GREEN COVE SPRINGS — As long as you have a paint brush and canvas, opportunities to thrive are never few and far between.

Especially when you're living in the moment and expressing your innermost creative spirit. And coloring outside the lines.

That's why Beth Ann Kovacs opened Align + BECOME — the county's newest creative studio. And Walnut Street just got livelier.

"I'm excited for them to come in curious, but to leave deeper connected with themselves," she said.

The bohemian-themed sanctuary along the historic walkway is more than just an art studio, Kovacs said, but a place where wellness takes front and center.

That means participating in yoga, combining mind and motion with somatic dancing, experiencing guided painting, being immersed in sound baths and drum and circle. It's a place where having the courage to try something different often leads to finding your purpose in life.

Kovacs had always been in business operations and the marketing industry. Those skills, she said, helped her to take the leap and become an entrepreneur. 

It was when she and her husband moved from Kentucky to Florida, that they began a health journey that would lead her on a wholeness path. That included prioritizing not just their physical, but mental wellbeing.

"I [wanted] to figure out how to get my brain on board so that I can change my life and my habits and get healthier in a lot of areas," she said. 

Kovacs earned her life coaching certification through the Health Coach Institute. She then took her newfound knowledge and love of art to integrate a seamless concept.

"Creating [has] always been a big part of who I am or what I feel like I'm called to do," she said. "And, then it was, 'How do I help people create [and] rewire their brains so that they're creating the life that they love?'"

For the last five years, Kovacs focused on doing monthly workshops in her home and at Red's Wine Bar. That was before the space at 408 Walnut St., formerly the Art Room, became available.

The wellness hub is decked with colorful paintings, draped curtains and lights, couches and individual painting booths built by MTI Creations. During Breath, Body and Brush classes, artists can combine painting with movement. You visit the paint cart, head to the canvas in your booth and pick the colors that speak to you, she said.

Somatic dance is perfect for midlife women who may want to experience the feeling of movement again. And wanting to provide something more than the average pottery opportunities, Kovacs said fused glass classes are another unique offering.

And as a place for family outings, girls' nights out, happy hour opportunities and small private parties, Kovacs said they also offer guided painting.

Elisabeth Santos teaches guiding painting, where artists are challenged to bask in the process, not just the product. Santos is a painter who is responsible for the murals along Walnut Street.  Also looking for an opportunity to expand her offerings and horizons, she said meeting Kovacs was fate.

In a world often driven by electronics and social media, Santos said it's important to center yourself from the chaos in life and reconnect with who you are.

"It's all very important to their health that they have a place that they can come into, and they can really work on what's going in here," Santos said. 

Kovacs said she will also be adding weekly sessions, like neurologically stimulating chair dancing, for seniors and retirees; assisted living communities; independent living communities; memory care programs; senior wellness programs; and community centers and retreat programs. Because creativity is medicine.

"Your brain will be present when it's doing a creative practice," she said.

Kovacs likens Align + BECOME to a retreat. A way for people to reset and go back into the world with a newfound power as the person you truly want to be.

"That's a lot of what people will experience, but it's hard to explain until they come. It going to be interesting to see how that flows," she said. "But my intention is that when they come in, they're going to feel this is a safe space."

Took view and book available sessions, visit alignbecome.com.