Virtual Art Picnic

Quiet your inner-critic and increase the joy in your creating with Art Picnics!

Art Picnics will help you:

* Get grounded and connect with your intuition.

* Let go and get playful with your art.

* Get creative support to help you unblock and create freely.

* Have a blast creating your own unique Art Picnic experience!

* Leave with all the tools you need to continue creating your own Art Picnics.

* Take excellent care of yourself by scheduling in some all-important creativity time.

Upcoming Art Picnics!

The next Art Picnic will be February 3, 2011, from 7 - 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Sign up here.

What is an Art Picnic?

An art picnic is a fun, gremlin-quieting way to get past your fears and get creating. 

I started having art picnics at a time in in my life when I was feeling stuck creatively. I was frozen in the fear of not being good enough. And as much I ached to create, I couldn't get past that annoying inner critic chatting in my ear.

I needed a way to bring the joy back into my creating and a no-pressure environment where I could let go and play. Something about indoor picnics have always been fun for me - so instead of setting up my artwork on an easel, I laid blankets and pillows down on the floor, surrounded myself with art supplies, and let myself create freely.

With a few simple tools, which I'll share with you in this class, I learned how to move beyond my fears and create from a place of joy, freedom, and authenticity.

How does an Art Picnic Class work?

Art Picnic classes happen partly on a teleconference line (to check in before and after) and partly on your own. The experiences lasts 2 hours total -- During the first half hour, we will meet, discuss the tools you need to get started, and do a grounding exercise. We will then get off the phone and have our individual art picnic experiences. I will be playing and creating too, but I will also stay on the bridge line, so if you get stuck, you can call in and I will help you through it. In the final half hour, we will meet to discuss what we created, share what came up for us, and learn some tools to keep our creative energy flowing.

Joining an Art Picnic class will help you to schedule in this important creative time for yourself. I know for myself, when I commit to showing up in a group setting like this, I'm more likely to do it! And if you get totally stuck at any point during the hour you're creating, you can call back in to the bridge line and get some help from me.

Bonus!

After the class, you will receive an mp3 recording of my favorite grounding exercise to help you get centered and into your body before you create.

F.A.Q.'s

What do I need to participate?

A phone (long distance charges may apply) and a willingness to get playful and spend time creating! A picnic basket is not required. ;-)

How do I prepare for the call?

Before the call, prepare your space, so that after checking in, it will be all ready for you to dive in. You can prepare by setting up a comfortable place to sit with your art supplies spread out within easy reach.

Recommended Picnic Supplies:

If you'll be holding your art picnic on the floor, gather some blankets or sheets (that you don't mind getting dirty) that you can spread on the floor like a picnic blanket, and some pillows that you can sit on or prop up behind you. Make it a fun and comfortable place!

If it is not comfortable for you, you do not need to have your art picnic on the floor! Instead, find a comfy chair and a flat surface (like a kitchen table or cleared off desk) that you can spread your supplies out on. I've had art picnics in bed that were wonderful too!

Have a bottle of water handy (or a cup of tea, cocoa, or glass of wine depending on the mood!) as you may get thirsty!

Recommended Art Supplies:

Whatever you have! For my first art picnics, I started out with some magazines, a glue stick, some pens, and a sketchbook.

If you're looking for ideas, here are some of my favorite art picnic goodies: acrylic paint, watercolor paper, magazines, old books, old calendars, any collage ephemera, brown paper bags, sketchpad, pencil, erasers, glue (glue stick, yes paste, gel medium, matte medium), paint brushes and knives, scissors, markers, glitter, buttons, ribbon, charcoal, modeling clay, wire, tracing paper, stamps, stencils, oil pastels, colored pencils, beads, etc...It's entirely up to you what you use. Just pick out some of the art supplies you enjoy using and have them available.

What others are saying about the Art Picnic teleclass:

Margaret wrote, "What a fantastic experience!!!! I highly recommend the Virtual Art Picnic for everyone." You can read a blog post about Margaret's experience and see what she created here.

Beckie wrote, "Fun afternoon! Just what I needed - in fact, probably need one everyday!" You can read a blog post about Beckie's experience and see her work here.

Sign up for the February 3rd, 2011 class below: