Online Class Creation in 2014 (+ Friendly Faces!)

When I sat down at the beginning of the year and started mapping out a plan for 2014 — the creative projects that serve my circle best — I found myself daunted by the prospect of creating huge online classes. 

I love teaching. I really, really love putting together classes. I get super-excited and try to cram in as much as I possibly can, and after the cameras turn off, I suddenly have a list of things I forgot to include. I often over deliver, which is something I’ve been trying to work on, but am ultimately swept up in the current of ‘OMG but this is so cool, and so is this, and this!’ 

(It comes off a bit better when I’m teaching in person, mostly because I have an actual time limit.) 

The energy that comes from showing others what they never thought themselves possible of is the best in the world. That moment when a student looks up from the work in front of them and says, “I can’t believe I made this!” can instantly brighten any moment, and makes all the planning, prepping, and teaching worth it. 

But when I sat down to start brainstorming, I also remembered the stress of running an online class for months (a 6-8 week class is two months of weekly or bi-weekly work!). And while this is good for many people, it isn’t for me. By the end, I’m usually exhausted, and any joy I had in teaching the subject has dried up. 

The exception to this was Art Journal Summer Camp 2013 (and yes, there will be 2 sessions this summer!). I wanted to create a class that wasn’t a huge time commitment, taught techniques and ideas, and could be completed in the 2 weeks I’d set aside, just like real camp. 

Can I tell you….wow was there a real change in the energy when I could be there with my whole heart! It was marvelous and amazing! 

So I decided to do what works for me, as a teacher. What length/subject/format would best serve my best self? I think we’ve all seen what others do, and what works on the web, and feel we need to do it the same way — as if this is the accepted format we’re all adhering to. But here’s the thing:

There is no format. 

One of my favorite classes last year was short. I did it over three nights, taking 2 hours a night to put on Netflix and play. I loved it. 

For 2014, I’m going to try it my way. I’m going to craft workshops that don’t leave me exhausted after filming, that allow me to be excited and energetic the entire time, and that would work for me, as a student. 

The first of which is….

Granted, it isn’t a cleaver title, but I think you get the gist of what’s going on, here! 

When I first taught this class in person, I was working with people who weren’t mixed-media artists or art journalers (at least, not all of them were!). So I figured out a short-cut, and gave them guidance, and OH WOW did we have a blast! Just look at the diverse and beautifully self-reflective pieces they made! 

I lated introduced a shortened version in summer camp last year, and was again astounded by the work being created. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to create the full version I’d always had in my head. I was thinking about this at the studio last week and all of the sudden, I was standing in front of a huge pad of newsprint writing the entire PDF with a sharpie and some drawing crayons. What was supposed to be a 20 minute brainstorming session turned into 2.5 hours of writing, drawing, researching, & creating! 

If you want to draw self-portraits, or just girls in your journals, but feel like you’re no good at drawing, or maybe you want to improve your faces a bit, or perhaps you don’t think you can draw…this is for you. Even if you don’t like drawing, this is for you. 

But it’s deeper than that. It’s about being able to see who you are now, at the beginning of 2014, so you can reflect back on yourself at the end of the year. It’s about letting art get you in contact with your inner Self. It’s about saying screw you to teachers who said you weren’t “good at art” (or weren’t creative enough…a real criticism I got in my early 20’s!).

And if you don’t have a lot of time or energy? We’re gonna keep it to 5 videos. Shorter videos. Easy to digest. Take a weekend and work through the content or follow along during the week of live posting (after that, it’s self-study!). 

Oh, and did I mention it’ll be cheaper because it’s smaller? 

(Yeah, I’ve been listening!)

I basically see this as a win-win-win-win (I don’t stress-you can afford it-I get to teach-you get to make pretty things!). 

I’ll begin posting on January 27th, and by February 1st, it’ll be up and open for self-study. 

I have so much more to share about it, but I think I’ll pace myself. See, I’m already super-excited, but this blog post is already really long! 

Sign up now for $28 (you'll get an invite a week before class begins). Or wait to hear more about what I'll be teaching. Totally up to you! 

The simplest victories (red storybook #6)

Heres a favorite of mine from the Red Storybook thus far...the day I got out of the house for the first time in a week or two and stole away to the library to look for art books and 'Dirk Gently' after watching the BBC show of based off it (I have always loved Douglas Adams' odd sense of humor). I ended up curled up on a bench with a headache texting with friends who we checking up with me, and who made my day brighter with their messages. 

I haven't colored nearly enough of these entries, and some are quite bad, but I haven't missed a day. I think I needed to tell myself it was okay to not share every day in order to feel safe making terrible sketches. This one was done in acrylics. I wanted to see if I could work faster with them. I can not. Back to the gouache it is!  

Maybe I'll work on coloring a few more this weekend during my 'Sherlock' marathon. God knows the season finale on Sunday will kill me. Maybe I'll do a little fangirl page before they rip out my heart. ;) 

One Little Word - Circle

It seems our little corner of the internet is abuzz with the One Little Words we've chosen for this year, a practice I wholeheartedly approve us, as it rquires us to sit back and figure out what, exactly, it is we'd like for this year. What question will we be asking ourselves when faced with decisions, and by what value or yearning will we examine our experiences? 

It took me awhile to come up with mine -- it's been a turbulant couple of months, and this week has been the first I've felt like I can see light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's cast by my own internal stubborness and need to pick myself up. I went through quite a few words, and had one in my mind - boundaries - when I sat down to write about it in the Red Storybook. 

But what came out of my pen was something different. 

(That's one of my favorite things about writing or painting - that ability to surprise myself with what comes out when I put my mind to creative action.)  

Granted, my word isn't a usual one -- you won't find necklaces or paintings depicting mine up on Etsy -- and when I posted my little canvas yesterday, Tam voiced her curosity as to why I chose it and what it means. I'll allow a bit of the Red Storybook to explain:  

"Like a witch's circle, I need to draw a safe space around myself, filled with love & faith. I can cut a door to let in people I trust & keep out negativity. I can take care of myself & find stillness. Wrap myself in it. And the people of my circle as well.  

Ask in 2014: Does this serve the circle?" 

Whenever a witch sits down to do serious work -- whether it's a ritual, spell, oracle reading, or internal soul*work -- he or she draws a circle around herself. This is a protective boundary that keeps out negative or bad influences, but allows positive energy to pass through. It's so the witch can practice what she needs without worrying about pulling in anything detrimental to himself while working, and thus can go deeper with a sense of safety and security.  

If the boundary is breached, it breaks, but a door can be cut to pass in and out, and to let others inside. The energy of the circle hums and grows and nurtures.  

But a circle is also what is around us, the people in our lives. Those you allow and those you don't. Those you can depend on to be there, the ones who make you strive for your best self when around them. A circle is an important thing, and I haven't been the best at creating a solid one (mine is a wonky oval at best).  

It referrs to the online circle of dear readers and friends and artists who encourage me to continue down the path of artwork. Of the importance of nuturing those new to our corner of the art world and acknowledging those who have been around for ages.  

It is returning to the beginning to see how far you've come.  

It is recognizing your boundaries and respecting them -- physically, with my FMS and other ailments; emotionally, with waining depression; and spiritual, as I continue to seek out the faith family I've missed.  

For me, circle encompases so much of what I need to focus on for 2014, it seemed the perfect word. It's meaning is deep and simple. And my hope is that, by asking if an action serves the circle, I can create a more balanced, fullfilling 2014 full of friendship, stillness, and abundance.  

What's your word for 2014? I'd love to hear about it in the comments! 

(Please leave your email when you comment so I can respond!)

there once was a girl...

I’d been trying to figure out what my personal year long project would be since the beginning of December. 

Last year, I wanted to do a digital journal page a day. But after two weeks of spending 2-3 hours on each one, that practice quickly fell away. I just couldn’t commit that kind of time every day to a personal project. And I’m terrible at year-long projects…I just am. But 2013 was a special kind of crazy, and it showed me that I needed to do two things when deciding on this year’s commitment: 1. It can’t take long at all; and 2. I needed to voice my inner thoughts before I exploded. 

Then I remembered the little red sketchbook I’d bought a few months ago that was replaced by a mixed-media journal & the new collection of gouache I had, and what better way to learn than to practice? And what more perfect color could I chose than red? Red is the color of soul, of passion, desire, and raw emotion. 

Thus, my new project for 2014 is The Red Storybook. My plan is to write a tiny story & illustrate it each day (saving the coloring for another day, if I don’t have enough time). Right now, they’re a bit autobiographical, but I hope to branch out as the year progresses, all while practicing my illustration and gouache skills. 

The rest of this post is a bit heavier, just an FYI. 

I won’t be too sad to see 2013 go. 

Oh, the first half was amazing. My first trip to CHA, amazing projects with other artists, a new studio space, new friendships, my first co-authored book. When July hit, I was on top of the world, my year shaping up to be my most amazing yet. So many accomplishments, dreams come true, all those years of hard work beginning to pay off. Happy was the air I walked on. 

