Take a moment to close your eyes and envision a place in your mind that makes you completely happy.  What does this place look like, sound like, feel like, taste like, and smell like?  Does thinking of this place make you more relaxed and happy?  Mindfulness is about paying full attention to something. It means slowing down to really notice what you're doing and what is surrounding you in your environment.  Mindfulness can help alleviate stress, strengthen focus and concentration, generate kindness, and assist us in appreciating the little things in life we may otherwise miss.  

In this ongoing class, students will informally practice mindfulness exercises, including sharing statements of gratitude and loving-kindness, meditation, grounding activities, and visualization.  At the beginning of class, I will check-in with each student and see if they want to share any art.  Then, we may engage in a mindfulness exercise or just have a general focus for the class as we create (i.e. focus on something you are thankful for, focus on something you love, focus on a positive this week or in the future, focus on a person who has made an impact on you). The majority of class will focus on creating mindful art in the form of a mandala, which are structures with radial symmetry, paint by number, or any other mindful type of art. I will teach the basic techniques and show some examples of mandalas, but it is really about each student creating a unique piece and focusing on their art to be able to relieve stress.  We will have an opportunity to share our pieces at the end, if completed.  Students will also be able to interact with myself and with one another when working on their artwork.

All classes function with this schedule on repeat as mindfulness is cultivated by consistent practice: 
-Open with talking about anything that has happened during the week and sharing art
-Intentions/reflections (reflect on positives in your future or this past week, reflect on your strengths, reflect on something you love) or informal or formal Mindfulness activity: meditation, gratitude statements, grounding exercise, or visualization. I will lead these exercises.
-Tutorial on creating mandalas or mindful art on Procreate as needed
-Independent creation of mandalas and mindful art on Procreate
-Sharing of mandalas/mindful art created

A very basic knowledge of Procreate or preferred digital art app is all that is required. Just having some familiarity of where the brushes are, where the wrench is, and where the color palette is is all you need. I will mirror Procreate on Zoom so learners can follow how to create a mandala or other projects step-by-step. I will be using Procreate, but other digital art apps work for this class as well. I am happy to assist learners step-by-step through the process if they have any questions, but the general process is very simple. 

Ongoing classes are billed weekly, and students may join or leave at any time.  You can read more about these classes in Outschool's FAQ section.  Age is flexible--just send me a message!  I hope we can create beautiful and relaxing artwork together while making new friends.  I am a kind, patient, interactive, and creative teacher looking forward to working with you!

**Students who wish to Procreate (pocket version for iPhone also works), which is an iOS application, see this website for compatibility and FAQ's about Procreate: 
https://procreate.art/faq.  iOrnament or ibisPaint may also be substituted--just let me know.  Please reach out with any questions!

Iornament or ibisPaint also work to create mandalas.