Hello lovely creative!

Today I’m super excited to share a HUGE gallery of super inspiring student art created during the Art Journal retreat that took place in March 2023.

As I was gathering all the pictures, I realized that there are three main ways that the participants approached the project. And they are ALL great! When you take a class, what matters is to find the way that will best help you learn, and I’ll tell you more in a minute. But first: heads up! There are just a few more days to join me in The Artist & the Journal before I close the doors for several months!

I encourage you to click on the images that catch your eye so you can really dive into those beautiful pages.

With guided lessons and step-by-step instructions, a very good way to learn is to stick closely to the lesson and actually “copy” what the teacher is doing. This works well for a lot of people and there’s really no need to feel guilty. If I’m showing you every little detail of what I do, of course I won’t mind you doing the same! At this stage, you’re not trying to create something original, but you’re really doing your best to understand the process and master the techniques. This is a great way to build your confidence, and your skills. And THEN, you can try again on your own, become bolder and create something more personal, while using what you’ve learned.

Important: When you copy from a lesson, it’s a learning experience, nothing more. It’s not art that you can sell or share as being your own. If you do decide to share it on social media or otherwise, make sure to always credit your teacher and link back to the original course or video so others can learn too!

Close to the lesson, but slightly different:

During the lesson, I invited the participants to choose a focal image that evoked the idea of flight. Mine was a moth/butterfly but there are so many other options! Here are a few that the participants used:

Another trend I’m seeing among students, is to keep some of the main elements of the lesson, especially what you loved the most, and create a looser interpretation. It’s a great way to start making the process your own, and make the story and style more personal. It’s not completely different, but you’r'e well on your way!

For instance here, some participants changed the color palette or the subject of the focal image; some used a lot more texture or simplified the design; some kept the colors and composition but with a very different graphic style… Each page is unique and tells a different story in its own way!

And finally, another way is to use the lessons as a way to kickstart your inspiration and create something that’s completely personal. When I look at the pictures below, I am in awe of so much creativity, so many different voices, stories, ideas and feelings expressed!

Looking at any of these, I certainly couldn’t guess they were inspired by my lesson. And yet, without the lesson, would any of this art exist? Probably not! Simply because the class (in this case a free retreat) created an opportunity to take the time, a motivation to show up, and a few starting points. Sometimes that’s all you need!

Personally, when I sign up for a class myself, it’s for this very reason. I will binge-watch the videos, which will usually spark an idea of my own, and off I go!

Alright! I hope these magical pages have inspired you! And I really want to tell you that all three learning approaches are completely valid, and one is not better than the other. There is no right or wrong way to take a class, but when you do, it becomes the catalyst for something more! No matter the approach you choose: sticking closely to the demonstration, going for a looser interpretation or using it as a creative spark for something entirely different, you will ALWAYS learn and grow.

That’s why I love to teach so much! When I see so much amazing art being created all over the world, just because I sat at my table and turned the camera on, I mean… wow, how magical is that! And I would LOVE for you to join me in the classroom and grow your artist wings too!

Leave a comment for me!