But July was when we began to see the cracks in the veneer we’d painted for ourselves, all coiled up and let loose one night with such bone-rattling force, I’d feel it for weeks. It would reverberate across my vacation in September, gain momentum in October, split November in two, and by December, I wouldn’t recognize my life — or myself. 

A lot of people who write blogs and live such public lives wonder where the line is, and have drawn their own. Mine is across the sand between my experiences and my family. I don’t write about them, or really talk about them online. So I’m going to tell things from my point of view, and hope that’s enough. 

While we’ve suspected it for about two or three years, now, it wasn’t until this summer that the idea that my brother is bipolar was really cemented in our minds. All the simmering under the surface after his teenage struggles with addiction and the law suddenly exploded, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells. Just picture lots of yelling and swearing and horrible things said.

And I’m not the type of woman to keep quiet, either. I told a scant few people. And after being ignored — I’d like to think the person walked out of my life — I figured, in the bizarre headspace I was in after that first night in July, that I was making a big deal out of nothing, that I was too much, that I should just keep my mouth shut. It’s what’s kept me from reaching out and telling others, and had me questioning myself daily. I had to ask myself, what is the line, then, if a friend can ignore you after that?

October saw me begin to unravel. My mind was scattered, I wasn’t sleeping, and I spent a lot of time crying. If you haven’t experienced it, someone living through bipolar via self-medication and the wrong medication, it isn’t pretty. It’s a daily game of up and down, full of anger and love, until you feel the same. Everything started getting harder, and I spent more and more time at the studio. 

By November, I started hiding in my room. Any time someone would yell, I’d get a stomach ache. Last month, I started having panic attacks and running away to cafes. As you may know, stress is terrible for fibromyalgia, and I began feeling sick and fatigued all the time, and haven't been able to shake the increase in pain and exhaustion. I tried to decorate for Christmas and make things happy, but I realized, a bit too late, that I had slid into a depression. By Christmas itself, I wasn’t getting dressed, spent most of the day in bed, and hadn’t been to the studio in weeks. 

I looked for other places to live, but not doing anything when you work for yourself doesn’t give you much of a savings, and none of my local friends had a place for me to stay. Even getting my nose pierced was a result — a need to act out, be rebellious, during one of my escapes. 

It’s only after long talks with friends that I came up with my year-long project. That I decided to get dressed every day even if I wasn’t going out. That I picked up a paintbrush and put down some paint, even if for only a couple of hours a day. My brother has the right medications after a terrible night in the beginning of December and is leveling out. While I’m not as stressed, I’m afraid to relax completely.

This isn’t the whole story, of course. But I’m trying. So keep on me about posting my storybook every day or two, but don’t be surprised if it takes me awhile to answer comments (they’re all moderated, so only I see them). If you’re a friend, feel free to steal me away for a few hours. I’m hoping to start going back into the studio next week, and get started on new paintings & ideas. 

I don’t know why today was the day to share. Maybe I just wanted to let it all go and start 2014 fresh. New. Clean slate and all that. Time to re-write my story, or just write it. 

Back Into the Fray...

Today was my first day back into the creative fray after heading off to an art retreat and getting through the post-event fibro flare. I totally budgeted this time into my trip, and had a ton of fun teaching various ICE Resin techniques and gelli printing! 

But after a week of rest and self-care, I was itching to get back into the studio and play! I had a crazy idea to cut up an older painting on wood just like a piece of painted paper, except with the added fun of danger! Don't worry...I was being safe while working with the jigsaw. It is so much fun and I can't wait to keep practicing so my circles are a little less...wonky. 

I'm also working on some new paintings, and working with reference images and planning out colors to use. This is different than how I usually work, but I've been wanting to create stories in my paintings, rather than just faces or collage, so it's really stretching my abilities...we'll see how it goes! 

And, last week, I went out and did something I've wanted to for a long time...got my nose pierced! I figured it was a good way to finish up the last year of my twenties. I'd always been so scared to do it, but took the plunge. I love it, especially when wearing my hair up with earrings! 

Creative Jump Start 2014!

I'm excited to announce that I'll be participating as a JumpStarter in Creative JumpStart (CJS) 2014, run by Nathalie Kalbach. If you're not familiar with CJS, it's a one-of-a-kind community event to inspire your creativity. 

Need help getting your creative mojo going in 2014? CJS can help. 

Throughout January participants get 23 videos from 21 featured artists. I'm proud to be one of those artists. It's an amazing event where you can learn new techniques, discover new materials, and connect with other Mixed Media Artists and Scrapbookers. 

Head on over to Nathalie's site to sign up and for more details: http://www.nathaliesstudio.com/shop/online-workshops-ubermedia/creative-jumpstart-2014/ . CJS costs just $20 for the 3.5 hours of video content. That's less than $1 per video -- a great deal. 

