Dirty Footprints Studio

Feelin' Lucky?!?

2012-01-27T09:51:00.006-07:00

February 19th -26th, Miss Mindy is hosting another one of her fabulous Ecamps over at Wish Studio...and I'm so honored to be one of the eight FABULO-SO camp counselors sharing in the fun!

Seriously.

We're talking Vivienne Mc Master, Chris Zydel, Amy Palko,

Miranda Hersey, Jenna McGulggan, Stacy De La Rosa, & Rachel Awes!!!

I'll be teaching some FEARLESS® Painting fun with

Let It Loose.

I hope you'll join us---hop on over HERE to check it out--

there's something special to warm everyone's heart!

And, just in case you're feeling lucky...

I'm giving away one free registration to a lucky commenter!

Yep, all you need to do is leave a comment below telling me what your wishBIG is for 2012....and you might be the lucky snowball that wins!

The give-away is open till late Sunday night.

Good luck!

Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade

2012-01-26T06:00:00.003-07:00

Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade by Peter Wegner (2008) at the Phoenix Art Museum

Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade (detail) by Peter Wegner (2008) at the Phoenix Art Museum

Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade (with Hansel!) by Peter Wegner (2008) at the Phoenix Art Museum

Recently Hansel and I spent the day at the Phoenix Art Museum. I absolutely love Art Museums, and especially go gaga over Contemporary Art that really makes a statement and stretches the whole idea of painting. That's why I fell in LOVE LOVE LOVE with Peter Wegner's piece Guillotine of Sunlight, Guillotine of Shade.

As you can see, it is a wall of beautiful color. On one side it is "sunlight"--the other side "shade". Each side of the wall is made up of 1.4 million pieces of die cut card stock paper that is hung together--not stacked actually. The effect is beautiful as you can see.

Absolutely beautiful.

And when I got home I immediately looked up Peter Wegner. He's one inspiring Artist that works in all different genres from installations like you see here--to sculpture--to collage--to even writing.

Very inspiring!

Buried Treasure

2012-01-25T06:00:00.002-07:00

Late last night I was searching through one of my drawers in the bedroom, when buried underneath a bunch of stuff was this black, spiral sketchbook that I had started creating in this exact time last year.

It was kind of like finding old photographs.

Or buried treasure.

I had totally forgotten about it.

It was so awesome to find it, I have to admit.

I remember when I made these spreads.

I was trying to let a story unfold.

I see them now, and I think "wow".

I had no idea.

No clue.

Not even an inkling of knowledge,

of what really laid ahead.

And it was only a year ago.

I think I'm going to pick up where I left off.

At least for a little bit.

Then let it get lost again.

Here's The Truth & Nothing But The Truth

2012-01-24T10:50:00.004-07:00

Painting by FEARLESS® Painter Louise currently in BIG.

All you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, and I promise you, something great will come of it.

~said by Matt Damon as he portrayed Benjamin Mee

in We Bought A Zoo

I'm gonna let you in on a lil' peek of what happens here behind the scenes at Dirty Footprints Studio some times. I'm gonna tell you about last week.

Oh, last week.

Well, first, let me say that I have to set deadlines for myself. I have to. Or nothing I do will ever be done, created, or launched into the world. Nothing. Including things like doing the bills, the laundry, and even the dishes.

If I don't set a date or time by when things "need" to be finished--they'll sit for aeons.

Second, I do my best work right up against the wire. Always been this way. It's just how me and my Muse like to kick it.

So for months and months and months I set the deadline of Monday, January 23rd as the date I would launch IGNITE into the world and put it on sale. I wrote it in my day planner, marked it on my iCal, and had a few fluorescent pink sticky notes here and there to remind me. As the date got closer--I began to tell people this is when I would launch it. People who emailed me about it--or even my beloved FEARLESS® Painters.

Basically, it was set. No turning back.

Now that you know how I roll, let me tell you about last week. The week that I was planning on doing my best work--as I give it my all to meet my deadline.

So guess what happens?

Well, first my Mac dies. Just totally crashes. Boom. Bang. Kadoom.

Honestly, I had a feeling that this might happen--so slowly for the last couple weeks I've been transferring files, photos, and such over to an exterior hard drive. But, (maybe because I didn't set a deadline for myself on when I should have had it all transferred)--I didn't get everything and lost quite a bit to the Mac Crash of 2012. Including precious work I had done for IGNITE.

Ok. Freak out time for a little.

Then, I just had to bite the bullet and dish out money I wasn't planning on, to purchase a new computer.

Back in business. Hello deadline.

Well, guess what happens next?

Our modem dies. Sizzle sizzle bo bizzle. Dead.

No more internet at the homefront.

Ok. Freak out time number two.

After a good cry I drive across town to the cable store where I need to get a new modem to find out that for some bizarre reason they are close till Monday. Monday, January 23rd. The deadline.

Enter freak out time number three. The Big Doozey as I like to think of it.

Now after a good cry, throwing a few small objects out into space, and yelling at poor Hansel on the phone for nothing at all, I moved on.

I decided well, I'm just gonna have to sit in a few good coffee shops now until this baby is finished and get over it.

So I headed over to Starbucks. Purchased a "venti refresh tea" (with only one tea bag thank you), sat down, plugged in the laptop and hit the Safari icon.

Nothing. No internet connection.

I look around and I see college kids everywhere all of them with head phones on and internet connection.

All of them.

I try everything. I even walk over to a few of them and ask for help.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

I don't get it.

I call the Mac store where I purchased my computer. They're close.

By this time, I'm over the freak out. It has purely turn into comedy. One of those tragic comedies.

I won't lie. I started to think that maybe...just maybe...this is the Universe trying to tell me something.

But, anyways, I decide to keep moving and go to a different coffee shop. Once again I pack up, drive across town, order a "large peppermint tea" (only one tea bag please and thank you)--basically the same thing I had at Starbucks--sit down, open the laptop, hit the Safari icon and....

We have lift off.

Breathe.

So for the next couple days I drank alot of peppermint tea and hung out for long hours at random coffee shops--except the one we won't mention again.

Now Sunday night arrives. I have everything in place. My eyes are fried, the tips of my fingers are numb, and I'm feeling all high and gooey from that feeling you get when you create something you totally believe in with every ounce of your body, soul, and existence.

And guess what?

The biggest obstacle of all appears.

FEAR.

We're talking FEAR in all capital letters wearing a three piece suit and carrying a suitcase kind of FEAR.

The type of FEAR that makes an entrance, comes with back up, and takes no prisoners.

That kind of FEAR.

The worst kind of FEAR.

The kind that makes the Mac Crash of 2012 look like stepping in bubble gum.

Yep, FEAR.

All I needed to do now is hit submit. Submit on my email newsletter. Submit on my blog dashboard.

Submit. Submit. Submit.

And I couldn't. I was terrified.

FEAR pulled out his suitcase and he had files and files and files of information on how and why I was certainly going to fail--and how this was all in vain. How nobody was going to care. How it was pointless.

Useless.

Ridiculous.

So, I got a cookie.

A chocolate chip peanut butter cookie. And I ate it. And I sat there re-reading everything I wrote as FEAR looked over my shoulder pulling out even more files on my predicted demise.

So I did something that I always do when I'm afraid.

I put my hands together, closed my eyes, and prayed.

If I wasn't seven months prego already and getting up and down from the floor wasn't such a challenge--I thought of even pulling a Tebow right there. But instead I wasn't looking for dramatics--I was looking for the truth.

And my truth always comes to me when I close my eyes and go inward.

My truth is always there. My truth carried me past every obstacle that presented itself to me that week. My truth stays with me through the ups and downs of living a life as an Artist. My truth whispers and flows and never rushes or appears once in awhile...like FEAR does.

My truth is what has gotten me this far. My truth has known more than any thing FEAR has ever predicted.

My truth is always right.

I opened my eyes. I took a deep breath.

I hit submit.

I closed my laptop.

I went home.

This morning, as I write this, I have here seven, printed out, BEAUTIFUL, completed registrations from women eager, a little nervous, and just as excited as I am to begin IGNITE this October. Seven women ready to follow their truth. Seven women ready to IGNITE the world with their passions--their dreams.

Seven women and it's only been one day.

FEAR was wrong. It always is.

Believe me, it always is.

It Is Time.....IGNITE

2012-01-23T06:00:00.008-07:00

It seems like life times ago that I was attending Cleveland State University to receive my Art Education license and prepare myself professionally to bring the magic and healing of the Arts to the masses. I had already been teaching Art for 8 years at the Cleveland Museum of Art and various Art organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, when I felt strongly that it was time to step it up a notch and pursue the education that I believed would open more doors for me to touch more lives.

Going through the Art Education program was not an easy feat. Not because of the work load or amount of requirements---but because of the disappointment that started to form in my heart the further I went into the program.

I became disappointed by my peers--many who were in Art Education because they thought it would be the "easiest" route to having a job with paid holidays and your summers off.

I became disappointed by the administration--as it made painstaking measures to condition us to fit into a system--a system I was slowly realizing was not a good fit for me--no matter if I had paid holidays and vacations or not.

But I stuck with it--and I searched out the professors who shared my passion, eventually found fellow students that felt like me, and I swore, no-matter-what, that I would put my heart into it--believing that it was no accident that I was there.

Then, the semester before graduating, I was in one of my favorite Art Education classes of all: Aesthetics and Critique, when a real light bulb went off. The visiting professor was an incredible man who when he told us that he left his home in the Dominican Republic (that had 2 mango trees and a hammock in the backyard) just because he longed for an adventure--an adventure to share the power of the Arts with others--I knew I found a kindred soul. He taught me more in the two courses I took with him than I learned my entire two years of the program--and sadly he was met with a lot of resistance and backlash from the students--because he challenged us to think--to really be creative--and to share the passion why we were (suppose to be) there in the first place.

To be honest, I don't remember what my 20 minute final presentation exactly was about--but I do remember clearly that my intention was to do my best to IGNITE my peers into seeing how important their role as an Art Teacher was going to be. I was a minority in the program--being that I already had two Art degrees and almost a decade of teaching under my belt. I knew what laid ahead for many of these people if they seriously chose to pursue a job teaching Art--and what worried me the most is that they would be a disservice. Not only to their students--but to the overall appreciation and life of the Arts for generations to come if they were just in it for the paid vacation time.

After my presentation my Prof asked to speak with me privately. The other students noisily filed out and my Prof plopped down in the desk right next to me. In his thick accent he carefully said: Connie, there are those that go on to teach and there are those that go on to teach those that teach. I see a life ahead of you--no matter what path you choose consciously, to be a part of the latter.

That's really all he said.

But that was the light bulb moment for me in my life. That's when all my experience, all my background, all my likes, dislikes, celebrations, and tribulations started to make much more sense to me.

I knew he was right. I knew it with all my soul.

And now, lifetimes later, I see that not only in every teaching job that I have ever taken--that I have done my best to create empowered leaders of my students--but in every job, relationship, and even in writing this blog. My intention always is to inspire and empower others to embrace how important their gifts and talents are--so they can IGNITE and inspire others as well. Others that resonate with them so that the magic and healing of the Arts can create a huge web.

Truthfully, I could say that a year of planning, hard work, and pouring my heart and energy has gone into this moment--this day, were I finally launch my FEARLESS® Painting Teacher Training Program IGNITE into the world. But the truth is, it's been much longer than that.

Much, much longer.

Though I know now, with all my being, what I am fully ready to do.

I'm not just ready to inspire others to be the best teachers/leaders/healers they can be--because I've been doing that for awhile. But I am ready to step into this next evolution of my own spirit. Through IGNITE I will gather together a community of amazing women, to guide, support, and most importantly IGNITE their own gifts, talents, and innate wisdom. Gifts, talents, and wisdom that I believe are so needed in the world today.

Now, with great joy and excitement, I am happy to announce IGNITE.

IGNITE is not another certification program. I will not be conditioning you to teach like I do or to go out into the world following some formula or prescribed standard. But rather, I will be doing what I do best as a teacher--and that is guiding you to ruthlessly believe and embrace your own innate wisdom and gifts, sharing with you all the tools, techniques, and experience I have gained through my 15+ years of being a successful, inspiring teacher/ creative entrepreneur, and supporting you in creating your own unique path into making teaching your life's work. But the best part of it all is that we will do all of this together--through the incredible power of the FEARLESS® Painting Process.

Do you too feel deep down that you are ready to really empower, transform, and IGNITE other women's creative spirits? Not to mention your own first?

Than IGNITE might be the right fit for you.

To learn more and be one of only 12 women I am accepting into this program please go HERE. If you have any questions or would like to discuss more in depth if IGNITE is the right fit for you, please EMAIL ME and let's set up a time to chat!

And when you're ready, let's IGNITE the world together!

Being An OUTSTANDING Art Teacher Starts With...

2012-01-18T06:00:00.041-07:00

Here is an excellent example of an outstanding teacher.

Here is another outstanding teacher.

I am always on the hunt for outstanding teachers. I'm not just talking Art teachers--outstanding teachers in general. Even those who are teachers and don't even know it--those are my favorite actually.

The reason why, is being in the presence of an outstanding teacher makes me a better teacher as well.
Heck, it makes me a better person, period.

And here's the thing--here's the clue to finding an outstanding teacher...

Outstanding teachers freely give of themselves without worry or concern that someone is going to steal what they have or copy how they do things.

They just teach.

Naturally. Organically. Generously.

I remember awhile back there was all this hoopla on the internet about respect and teaching. All this outrage that teachers were teaching and their students were then going on and teaching what they taught. It was like a witch hunt--and I wanted no part of it.

But here's the thing everyone failed to notice---mediocracy is the easiest (and cheapest) thing to steal/copy/imitate/produce.

What I've noticed is that many mediocre teachers go to great extent to protect what they feel is theirs.

Instead, what if we invested that energy in becoming OUTSTANDING?

What if we invested that energy in ourselves--in creating space for new ideas to arrive--instead of in creating space for more fear?

What if we invested that energy in creating possibility instead of an arsenal of defense?

Personally, I feel that if you invest your energy into becoming the best you possible--
You're untouchable.

Better yet, you're your own monopoly.

Everyone knows there's a big difference between a pair of Valentino jeans and the ones you buy at Wal Mart.

Just like there is a big difference between an OUTSTANDING teacher and a mediocre one.

Like Eric, my Yoga Teacher Training Teacher always says: mediocracy is exhausting.

I couldn't agree more.

IGNITE goes on sale this Monday---I can't wait!!!

The Cartography Of An Artist

2012-01-17T06:00:00.004-07:00

I was around six or seven years old when my step mother at the time was zipping up my winter jacket. For some reason I had told her that I planned to go to art college one day--and as she pulled that zipper right up to the edge of my chin, she looked me in the eye and said "I doubt it. You ain't ever going anywhere."

I remember that exactly.

But what I remember more was the way I felt full of rage--and how instantly I began to form a map in my young mind of how I would go to college and prove this bitch wrong.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought.

I remember that, more than her hurtful, mindless words.

And guess what--I did go to "art college". I graduated with not one--but two degrees in Painting and Art History--and later I even went back and got my Art Education License.

Heck, I even went on to create a self-sustainable lifestyle supporting myself completely as an Artist.

How about that?

The truth is, she wasn't the only person in my history that shun my desire to be an Artist--and that moment in my winter jacket wasn't the only time a real obstacle was presented in my path.

My life as an Artist has been full of doubts, detours, and major distractions.

People have been mean, unsupportive, and have shared with me worlds of fear. People who many time have my best interest at heart.

But I am where I am today because I chose not to believe them and instead follow my calling.

