So, about Suzi Blu...

Where to start describing an experience that changed your life and helped you believe things about yourself that you never would have thought possible?

My interest in art journaling prompted me to find YouTube videos to watch- and that was when I first came across Miss Suzi Blu. She had a whole bunch of free tutorials on there that were fun and informative. I watched every single one of them, I couldn't get enough. I watched Suzi demonstrate things and thought, "I might be able to do something like that- and I want to try!"

I did a search and found Suzi's website, "A Lovely Dream", at http://suziblu.typepad.com/ and saw that she offered online drawing classes, both in stylized faces and folk art dolls. There was a promotional video for "The Goddess and the Poet" which I watched two whole times in its entirety. You wanna know what really got me determined to sign up?

Suzi said she believes that everyone can learn to draw. That she believes we should all be kind and patient with ourselves and our mistakes and let our inner artist come out. Negativity is discouraged- well, trampled down with positivity, actually! Now I know she wasn't talking about or to me specifically, but here's The Thing: it felt like she was.

When you learn with Suzi, you are in for a real experience of the life-changing kind! All of the videos are filmed with a "you-can-do-this" attitude mixed with humour, good solid instruction, and constant reminders to take it slow, enjoy the process, and to expect mistakes. We were always encouraged to embrace our mistakes, to see them as part of our learning process.

Permission to make mistakes? Sign me up! lol That was definitely an environment I could embrace and learn in!

So, I signed up for The Goddess and the Poet, and got the Angels class too. I went right out and got some basic supplies and started watching the videos that make up the class. And I drew, every single day. I was addicted!

Drawing is fascinating and relaxing, and it gives me a real sense of accomplishment. Why? Because unlike some of the other artsy things I do, when I draw- even when I am trying to imitate my teacher- I am making something so unique to ME, something no one else has drawn exactly. I hope I am explaining myself properly.

I plucked up my courage and started posting even my beginner photos, of eyes, noses, lips... and moved on to faces and such. I can draw a face!!!

When you post something in the homework area, it gets specific feedback from Suzi- what works, what you could do to make it work better (if you want), etc. I don't know how on earth she managed all of the critiques, but she did. It was really great to see my work through her eyes, because I was finding that looking at it for so long kind of made me lose perspective.

The Student Gallery is a place for the students to post photos of what they are working on for everyone to see, and that really helps too. Not only is it inspiring as all get out, but it helped me see what I was doing right and wrong for myself, because I could see what appealed to me, and how it was the same or different to what I was doing.

Besides the personal attention, the classroom set up is great! I have "met" a lot of really cool people at Suzi Skool (http://suziblu.ning.com/). I follow their blogs and learn from them too!

After Goddess & Poet was finished, I signed up for Piety & Passion, which focused on side profiles and the 3/4 view of the face. That was harder, and I don't know that I really understand the placement of things yet, but since we get to keep the videos from the classes (which is a HUGE bonus!), I can re-visit it at any time and go through it- again and again if I need to.

I was fortunate enough to be able to buy the Petit Dolls Beginner and Advanced classes too, when they were offered one last time. I haven't gotten through too many of those yet, but again, since I have them to keep, I can do that at my leisure.

After a lot of debate with myself, I decided I wasn't able to commit to any other classes at this time, due to my volunteer work at my daughter's high school, and so I didn't sign up for the Mermaid class, sadly.
But I am still a member of the school and am able to see the wonderful things that everyone is producing! How fun is that?

If you need further motivation to sign up for a Suzi class, consider this: you will not only learn how to draw something (and that in itself is pretty amazing), but you will learn other things about yourself- like how much creativity and imagination you really have! And you will find it coming out in SO many different ways during and after a class with Suzi Blu.

I know I think bigger and so much differently about my art- and my life- than I did before I started. Sign up- you won't be sorry!

Uber-Cool giveaway!!!

I follow a LOT of artists' blogs, and I am constantly going from site to site to see what beautiful things all of these wonderful people are creating. It's awe-inspiring on a slow day- so don't even get me started on a there-are-so-many-posts-that-I-am-going-to-leave-a-bumprint-in-MY-chair-too day! lol

Connie over at Dirty Footprints Studio  (http://www.dirtyfootprints-studio.com/) is offering a STUPENDOUS giveaway for those of us who spread the word about this fantastic new art journaling class of hers- I could win the class PLUS I could win a class to give away to one of you reading my blog... is that fantastically generous or what???

I love art journalling but still feel pretty timid about it and so I am tempted to take this class and dive in!
The workshop is called: 21 Secrets: An Art Journal Playground. You can read all about it here: http://www.dirtyfootprintsworkshops.com/2008/09/21-secrets-art-journal-playground.html

I just finished reading through the teacher list and descriptions and holy cow, if even we don't win (you know, you and me!) what a value this is- well worth the small price they are offering it for. Every single secret sounds exciting and thought-provoking and fun! ALL of them sound fun and exciting to me!

Though I must admit, I am especially intrigued by a few that really stand out because of my particular interests or weaknesses...

Like the Conversations with Self: Letters from Your Inner Child, by Angelia Thompson. Who doesn't have childhood issues they wish they could be done with once and for all??? I know I could stand to silence those negative age-old messages!

And Art Journaling's Sassy Little Sister: The Art Postcard by Lis Hofmann. Who doesn't LOVE to get real, hands-on mail? I moved here to Colorado from Ontario, Canada a little over two years ago, which means I have a daughter, three sisters, and dear, dear friends who are FAR away... I would love to learn some things to make pretty and interesting things to send them all, to let them know I am thinking of them.

What about The Secret of Beginning, by Lisa Wilson? I should probably start there... I feel like I have all of these ideas and ambitions swirling around in my mind and soul, but I hardly ever know how to get them out of me onto a page or canvas, into my work. I would like to learn how to start!

And 10 Text Techniques, by Tami Chacon. Every artist I know personally is all about words in their work, and I have to admit, I would love to know how to put them into my work too. Every time I try, it looks out of place and just not right.

This is just a very small sampling of this workshop- and I would be willing to bet that you will find not one, but a bunch that appeal specifically to you too. Here's the link again: http://www.dirtyfootprintsworkshops.com/2008/09/21-secrets-art-journal-playground.html

And who knows, maybe we will be classmates!