Here's a short video for more details:

So join me and 20 other artists this January for CJS 2014!

Playing with Gouache...

It has been a whirlwind getting everything ready for my Etsy shop for the holidays! It went from being closed to being stocked with paintings, prints, collage sheets, notebooks, and more! Now that the big shopping weekend is over, and I have stacks of items already prepped, I can relax! 

Thank you to EVERYONE who came over to support me -- buying online classes or grabbing stuff from the Etsy shop -- THANK YOU! You help me continue to devote my time to art and blogging and sharing my discoveries!

Lately, I have been into gouache! I grabbed a couple of tubes of the lovely Holbien Acryla a few weeks ago and am in love with the matte look and how the paint behaves. 

Then I remembered I bought three tubes of regular gouache at a closeout sale a couple years ago, and pulled them out to continue experimenting. The Acryla gouache is different than traditional gouache in that it behaves more like acrylics -- it's fast drying and will dry on the palette -- whereas traditional gouache can dry on the palette and be re-used just like pan watercolors. 

What's the big difference? Gouache is opaque and matte. Just like the Blick Matte Acrylics I reviewed a couple months ago. Except I'm learning that it takes a lot less gouache to do the same thing when compared with acrylics. 

I'm still playing and learning, but definitely am in love. If you want to play, you can grab a cheap set at Michael's (and use the current 60% coupon from Jo-Anns to get it for $4.33!).

This is the cover of a new art journal I made for myself. I've been missing landscape pages, and had a pad of Strathmore Mixed Media paper hanging around the house, so I put on a thicker cover and used my binding machine to make a quick journal. I have since covered her with clear contact paper to protect her since I spent so much time working on her (and just realized I never painted in her eyebrows! Oops!). Sometimes, it's not about buying the cool new stuff or making a complicated book...it's using what you have and worrying more about what you're going to fill it with, rather than the form it goes in. This book is all about alien/animal girls and gouache practice, two things I'm crazy about right now. 

Well, I have to go pack! It's time for the annual art & craft retreat a local friend organizes every year down in Aravaipa Canyon. I'm teaching a couple ICE Resin classes and a gelli print class, and need to get to the studio to grab supplies! While I'm away, I won't have any internet or phone service, but my great friend Beth will be keeping an eye on things for me while I'm gone. Etsy will be closed, but you can still grab some online classes or digital items here on the blog. 

The art & e-class magic sale!

I've been working on updating my Etsy shop for the last week, finishing paintings, creating prints, updating collage sheets, & more! Here are a few of my favorites: 

gelli print magic idea notebooks!

She is as You See Her prints (& original)

Create Your Life Art Journal Print

gelli print sticker tape!

Create Your Life Original 

You can kinda see what's on my mind as of late: creating my own life, and repurposing my gelli prints all over the place in my artwork! There are TONS of original paintings up, such as the create your life original, which was an experimental piece created with layers and layers and layers of ICE resin to create an awesome effect...I just adore it! 

In fact, I'm in love with a lot of what I've put up on Etsy! This is my best year yet, in terms of creativity and skill, and I'm almost sad to see things fly off the shelves (trust me...they are!). But I need more room for new paintings and commissions (I'm taking them, finally!).

I've also gone and updated my shop here on the blog -- gone is the old, clunky ZenCart site that didn't work half the time! Now you can find ALL my digital products and e-courses in one place...here on the blog! I've moved over more collage sheets, 'zines, and updated workshop listings. 

One of my favorite re-discoveries were my issues of Hodgepodge. Over 70 pages of essays, journal pages, and stories. I want to dive in just so I can see how far I've come! 

ALL my online classes are included in the 25% off sale through Monday, so if you've always wanted to take one, go sign up! Lots of juicy content is just waiting for you to come and play!

I'm not the only independent artist having a sale this weekend! Check out these pages & offers from friends of mine! I just adore their work, and hope you do, too! We're hoping that you'll buy handmade this holiday season, and if not from me, go support one of my fellow artists!

Nolwenn has cleared out her studio and is offering a great discount on her soulful Nixies series, as well as other goodes! 

Jodi is offering her work at a great discount -- her work is so colorful and fun and whimsical...perfect for a little girl's room!

Catina Jane is having an awesome sale until 12/18....enter JINGLE20 at checkout for 20% off! I was able to meet her this summer while in Florida, and just love her beautiful soul...she creates such amazing work!

Are you an artist hosting a sale? Leave a comment or send me a message, and I'll add you to the list! 

Much love & peace & magic for you and yours this holiday season! 

xoxo, Samie