On Tuesday, I shared my Master List of Home Goals for 2023. That’s a list of goals specifically regarding projects that I hope to accomplish around the house, and I’ve been publishing that list at the beginning of every year for the last seven years. But this year, I also have some personal goals. One of those goals is to incorporate more classes (probably all online, but we’ll see) and learning into my life. And this year, the focus will be art and music.
I’ve already selected/signed up for three art classes and one music class, and I’m so excited about all of them! I have no idea when I’ll actually have time to get through them, but I’m going to do my best to make learning fun stuff a priority this year.
Here are the classes I’ve selected (and already signed up for) so far this year:
Yvette St. Amant’s Pocket Sized Sketchbook Series
This is the first class (actually a class bundle of four different classes) that I signed up for at the end of last year when she was running a holiday special at discount, you can see the classes here, along with a video showing what’s included in the classes.
What drew me to this class is her creation of these bold, colorful “pocket-sized” paintings that seem to quite simple, but then the last class teaches how to take these simple paintings and turn them digitized, seamless patterns that can be used for fabric, wallpaper, etc.
You may be thinking, “Kristi, you already know how do that. You made your own wallpaper for your studio!” Yes, I did. But I’ve never gone from my own paintings/designs to fabric and wallpaper. So I’m hoping that this class will free me up to create more fun and colorful patterns, and then maybe I’ll learn a new technique (or learn some helpful tips) for turning those into repeatable, seamless patterns.
Lynsay Green’s Flourish & Bloom Class
The second class I’ll be taking is this floral art class from Linsay Green. If you take a look at her Instagram, you’ll immediately see why I was so drawn to her art and her class.
I absolutely love her art — the bold colors, the composition, her use of florals and birds. Those are the things that drew me to her art and her Instagram account. But what drew me to her class is her use of different media in creating her art. She doesn’t just use acrylic paints. She also uses inks, pens, and probably more that I’m not aware of. So I’m very excited about this class, and I hope to combine what I learn in this class and the first class to create my own bold multi-media patterns that can be used on fabric and wallpaper.
Jane Monteith’s Fused Harmony Class
I’m only on the waiting list for this class right now, and I’m really hoping that this class won’t be too expensive for me. I’ve already taken one of her classes (similar to this mixed media class, but mine was about half that price, and probably half the information), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even though I took the more “stripped down” mixed media class (which doesn’t seem to be available anymore), I learned so much from her.
Jane is one of my absolute favorite artists on Instagram. She’s a mixed media artist who works a lot with patterned/textured papers (that she creates herself in some very unique ways), metals, encaustic, and resin. Her creativity blows me away. You can find her Instagram account here, and once you watch a few of her videos, I think you’ll see what I mean.
Her own style has changed over the time that I’ve been following her, and the colors she uses now aren’t quite what I like, but her methods and techniques are what intrigue me. Her creative mind comes up with some of the most amazing and unique ideas, and those are things I can use to create my own style along with my own favorite colors.
And finally…
Piano In A Flash
I’m taking piano lessons, y’all! 😀 I kept seeing this ad on Facebook and Instagram for Piano In A Flash, and I’ve been wanting to get back into playing the piano for years now. So I decided to take advantage of their holiday/new year sale.
I took piano lessons for years when I was young (elementary and middle school age), and while I can still read music and probably learn and play any beginner or intermediate piece of music that’s put in front of me (with a whole lot of practice and repetition), that’s not quite what I want to do this go ’round.
So when I saw this ad for this man’s technique of teaching music, I thought, “That’s exactly what I want!” I don’t want music theory, scales, and all that stuff. I just want the fun stuff, and I want to be able to sit down at my piano and pluck out a song with a few chords. So I’m hoping that’s what I’ll be able to do by the end of this class.
So those are the four classes I’ll be taking so far, and I’ll keep y’all posted on how they’re going and the progress I’ve made on each one. And maybe in a few months, I can even do a video of me actually playing a tune on my piano! I look forward to it being more than just a decoration in the music room, but an instrument that’s actually being used and loved and enjoyed.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
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