I meet so many women online that tell me their stories. I hear about the terrible Art teachers, the unsupportive parents, the cynical spouses and those random strangers who shared with them some horrible truths that made them doubt, disheartened, and change their point of view.

The story is always the same--the years lost and a heavy sense of regret.

But what they don't see is that they are no different than me. No different than any Artist that has ever walked this land.

There are no yellow brick roads to becoming an Artist. Each of us has our battles to attend.

And all those years you keep carrying around labeled as "lost" and those buckets of broken dreams you keep behind your bed--they are simply weighing you down from living the life you truly were intended.

It doesn't matter that you start believing in yourself at six, thirty-five, or eighty two years old. What matters is that you finally draw those maps in your head.

That you finally let go of the rage.

And instead answer the calling that you've been hearing again and again.

Drum Roll Please...

2012-01-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered to win two issues of the online magazine SPROUT--I'm super excited to be one of the contributors and even more excited for the opportunity to share the joy of giving with you!

We have a winner--and it was the 41st comment!

What a treat---Lauren writes an absolute beautiful blog and is such a kindred soul! Congratulations & what a pleasure to meet you!

Be sure to keep an eye on Lauren's blog because she not only wins an issue of SPROUT for herself--but one to give away as well!

BIG HUGS!

Dreams Within

2012-01-16T06:00:00.013-07:00

Photo by my beloved Hansel.

I just love that tree that lives near Cathedral Rock in Sedona.

It's the same tree that I painted under on the Summer Solstice--
the same tree my FEARLESS™ Painters and I sat by at Total Alignment too.

And last week I saw her again. This time Winter has played its part and her leaves have vanished from her branches. She stood there bare, naked, vulnerable to the elements.

And I simply stood there compassionately staring at her.

Winter has this way of doing this to us, doesn't it? Or maybe it's just Life sometimes.

There are periods when the foliage that clothes our soul is released and falls from our own strong branches. We're left feeling bare, naked, and vulnerable to the world.

But deep within the grain of the tree each precious bud begins to grow.

While deep within our own hearts, our dreams are already germinating.
They're just waiting for the right time to arrive.
Waiting for Spring to return again.

And it will.

It will.
It will.
It will.

Spreading Some Cheer With A FREE Chance To Win!

2012-01-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

Today I feel like spreading a little cheer.

I don't know about you--but it's grey and the sun is hiding--and well, we could all use a little goodness on a Sunday!

So--if you haven't heard Amanda Fall from Persistent Green (who is a rockin' Artist--I actually own one of her handmade books) started producing and self-publishing this cool little online mag called SPROUT.

And today her third issue comes out titled BOLDNESS--that she so kindly asked lil' ol' me to be a part of. But not just me--there are also some really juicy contributions in there by ladies such as the amazing HEATHER PLETT & even the wild and wonderful FLORA BOWLEY.

So...you need to read this 60 page magazine of yumminess...it will make your Sunday so much shinier!

That's why, even though I got my own free contributor copy--I've decided to go ahead and purchase 2 more at the super cheap price of $6 each--just so I can give them away here on Dirty Footprints Studio.

Yeppers!

But here's the even funner part (is funner a word?!).....I am only picking ONE WINNER---that one winner wins both issues---one for you--and one for you to give away on your blog and spread some more sunny cheer this January.

Sound great?

Here's the kicker--I'm only having this give-away last for today. Tomorrow I choose a winner. So we need to get the word out fast!

All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment below and check back tomorrow night (Pacific Standard Time) to see if you won!

And why not be generous too and spread the word?!? Believe me...it feels so good to do so!

Good luck Loveys!! Let's spread some cheer---and if you want---run on over HERE to purchase your own issue of Sprout for $6!!! It's juicy!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!! THE GIVE-AWAY IS OVER!!!

WE HAVE A WINNER HERE!!

Big Girl Camera Adventures :: Underground

2012-01-14T06:00:00.002-07:00

This Is Where I Want To Live

2012-01-13T06:00:00.004-07:00

In December I took a Soul Hiatus where I basically backed off from the internet, slowed down my work pace, and retreated as much as possible into a space of stillness and reflection. It is something I have focused on intentionally the last few Decembers, and a tradition I plan to keep.

But the truth is, before my Soul Hiatus I hit a major block.

Total resistance that showed up as self doubt, over thinking things, and even (I hate to say it) jealousy.

That's when I knew something was wrong. That I needed to step away from my usual routine and way of doing things and begin to explore what the real source of my resistance was.

I believe with all my heart that we humans are meant to live in total alignment with our Creative Source. That those passionate, devoted, energizing feelings that we possess are truly our guides in this life. That when more draining feelings and behaviors begin to appear it is a sign that we are slipping out of alignment with our truth.

But like any other human, I can at times find it much easier to place blame on other things than to take responsibility myself that I need to change something for these negative feelings and behaviors to dissipate.

I can logically create reasons why I am feeling the way I am--and support those feelings tooth and nail with creditable evidence. I can even recruit a whole slew of supporters if necessary, but it does no real use.

No real good to the purpose of why I am blessed with this beautiful life in the first place.

What I realized in my Soul Hiatus is a few things. One, for me, the internet is a bit too much. Too much information. Too much visual stimulation. Even too much inspiration.

Just too much.

