Your Studio Partners

In 2009 Wholemindesign was founded to empower people as wholeminded~wholehearted designers able to turn ideas into action and drive positive change in people’s lives. Since then Katrin and Diane have worked with individuals, schools, non-profits, higher-education, and businesses using tools such as design thinking, cultures of creative thinking, and STEAM powered instruction to create opportunities for learning and growing for others. No matter what your work is in the world, Diane and Katrin will collaborate with you to design unique ways to invigorate your professional growth and renew your enthusiasm for the work you do in the world.

  • Katrin Robertson

    734.678.5827 katrin@wholemindesign.com

    Katrin received her B.A. in 1984 in studio art and art history from Oberlin College, and her M.A. in Curriculum and Teacher Education from Stanford University in 1987, working with Elliot Eisner as her mentor. She also holds a K-8 multiple subjects teaching certification, and a K-12 certification in art. Katrin currently works as a teacher educator at the University of Michigan.

    As an arts major in college I discovered something that would become an anchor idea in my work as an educator. Creating sculptures required that I “thought” with my hands; I felt so deeply engaged in my work that I lost track of time, and was problem solving and strategizing in a medium other than words. My experience in the arts helped me understand that my capacity to learn and understand the world around me was as huge as a mansion, but that traditional schooling only recognized a few rooms. The arts offered me the opportunity to unlock spaces of ability as a thinker that I did not know I possessed, and allowed me to express myself more fully, clearly, and joyfully. Since that time over 30 years ago I have devoted myself to helping others unlock their potential as thinkers and creators. I want to help them gain full-access to all of their creative capacities, know how to use them in concert with each other, and design ideas and put them into action so as to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

  • Diane Tamblyn

    734.476.1191 diane@wholemindesign.com

    Diane Tamblyn has been teaching and learning in the classroom with children for over 25 years. Diane received her BA in education with a focus on integrated language and creative arts, and specialized in early childhood education at Western Michigan University. She also earned her MA in Child Development from the College of Human Ecology at Michigan State University.

    The driving questions for me professionally have always been around an ever-evolving inquiry into understanding how we, as humans, learn how to learn. My work with young children is endlessly fascinating as I strive to be a responsive and supportive guide for each child’s exploration, experimentation, and discovery in the world. I find the opportunities to co-create rich and reflective environments in which both students and teachers are holistically engaged in learning to be very exciting. My belief in the great potential of learner-centered education continues to drive my practice forward each and everyday.