New News, Studio 4 Art has a new site for blogin'

Change, always open to change. So, I have been working diligently to get Studio 4 Art on the map for social media. As well as building a site to host all of my needs, blog included.

PLEASE find and follow posts at the following location. With this new marketing hat I am wearing, posts will be more frequent, inspirational (my hopes), and a lot more about Studio 4 Art.

http://www.studio4art.net/s4a-blog/

Marin Magazine, BEST OF COUNTY!

This was received in the mail. If I could only explain the excitement. I know it is just a certificate, printed words on paper. But, for 7 years I have been working very hard to be seen, heard, acknowledged, and have the world (okay still have some work here), to know that Studio 4 Art exists, an art studio for children. Why do I care if people know about us. As a business woman, can't help it, I did do a happy dance. But, honestly, the pride comes from a deeper place for me.

I began teaching art when my youngest was in 4th grade, he is now 25. I began teaching because, well, he was attending a school that is known for having a fabulous art department, to me, however, they were still missing the mark of what art can do for a child. What I was seeing, even the art department was having to answer to standards. Standards are a good outline, my question is, "why do the standards have to strip away the creative aspects, the point of surprise, discovery, and outcome, out of the process?

As it says in my blog bio "To give children a voice through art. No other curriculum allows a child to explore, from beginning to end, discovering from a point of unknown to a point of completion, with the results of self confidence and awareness." The concept incorporates that if something doesn't work out (failure to most), what can we do as artists to change the outcome? Creativity is so powerful, it allows the brain to take in all information, formulate, calculate, and then reprocess, discovering a new outcome. Studio 4 Art does this through teaching art.  This is the point. The reason I do what I do. Empowering children, through art, is the best gift I can give. Without standards to answer to. 

Guess what too? I do find value in standards. I go to National Arts Education Association conferences and follow along with what children should be learning with each grade level in state standards. I use these as guidelines. Often times, our 8 year old students are working on projects that are high school level. Why? Well, one reason is because I find the subject material much more interesting. And two, because our students are capable. It is all in the teaching, understanding of a child, and the ability to teach on an individual level.  At all times, we make sure that our students are working on projects (sculptures, paintings, drawings, mixed media, and even sewing) that are individual to them. They organize the idea, our teachers are there to help them execute the idea. Diversity is our goal, celebrating the individual gives them the confidence to know that their voice should, and can, be heard. The power we have that most art studios do not, we know how to incorporate creativity, individual thinking, process learning, and execution, with the knowledge of fine art techniques and terminology!

Thank you Marin Magazine for recognizing Studio 4 Art for its connection to community and children. We do love what we do and believe that getting crafty, is pretty crafty!

FINE ART with a FUN Contemporary Twist; SUMMER CAMP!

FINE ART with a FUN Contemporary Twist; Summer CAMP

Mornings:
9:30am-12:30pm (Ages 4-14) 
3 hours $65/day $255/week 

All Day:
9:30am-3:30pm (Ages 7-15)
6 hours $105day $435/week

register by calling 415-596-5546

**Sibling Discount
Extended Care: $12 / hr 9am-9:30am, 3:30pm-5:30pm
*Need help with childcare, we are here and you can write it off! 

Teens ONLY Camp • NO ORDINARY CAMP!
Afternoons • 1pm-4pm (Ages 12-16) $255/week

JUNE 23-27; CLAY PLAY. All things clay will be explored: wheel throwing, sculpture and imagination!
JUNE 30-JULY 3; ANIMALS. Different animal theme everyday. Master artists shared to inspire new work. (4 days) JULY 7-11; MIXED MEDIA MADNESS. From papermaking to ceramics. Great for the kid that loves all things art. JULY 7-11; Teens ONLY. NO ORDINARY CAMP! Painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics and mixed media. JULY 14-18; FASHION DESIGN (7+). From fabric design to creating a pattern. Full of “how to’s” and inspiration. JULY 21-25; CLAY PLAY. All things clay will be explored: wheel throwing, sculpture and imagination.
JULY 28-AUGUST 1; Teen ONLY•NO ORDINARY CAMP! Painting, printmaking, photography, clay, mixed media. JULY 28-AUGUST1; CARTOONING. Character building, comic strips, comic books and bookmaking!
AUGUST 4-8; PHOTOGRAPHY. Learning to use a camera, composition, developing film and working with prints. AUGUST 11-15; Teens ONLY•NO ORDINARY CAMP! Painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, mixed media. AUGUST 11-15; FINE ART PAINTING. Does your child love color? Love paint? This class is for you!

The Base of Success is Failure as Failure leads to Success

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The Base of Success is Failure as Failure leads to Success

Why are we afraid to fail?  I have been contemplating this idea for a long time.  I think my pondering is initiated by the kids creating at Studio 4 Art and ask, "You can't fail in art, right?"   Many, if not all art teachers share this wisdom with their students.  When students are told this, it is usually in the form of whatever you made is fine because there is "no failure in art", or it is used to alleviate fear of getting started with the project.  I believe that the essence of what they are saying is there, but the true value and full interpretation is being lost, mostly because the explanation of what failure is in art (and in life) has not been vocalized, explained to a degree of what failure can be.  Failure is all a part of the creative process and is in no way bad, "messing up" is okay, it is how we learn.  Instead the sentence is said, and everyone moves on with the art project.  My thought, art is a perfect place to share that you can make a bad piece of art, known to some as a failure, believe me I have tons.  But, bad art, the failed pieces, are the reasons that you either choose to push creativity, not giving up and keep exploring on the same piece, or you learn what you don't like and change it for the next piece.  My college professor explained that you have 1000 bad paintings in your career, be thankful when you get one of them out of the way.

Art is process.  It cannot be gained by simply following a step-by-step instructional project that just creates fear to explore and damages the value of oneself to have the capacity of creating from their own imagination.  Many, many ideas, explorations, art projects and inventions follow a process, it is called, the creative process*.  And the creative process embodies that there will be failure, except it isn't looked at as failure, as much as it is seen as a part of the process.  The more creative you are, the more each pass at what others see as failure, you see as a stepping stone to push further.  Failure is not negative.  It should be looked at as a place of discovery and the acceptance and reward of change.  Remember the phrase, try and try again?

Now change...That will have to be for the next post, because as an observer, the reality that we have a difficult time accepting change, is a big one.

Teacher Jenson assisting to see how a screen print is made.

*Creative process
  Incubation
  Convergent and divergent thinking
  Creative Cognition Approach
  The Explicit-Implicit Interaction (EII) theory
  Conceptual blending
  Honing Theory
  Creativity and everyday imaginative thought