All of this too much began to turn into noise for me. Loud, blaring noise. Like an orchestra of leaf blowers always outside my window.

And so when I limited my internet--and basically my computer intake as well, at first I was nervous. Afraid I was going to miss something important or lose connection to some type of source that provides for me.

Yeah, silly stuff like that.

But as the days and weeks of December went by, I started to feel like myself again. I was no longer worried about what other Artists were out there creating and doing--I no longer was comparing and contrasting and creating a whole handbook of what I needed to improve about myself.

Instead I started to hear my Creative Source more clearly again.

That feeling of being in total alignment came rushing right back.

I realized full heartedly that this is where I want to live--in this space of total alignment.

This is where I want to nurture my family, build my business, create my Art, and support my students.

This is where I want to make decisions, plan projects, and enjoy the company of others who I share this intention with.

This is where I want to live.

I finally admitted to myself that I found my way home.

Being An Art Teacher Starts With...

2012-01-12T06:00:00.002-07:00

Black Snow by Oscar Oiwa. Oil on canvas. At the ASU Art Museum.

After eight years of teaching Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, I decided that I wanted to expand my horizons, go back to school for Art Education, and get myself snuggled nicely into a public school--where, I felt, I could reach more souls out there that desperately needed Art.

One of the many requirements I had to meet to receive my Art Education License was called "field service". Where you would spend two weeks observing a teacher, followed by one week of actually getting to teach a class in that teacher's classroom.

I was assigned to a pretty rough and tough middle school in inner city Cleveland, Ohio. We're talking metal detectors at the front door, security guards on every floor, and students old enough to be graduating from high school filling your seats. The teacher I had to observe was this teeny tiny, little petite woman about my age at the time--who was terrified of her students and basically hated her job.

Nice.

She told me the first day that she had one of those huge science lab tables put in the front of the Art room on purpose--and she did all her "teaching" from behind there.

For the first week I sat on a chair perched behind her and watched as kids doodled on construction paper as she struggled to draw something on the chalk board for them to copy.

Most of her time was spent yelling at them to stay in their seats, pay attention, and be quiet.

I hated it. I dreaded going to my assignment. So, the second week as she began her "lesson" I left my chair behind the safety zone and began to stroll around the classroom--silently looking over the students' shoulders, sometimes patting them on the back if I saw something at the least productive, and finally taking a seat next to them and asking them about what they were drawing.

At first the kids didn't know how to handle the situation. I mean, an adult that ventured out into the classroom in an Art room? Someone willing to sit and talk with the natives--not at them?

The first day I did this my host teacher immediately said "I wouldn't do that if I were you Miss Hozvicka." When I simply responded with "I know."

Finally, it was my turn to have a chance at teaching.

I came in that Monday morning with my lesson plans all typed and neat to give to my host teacher and I began to rearrange the room. I took all of the tables and I placed them together into one big table--with all of the chairs in a big circle around them.

Yes, my host teacher by this time was sweating bullets and planning her emergency escape for sure. Moments before that bell rang I stood at the door and said hello to each student as they walked in, handed them a paper, and insisted that they follow the directions written on the chalk board.

Once everyone was in I closed the door and proceeded to take my place--right there on top of all those tables. Smack in the middle of the natives.

Yep, none of them knew what to think of me at that point. I walked on all of those tables wearing my two and a half inch chunky boots and began to express my expectations of them for the week that I was teacher--and began to discuss what I would be teaching them, what they would be learning, and how we were in this together. That I was an Artist--and the reason I was there was not because of a job--but I was there for inspiration--to be inspired by the youth of my neighborhood and to witness a freshness that I knew each of them possessed. When I was finished with my little speech, I stopped towering above them--and instead sat down on the tables and began my lesson.

When I finished my field service the principal personally wanted to see me. Other teachers had told them that for the first time students were talking and excited about Art and he said whatever he could do to help me get a position in the Cleveland Public School System when I was finished with the program please don't hesitate to ask.

See, I didn't really do anything special.

Nothing at all actually.

All I did was trust.

Teaching is all about trust.

Number one--your students need to trust you. They need to trust that you have their best interest at heart and that you know what is best for them individually.

Second, as a teacher, you need to trust your students.

I no longer teach in a public school, and when my FEARLESS™ Painters attend Total Alignment in Sedona they are greeted with a hug and not a metal detector--but it doesn't matter who your students are--trust has to be established between both parties.

My students need to trust that I am invested in their learning, their growth, and their development as Artists. And the best way I know to do so is by creating personal connection with them. Learning their names--their strengths, their fears, and what makes them come alive. That is why I always limit registration on my FEARLESS™ Painting workshops and retreats. I want to know who my students are--even though we might only be online.

But more importantly I need to trust my students. I need to trust that they are willing and ready to receive what I have to offer them. I need to trust that they trust in me--and by that a dance between the two of us can begin.

Over my 15+ years of teaching I have unfortunately met many Art teachers who fall short on trust. They feel that teaching means distributing knowledge and the more letters they can stack after their name, the more certificates they can frame in their office, and the more skills they can demonstrate is simply enough.

I whole heartedly disagree.

The teachers who have made the most impact on my life have never been about what I learned--but rather how I walked away a better person for being in their presence.

That is why my FEARLESS™ Painting Teacher Training Program that I will be announcing and putting on sale Monday, January 23rd is called IGNITE.

