Feeling Your Feelings With Art as Your Guide

Between school, social lives, home lives, the online world, and their changing hormones... tweens and teens have a lot of emotions and feelings that they just don't know what to do with. This can result in what we call the "soda bottle effect". Basically this means that every time something happens that increases feelings of stress or anxiety, it's like shaking a bottle of soda. When we keep that cap on, it builds up pressure inside the bottle until the bottle can't take it anymore. Then we get an explosion. 

Art is a fantastic way to let some of that pressure out of the bottle and allow us to open up the bottle, but a lot of people (even adults) think that you have to be "good" at art for it to help relieve stress. I am here to tell you, that's just not the case. 

Over the course of this 20 week FLEX class, learners will be led through a different art technique each week that will help them release some of their built up stress and anxiety. Please view the schedule below for the list of techniques. 

Students will be asked to self-assess their feelings/stress level each week before and after practicing the art technique. Please note, that while I am certified in Art Therapy, I am not a licensed mental health professional, so there will be no therapy occurring during this class. My goal is to help students become more self-aware of their feelings and stress as well as to give students tools to help them manage their stress and anxiety.  

Week 1: Zentangles
Week 2: Mandalas
Week 3: Doodle Art
Week 4: Scribble Drawing
Week 5: Stippling
Week 6: Comic Strip
Week 7: Line Art
Week 8: Emotion Wheel
Week 9: Gratitude Tree
Week 10: Vision Board
Week 11: Mind Mapping
Week 12: Self-Body State
Week 13: Meditative Painting
Week 14: Art Journal
Week 15: Self-Soothing Image Folder
Week 16: Healing Postcard
Week 17: Affirmation Cards
Week 18: A Letter to Yourself
Week 19: Box of Forgiveness
Week 20: Mirror/Window Painting

Expectations each week:
- The video of that week's technique will be posted on Tuesday afternoons (EST)
-Students should fill out the short self-assessment to gauge their current stress and anxiety levels PRIOR to completing the exercise.
-Students should watch the technique video, then experiment with that week's technique. 
-Students should fill out the short self-assessment to gauge their stress level AFTER completing that week's project. 
-Students should complete the short reflection assignment. This "assignment" will be the same each week and consists of a series of reflection questions. Students are welcome to write, type, video, or voice record their reflections. Reflections are the only portion that will be submitted to the teacher.

I feel that children should be encouraged to follow their passions. Children need to know that they can have what they want for their lives if they have the correct tools and motivation to get there. I hope to help build confidence in my students and to give them some of those tools. I also believe that not every child learns the same way. Education is not a one-size-fits-all experience. I look forward to helping your child learn how they learn.

While I offer an extensive collection of class content choices, my specialty is meeting students where they’re at and making the course material accessible to all students, regardless of the topic. I love to be silly with my students and encourage interaction in all of my classes. I want learners to feel at ease and safe to be themselves in my classroom. My small class sizes and relaxed, encouraging teaching style allow me to tailor my classes to each student’s needs and learning style, resulting in learners walking away from class confident and smiling.

*If you don't see a time listed that works for you, please reach out. I am happy to add classes to accommodate students' schedules whenever I can. Thank you!*