Come To Our Studios And Make Stuff

I have a book by Fred Babb called Go To Your Studio and Make Stuff - in fact that is the cover of the book above. Fred was a pretty cool guy. I love his loose and playful style, and his take on art, which is that creativity is essential, and that everyone is creative. As a teacher I see a lot of students pass through my studio who don't think they are "creative." They say they "can't" draw or paint. I disagree. I think that not only can everyone create, everyone should create. When we get into the zone with creating we forget our stresses and petty grievances; we essentially forget ourselves. The process of creating takes us somewhere both outside of ourselves and yet deeply within at the same time, and usually when we return we feel a whole lot better.

 This is an excerpt from Fred Babb's website: 

"In high school, Fred met the teacher that changed his life as an artist. He challenged Fred to make art outside the boundaries of skill. He encouraged him to go places with his imagination and without the restriction of creating what he thought he should create, something he believed would be acceptable. Through this teacher's guidance Fred was given the gift of freedom to create outside the standards of "acceptable" art and within the limitless boundaries of his own imagination. This single experience began the foundation of all his future creation process. For years afterward, Fred would experiment with a variety of styles and techniques, all of them self-discovered. Fred did not pursue art education, but rather education through his art."

What jumps out for me in the paragraph above is "outside the boundaries of skill", and "without the restriction of creating what he thought he should create."

Making art just for the creative experience can be transformational. Not because you want something to hang above the sofa or look good on your walls, but because it feels so good when you do it.

Beginning in January we are hosting Drop In and Create evenings at both Shine Art Studio (Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30) and Tangerine Dream Gallery and Studio (Thursdays 6:00 - 8:00.) The sessions are $35.00 each, which includes most materials, or you can buy a punch card with 3 sessions for $90.00. 

Come to our studios and make stuff with us!