Successful teachers IGNITE their students souls--minds--and creativity.

Other teachers, well, they stand behind tables and miss the best part of it all.

IGNITE goes on sale Monday, January 23, 2012!!!

My Secrets Are Locked

2012-01-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Woman With Spiral Helmet by Mark Chatterley. Glazed Earthenware. At ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Yesterday I saw this sculpture and was brought to tears.

Instantly, it conjured up feelings inside me.

It washed over me and released something.

What it was, I do not know. And don't even care.

Woman With Spiral Helmet by Mark Chatterley. Glazed Earthenware. At ASU Ceramics Research Center.

And it's funny because it makes me think of this landscape painting that used to hang in the hallway at my Grandparents house when I was just a wee itty bitty.

I used to ask my Grandfather to pick me up and show me the painting closer and he would point out a little rectangular white shape in the background and say that's the house he grew up in when he was just a little boy.

One day, when nobody was looking, I dragged a kitchen chair to that painting and took my black crayon out and circled it. Just so I would never forget.

Woman With Spiral Helmet by Mark Chatterley. Glazed Earthenware.
At ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Nobody ever said anything.

Maybe nobody never noticed.

But somehow, I kept all the memories of my Grandfather hidden in that white shape with a black halo.

The roughness of his beard. The smell of his breath. The way his skin was wrinkled, weathered, and brown.

I was probably six years old then, when I vandalized that painting.

Now 30 years later, as a grown woman with a little itty bitty on the way--I lock my secrets and memories into the paintings I create.

And I release my old ones into the Art that I come across along the way.

I've Fallen In LOVE

2012-01-11T07:00:00.002-07:00

Denea by Akio Takamori. Glazed stoneware. At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Quick sketch by me. Ink on paper.

Woman Of A Dream by Akio Takamori. Glazed Stoneware. At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Quick sketch by me. Ink on paper.

Listening To The Sound Of A Stream by Akio Takamori. Glazed Porcelain.
At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Birth of Lena by Akio Takamori. Glazed Porcelain. At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Mother and Son: Homage To Porcelain by Akio Takamori. Glazed Porcelain.
At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

Cover Up by Akio Takamori. Glazed Porcelain.
At the ASU Ceramics Research Center.

I've totally fallen in LOVE.

His name is Akio Takamori and he is a contemporary Ceramics Artist that lives in Washington.

Yesterday I visited the ASU Ceramics Research Center and they had tons of his work. And well, I'm in LOVE.

Absolutely swooning.

And glossy eyed.

In LOVE.

And I have to admit, it's been awhile since I've fallen this hard for an Artist's work--but Mr. Takamori...

he does it for me.

His ceramic sculptures are fluid, bulbous, BOLD, and just something about them that really draws me in--and well, LOVE them.

Maybe it's because they're like 3-dimensional paintings. And let me tell you--if they weren't kept behind plexiglass, I might have hugged each and every one of them.

That's what happens with me sometimes.

I fall madly, deeply in LOVE

with Art.

Paint FEARLESS™ In Sedona!!

2012-01-09T06:00:00.010-07:00

One of the perks of being an "official" FEARLESS™ Painter (meaning someone who ventured their way through BIG) is that you receive first dibs on all my FEARLESS™ Painting workshops and retreats!!! Total Alignment: my second annual FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat in Sedona, Arizona went on pre-sale for ONLY my FEARLESS™ Painters this December 28th.

With great excitement and my deepest gratitude, I am happy to announce that Total Alignment is TOTALLY SOLD OUT--even though today is the first day it "officially" goes on sale!

I intended to host two Total Alignments this year, but with our little one on the way this Spring--there has been a slight change of plans!! But expect two Total Alignments in 2013 in the two best times of year in Sedona: Spring and Fall.

But if you had your heart set on painting FEARLESS™ this year in Sedona please email your name and email address to DirtyFootprints@yahoo.com requesting to be on the waiting list. If there are any cancellations you will be the first to know!

I can't wait for October 4th!

Total Alignment
A FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat
with Dirty Footprints Studio
Thursday, October 4, 2012 - Sunday, October 7, 2012
Sedona, Arizona

☞TOTALLY SOLD OUT☜
(REGISTRATION LIMITED TO 12)

BODY + SOUL + PAINTBRUSH

Photo by Hansel Solera.

C R E A T E = Hours of FEARLESS™ Painting in a supportive, creative juicy atmosphere, facilitated with total love and inspiration by Connie Hozvicka. Surrounded completely by the red rocks of Sedona during the magical season of Autumn your FEARLESS™ Painting Practice will naturally respond to the magnificent landscape by guiding you deeper .

R E N E W = Yoga that will gently align your body with your soul--opening space for your creativity and intuition to breathe with ease. A practice perfect for all body shapes and sizes--with no experience needed.

A W A K E N = Guided morning hiking treks that will lead you into the heart of Sedona itself. The strength of Mother Nature underfoot--the smell of morning fresh air--spectacular views--and the soothing sounds of nature as the day begins will awaken your senses.

N O U R I S H = Healthy meals made with love that will nourish your body with goodness and delight your taste buds including 2 lunches, 1 breakfast, and all hearty snacks and beverages.

C O N N E C T = An opportunity to connect, share, and laugh with a warm circle of kindred souls while being completely honored and celebrated for being exactly and incredibly who you are.

