CREATIVE DETOUR:

Re-Imagine Your Materials

Step away from the familiar and discover where a different creative path could take you.

Seven weeks of creative discovery through constraint and play

Same size. Different material. New discoveries every week.

Work small. Experiment boldly. Learn constantly.

A 7-week guided art “journaling” practice where you create one small piece weekly using unfamiliar materials or new techniques. Apply your familiar methods to strange substrates, or push yourself into completely new territory. Weekly prompts, community sharing sessions, and recorded presentations help you experiment boldly, fail beautifully, and discover what's possible beyond your comfort zone.

What you’ll do:

First, watch the presentation where I walk you through my own weekly journaling practice and share how I did it, what I learned from it, what I'll never do again and what I have fallen in love with. Plus a few tips on how to fit this weekly practice into your busy life and enjoy it! 

Second, choose your “journal” size, which you will stick with for all seven weeks (4x4, 5x5, 5x7, or 6x6 – your choice, nothing bigger). Then prep your substrate – I like to use bubble mailer scraps or plastic bag pieces, something nice and sturdy that can take a lot of manipulation. Cut at least 10 pieces and stack them in a box or tray so they're ready to go. This way, when Tuesday's prompt arrives, you can dive right in.

Before Your First Week Starts:

You get a new material prompt. Something like "use soft single-use plastic as your main focus" or another material challenge.

If you've never worked with this material before, great. The world is your oyster. Do something to it, anything to it. Manipulate it the way you work with your usual materials. Say you work with fabric and stitching is your thing – stitch on the plastic. If you're a painter who works in oils, paint on the plastic with oils. Printmaker? Print on it. Collage artist who works with paper? Work with the plastic instead.

If you have worked with this material before in many different ways, this gets trickier for you. You need to think about what you haven't done with this material and do that. Been stitching with plastic forever? Try printing on it. Been collaging with plastic for ages? Tear it, stretch it, weave it, stitch it, make something highly textural from it. You get the idea.

Every Tuesday:

You have one week to complete your journal piece. Whether you only have 15 minutes all week or several hours, whether you want to spend 15 minutes on it or a full hour — whatever it is, that's all you need to do. I would recommend that you don't spend more than one hour. Make this small “journal” piece with whatever prompt was given to you.

If you’re stumped, if you’re questioning yourself, if you’re jumping up and down from the excitement of a discovery you just made, if you think you’re making something cool but you’re hestating… jump into the Telegram group and ask, share, rant, discuss, delight and communicate! This group is there for you to have conversations and receive support and feedback from everyone participating and me. I’ll be there checking in daily — supporting you, giving you a gentle push to go further and prompting you to think deeper.

During the Week:

Upload a photo and short description of what you did so everyone can see it, even if you can't make the live session.

Every Saturday Morning:

Sunday or Monday:

We meet for a short presentation (about an hour, and it's recorded). You'll share what you did, what you liked, what you didn't like, what you learned most importantly, and what you'd do again or never do again. Just a short conversation about what you learned that week. That's it. Easy peasy.

If you're there live, you can add a few more words and speak about your piece. If you're not there, I'll have your work in the presentation and will read your comments so everyone knows what you did. That way, everyone gets to share whether they're there or not.

Meeting Schedule:

Presentations happen Sunday and Monday at different times to accommodate multiple time zones. All sessions are recorded and live on the workshop webpage, so if you miss it, you can watch later.

As we keep going, we'll build up a library of recordings. You can always go back to the recording of any material you were interested in and see what everybody else did with it. I guarantee you, some people will do things you would have never dreamed about. That's how you're gonna learn.

UPGRADE:

Who this is for:

Artists and makers of all kinds – stitchers, painters, printmakers, collage artists, mixed media artists. Anyone who wants to push beyond what's comfortable and discover what happens when familiar techniques meet unfamiliar materials (or when familiar materials demand unfamiliar approaches).

Add a 1:1 Session with Me

Get personal guidance at the moment you need it most. Book a 45/60-minute video call with me at any point during the seven weeks and up to two weeks after.

Best for makers who want focused attention beyond the Telegram group, whether you're just starting out, in the middle of the workshop, or finishing up.

How it works:
Book any time from registration through week seven and up to two weeks after our final call, at a time that works for you. Send photos of your pieces (if you have them) before the call so we can use the time well.

Same size. Different material. New discoveries every week. We start 11/3

✦

Same size. Different material. New discoveries every week. We start 11/3 ✦

Your Questions, Answered

  • A 7-week guided journaling practice. Each week you make one small piece with a new material prompt, either applying your familiar techniques to unfamiliar materials or pushing into completely new territory.

  • Artists and makers of all kinds: stitchers, painters, printmakers, collage artists, and mixed media artists. If you're new to a material, treat it like your usual one. If you've worked with it for years, try what you haven't done yet.

  • As much as you have. 15 minutes is enough, and I recommend no more than an hour per piece.

  • Choose one size for all seven weeks (4x4, 5x5, 5x7, or 6x6) and cut at least 10 pieces of a sturdy substrate, such as bubble mailer scraps, plastic bags, cardboard, or interfacing. Bring your usual art-making tools, plus whatever the weekly prompts call for.

    • Tuesday: a new material prompt arrives

    • During the week: you make your piece and get support in our Telegram group

    • Saturday morning: you upload a photo and short description of your piece

    • Sunday or Monday: we meet for a short recorded presentation of everyone's work

  • No. Sessions are held on Sunday and Monday at different times to fit different time zones, and every session is recorded and posted on the workshop webpage. If you can't attend, I'll include your work and read your comments aloud.

  • Upload what you have, or pick up with the next prompt. The recordings let you catch up. The point is to experiment and learn, not to produce finished work.

  • The Telegram group is where you ask questions, share discoveries, and get feedback from me and from other participants. I check in daily, offering support, pushing you to go further, and prompting you to think deeper. Telegram is free. You will receive an invite link when you join the workshop. Yes you will have to download the app.

  •  A 45/60-minute private video call with me, available as an add-on at checkout or book separately. Book any time from registration through week seven. Most people use it in one of three ways:

    • At the start: plan your approach, choose your size and substrate, and work out how to fit a weekly practice into your life.

    • In the middle: get feedback on your pieces so far, talk through what's working, and get pushed toward your next experiment.

    • At the end: review your full set of pieces and decide what to carry into your own practice, whether that's a series, a body of work, or a new direction.

  • Send photos of any pieces you've made before the call, so we can use our time well. If you book before week one, there's nothing to send. After you add the session at checkout, you'll receive a link to schedule it.

  • Upload your photo and description through the upload form each Saturday. Your piece is shown in the group presentation, which is recorded for participants. The form asks for your permission. For conversation and feedback, join the Telegram group, where I check in daily.

    As the weeks go on, you'll build a library of recordings. You can return to the recording of any material to see what everyone else did with it. Some people will do things you would never have thought of, and that's how you'll learn.

  • You'll have access to all recordings for one month after the final week of the workshop. That gives you time to catch up on anything you missed and rewatch the sessions you want to revisit.