Announcing My Art Journaling Class for Fall 2014 Through Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Online

An art journal page I quickly created just for this blog post.

Somehow my charmed life has landed me in a place I'd never dreamed: teaching a web-based art journaling class to gifted young people through the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Online. Starting September 4 through December 18, 2014, every Thursday at 1 p.m. Pacific Time I will be teaching sixth through tenth grade homeschoolers some things I've learned about self-expression through art and writing.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've created the syllabus and begun lesson planning. As I've done this, I've grown more and more excited about teaching this class! Why? Because I get to encourage gifted young people to create, and inspiring others to create is one of my deep callings in life. As well, art journaling provides people with the opportunity to reflect on their lives, and the potential for transformation that can bring also energizes me.

Students can turn any used book into an art journal. I'm using this one!

In this class, students will create their own art journal from a favorite old book. Then they will begin to fill those pages by learning 

• idea development
• thumbnail sketching
• drawing techniques
• watercolor painting
• pen work
• acrylic painting
• collaging
• lettering
• handwriting
• and various writing techniques.

Having learned these skills, students will then have opportunities to apply them in experimenting with various art ideas and in expressing their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. With my background as a parent of gifted children and a personal coach to gifted grownups, I look forward to guiding this class through the gifted lens. Art journaling gives gifted people an opportunity to

• express themselves visually and tactilely
• explore their abundant creativity
• write using their exquisite word skills, including word play
• eschew perfectionism by viewing the art journal as a place to experiment
• express their sensitivity in a safe place
• interact with their ideas through visual forms
• explore their curiosity through various art techniques
• process information in a right-brained, intuitive way
• express their uniqueness
• and more!

Plus, it's FUN!

If you are homeschooling your gifted middle schooler or early high schooler, I hope you consider enrolling your student in my class. I would love to meet him or her and share this unique, fun art form that can become a vital practice in expressing and processing their gifted lives. As mentioned above, I will be teaching this class Thursdays at 1 p.m. Pacific Time from September 4 through December 18, 2014. Click this link to register: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/ghf-online/class-schedule/