Total Alignment
A FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat--
including all FEARLESS™ Painting, Yoga, & lunches

will be held at the beautiful, serene

Sedona Creative Life Center.

333 Schnebly Hill Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336

**Morning hiking treks will be held at off site trails.**

(Directions provided the first day of the retreat. Transportation to and from trails not included.)

**Lodging NOT Included**

Photo by Lisa Wilson. (From Total Alignment 2011).

Photo by Natasha Reilly. (From Total Alignment 2011).

RETREAT SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012
4:00 PM -5:30 Welcome & Introductions
5:30 - 8:00 FEARLESS™ Painting

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012
8:30 AM - 8:45 Meet at the Sedona Creative Life Center Parking Lot
8:45 - 9:00 Drive to hiking destination
9:00 - 11:00 Guided hiking trek
11:00 - 12:30 BREAK
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch at the Sedona Creative Life Center
1:30 - 7:00 FEARLESS™ Painting / Discussion / Yoga

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012
8:30 AM - 8:45 Meet at the Sedona Creative Life Center Parking Lot

8:45 - 9:00 Drive to hiking destination

9:00 - 11:00 Guided hiking trek

11:00 - 12:30 BREAK

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch at the Sedona Creative Life Center

1:30 - 7:00 FEARLESS™ Painting / Discussion / Yoga

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012

9:00 AM - 9:30 Breakfast at the Sedona Creative Life Center

9:30 - 12:30 FEARLESS™ Painting / Discussion / Yoga

12:30 - 1:30 Farewells & Closing Ceremony

Photo from Total Alignment 2011.

At the Total Alignment: FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat you will be individually supported, inspired, and nourished creatively, physically, and spiritually through FEARLESS™Painting, Yoga, Hiking in Sedona's scenic landscape, and healthy meals made with love. It is my greatest intention and pleasure to insure that your experience will provide you with the opportunity to receive total alignment between body, soul, and creativity. All Art Supplies will be provided. Come as you are.

IMPORTANT FACTS

♢ To preserve an intimate, supportive, sharing atmosphere space is limited to 12 participants and women only. Families and friends are NOT permitted to join on hiking treks.

♢ Lodging is NOT included. Sedona, Arizona is a small, safe, and quaint town. I have personally stayed in Kings Ransom, La Quinta Inn, and Wildflower Inn and have had nice accommodations with each hotels. Each of these hotels are located approximately a 5-10 minutes drive from the Sedona Creative Life Center. For more information on lodging visit HERE.

♢ If you are feeling a bit adventurous and open to meeting new people, I highly recommend looking into CouchSurfing.org to fit your accommodations. This is a free service where people from all over the world can connect with others who offer up a couch/room/house for FREE to visitors. I have stayed with Couch Surfing hosts before (not in Sedona) and have had an awesome experience. If money is tight--this is a fun way to meet interesting people and stay in Sedona for free!

♢ To travel to Sedona from outside Arizona, you would normally fly to Phoenix and then drive or take an Airport Shuttle from Phoenix to Sedona (driving time is about two hours by car --longer by shuttle). For further directions please visit HERE.

♢ Morning hiking treks are geared to moderate skill level. Slight uphill and downhill slopes and possibly slippery terrain can be expected. Athletic or hiking shoeware is suggested. In case of rain please bring an umbrella and/or rain coat. A small backpack or shoulder bag to carry water bottle, journal, and camera is encouraged. Expect morning temperatures in the upper forties to low fifties Fahrenheit. All hiking treks will be led by Connie Hozvicka.

♢ Yoga will be integrated into the retreat as a gentle, meditative, practice that focuses on breathing and light stretching--perfect for all body shapes and sizes. No previous yoga experience or supplies is needed. All Yoga will be led by Connie Hozvicka, certified Yoga Instructor (500 hour).

♢ FEARLESS™ Painting experience is not required. If you are new to FEARLESS™ Painting I highly recommend you acquaint yourself with this process a bit before attending. You can do so for free through my free online FEARLESS™ Painting course: Total Alignment or through any of my other online workshops all found HERE.

REGISTRATION & FEES

Total Alignment costs $750
*A $150 NON-REFUNDABLE Deposit is required.*

IMPORTANT:: PLEASE READ BEFORE REGISTERING

To complete your registration for Total Alignment and to secure your space you must complete a Total Alignment Online Registration Form. After purchasing Total Alignment you will automatically receive an email with information on how to complete your registration. Please follow the link in the email to fill out the Total Alignment Online Registration Form. Your space in Total Alignment will not be held for you or secure until the registration form is submitted. Your space in Total Alignment will be confirmed once full payment and the Total Alignment Online Registration Form is received. A $150 NON-REFUNDABLE Deposit is required of all registrations. Please carefully read the Cancellation & Refund Policy below before registering.

$750 Pay In Full

TOTALLY SOLD OUT!

To be placed on the waiting list please email your name and email address to DirtyFootprints@yahoo.com to be the first to know of any cancellations.

_________________________________________________

TOTAL ALIGNMENT PAYMENT PLAN
$750
(Pay In 5 Payments)

PAYMENT #1 :: $150

TOTALLY SOLD OUT!

