“STUDIO SESSIONS”
Above is a photograph of a community painting done in November in my studio. I have had a dream to create space for community and creativity. Last year I worked with business coach, Jacki Carr on my business goals. One of them was to provide a space for creatives to come together. She has taught me how to begin making dreams a reality in the NOW. Start SMALL! And so I am.
I have many reasons for wanting to create this type of space. I am mostly creating the thing I have wanted to see in the community. The thing I needed when I was starting out. Support, connection, creativity, community, teaching and learning.
When I was teaching myself to paint in my basement in 2005 I was alone. The internet was still fairly new. There wasn’t any social media…maybe myspace? maybe Facebook? I was developing my intuitive painting process….alone. I would often wonder if there was anyone else who did this thing that I was doing…I had some women that inspired me that I did find on the internet. Ruth Rae , was a textile artist who I became obsessed with and traveled to Portland, OR to spend a long weekend in a workshop with her and Alisa Burke. I worked along side Ruth and played with textiles and sewing. I met Alisa and fangirled as she was a huge inspiration for me at the time.
A little later on I somehow came across a woman by the name of Jennifer Mercede and was HUGELY INSPIRED! I traveled to Dumbo NYC to do a weekend workshop with her. It was life affirming. She was doing the thing I was doing…but she was way ahead of me. It felt SO good to be with another artist who was talking about an intuitive and rebellious approach to painting. I felt so FREE and inspired.
There were many other artist who were painting intuitively and were also doing workshops and retreats and they were all VERY FAR AWAY from me. I wanted SO BADLY for there to be a similar community of artists here in ATLANTA…but, I couldn’t find them. That was when I knew I wanted to create that here.
So here we are current day about 20 years later and I am in the process of creating that dream. I have facilitated classes on retreat with Jacki Carr and want to do more of that! I have also facilitated classes here in Atlanta and done weekend workshops. I loved every single one I have ever done and know that is my “true north”.
Jacki participating in my “polaroid tarot” class on retreat in CA. (photo by Jenny Moloney )
On 2-24-24 I will hold my first group, “STUDIO SESSION”. I am starting very small. Only taking 4 people. I announced it yesterday on IG and only have 2 spots left. It’s from 11-1:30 and it’s $100. I am supplying everything for the class. You show up, create, connect and leave. Easy peasy. Reach out to me if you want a spot.
What are “STUDIO SESSIONS”? In these 2.5 hrs we will explore how to connect with your intuition as your guiding light for creativity. We will always open with mild breath work, meditation and some body movement to learn how to access our inner guidance. Then each class will have a lesson. Every class lesson will be different. Lessons consist of modalities I have created and learned along the way that are essentially tools for your creative tool box. They will serve as entry points to begin a painting. Each tool can be taken home and explored and expanded upon by the student.
A student at my “Nature of Creativity” workshop.
These seasons are drop in. My idea is to have them every Saturday at the same time and students can come when they want to drop in. Every class will be a new modality that you can use in your own painting journey.
These classes are good for the absolute beginner and the artist who needs to feed their inspiration and do something new to “fill the well”.
Here is to creating the thing you want to see in the world! If this speaks to you I hope you will treat your creative self to a session. See you soon!!!!
L E S L I E