I have loved playing with paints and crayons for as long as I can remember. In fact, my earliest, most vivid memories are all related to that passion. How sad is it, then, that I spent the next fifty years avoiding them like the plague?
Why? Because I was under the impression that I sucked at drawing. In fact, I'd tell anyone who would listen that "I can barely draw stick figures!" I bet a whole lot of you have used that very same line yourselves. If so, I'm here to tell you that you really need to give up on that sorry excuse for not living up to your potential, and for missing out on all the joy that is just waiting to be had. And, when you are finally ready, I know just the person to help you take your first baby steps forward.
As you know (since I rant about it all the time), a little over a year ago I discovered online art classes, and my very favorites have been the Art of Wild Abandonment classes taught by Junelle Jacobsen, who blogs at Yes and Amen. I've taken several classes with her now, and all the journal pages you see here were inspired by her projects.
One thing I love about her classes is that they are jam-packed with Seasonality, which just happens to be my thing. The first one I took "went live"* in the spring, and was filled with such yummy spring goodness as fluffy little baby lambs (which happen to be Junelle's thing), spring peas, and clotheslines, while the one I'm taking now is packed with summery projects involving wildflowers, porch swings, mudrooms, and even vintage campers and trailers!
The thing I love most about her classes, however, is that Junelle has a knack for breaking it all down into manageable little steps, thereby making it seem so easy that even the most timid of us come away feeling empowered! Everyone has fun, whether you've been making art for years, or, like me, have not picked up a paintbrush since kindergarten. Don't believe me? Well, let me remind you what the first illustrated To-Do List that I ever posted on my blog looked like.
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So what's your excuse now?
* When an on-line class first opens up, or "goes live", a lot of people sign up all at once and sort of take the class together. However, you can sign up at any time and once you have paid, they usually give you at least a year to complete it, so that you can go at your own pace and watch the little videos and tutorials whenever it fits into your own busy schedule. There isn't really a "live" classroom or anything, however most classes have their own facebook page, where students can post pictures of their projects and leave comments or ask questions, which is always very inspirational and makes the class even more fun.
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