allow it to better meet its mission.