This payment is your first of five payments in the Total Alignment Payment Plan and is also your $150 NON-REFUNDABLE Deposit. Please be sure to complete the Total Alignment Online Registration Form after purchasing to secure your space. The information to do so will be emailed to you automatically after your purchase.

The next four Total Alignment payments of $150 will be due on the following dates:

Payment #2 ($150) :: Friday, March 2, 2012
Payment #3 ($150) :: Friday, May 4, 2012
Payment #4 ($150) :: Friday, July 6 2012
Payment #5 ($150) :: Friday, August 31, 2012

An invoice for each of these payments will be emailed to you exactly one week before they're due.

_________________________________________________

CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY

A $150 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is required to hold your space in Total Alignment. Your space in Total Alignment will not be confirmed until full payment and the Total Alignment online registration form are received.

Full refunds (minus the non-refundable deposit) will be made up until Saturday, September 1, 2012. No refunds will be made on or after this date.

All cancellations must be written in an email to Dirty Footprints Studio. Refunds will be issued within 72 hours of receiving your cancellation email.

Total Alignment 2011 was a huge success! It sold out in 6 hours and FEARLESS™ Painters from all over the USA and even as far away as the Netherlands attended. You can view many of the photos taken at Total Alignment 2011 in the slideshow above and read what some of the participants had to say in the blog posts below.

My Blooming Life
Expressive Souls
Creative Nachos
Creative Nachos (part two)
Dandelion Seeds &Dreams
Dandelion Seeds & Dreams (part two)

Photo from Total Alignment 2011.

Photo of me dancing in the rain at Total Alignment 2011.

BIG Hugs,
Connie

Two Little Words

2012-01-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever came to Arizona was to visit one of my dearest and oldest friends. Mary.

She was living in Tucson and we packed up some wine and fresh apples and headed out on a road trip--in hunt for the best place to catch the lunar eclipse.

We made it as far as Sedona.

Both our first time--and way before the round-abouts and fancy, manicured roads. And like a clip from the movie Thelma & Louise, our car broke down the minute we made it there. But of course some handsome guy came strolling by (only moments later) with a tow truck and a wicked smile.

I remember that day and my silly rose colored sunglasses--
the ones that made those red rocks look like fire.

And yes, Mary and I saw the eclipse.
Over a bottle of red wine.
We walked those Sedona streets at night,
arm-in-arm,
laughing so hard
and yelling who-knows-what at the sky.

I was somewhere in my twenties then. Skinny. Long hair, and blonde.

But I knew right then. Like in an instant. That one day I'd live in Arizona.
That Sedona would become a trusted friend.
That the desert had something valuable to teach me.

Just like magic, five years pass.
Hansel and I sell all our belongings
and drive across the great US of A.
We settle in Phoenix and slowly accumulate a bunch of things.

So now I lay here
on our bed.
The seamless evening sky above.
The desert softly below.

I would have never guessed in a million years
what lessons laid ahead.

I just knew, and felt, and listened.

And wasn't afraid
of the those two little words.

The ones I had to utter over and over.

Good Bye.
Good Bye.
Good Bye.

What Is Making Me Really REALLY Happy!

2012-01-06T11:32:00.001-07:00

Today, Andrea, my absolute bestie in the whole wide world is flying in to stay the week with me!! We got road trips planned, good eatin ahead of us, and tons of catch up-fun-girl time!!! I haven't seen my dear friend for over a year and this is her first time visiting me since Hansel and I moved to the desert 6 years ago!! I've been so excited for Andrea to come that I've been barely able to sleep!

Above is a silly video we both threw together after Creative Dig--which was Dirty Footprint Studio's first workshop I hosted in 2009! Can you see why I can't wait till she gets here?!?!

Speaking of in-person workshops and retreats---my second annual Sedona FEARLESS™ Painting Retreat: TOTAL ALIGNMENT "officially" goes on sale this Monday. I say "officially" because it's been on a private FEARLESS™ Painter Pre-Sale since my birthday.....and well, ~~there is only one space left!!!~~ IT TOTALLY SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally can't believe it! Well....yes I can!

Like all of my FEARLESS™ Painting workshops--I keep registration small. TOTAL ALIGNMENT is limited to 12 FEARLESS™ Painters and the coolest part is that nine of those FEARLESS™ Painters who already signed up actually came last year too!! TOTAL ALIGNMENT was so amazing--so transformative--so life changing that they have to come again!!! One of my painters is even making her second trip to TOTAL ALIGNMENT all the way from the Netherlands!!!! You can check out photos from our amazing time together HERE!!

I was planning on hosting two TOTAL ALIGNMENT's this year--but little Gummi made a change of plans! Count on 2 TOTAL ALIGNMENTS in 2013!! I already have the dates set!

~~But maybe you'll be the lucky last FEARLESS™ Painter to grab that spot this Monday!!!~~

Ok...I'm telling ya....like the New Year couldn't get any better--BIG is totally sold out as well!! I can't wait till Sunday, January 15th when I get to lead the first of my 2012 FEARLESS™ Painting Tribes through BIG!!! This makes me happier than happy!!! I love to witness the transformation and empowerment that happens every time FEARLESS™ Painters give themselves over to the FEARLESS™ Painting Process!

And if you got a yearning to dive into FEARLESS™ Painting heart first this year you'll have to join me when the next Tribe begins the Adventure this March 11th! I hope to see you then!

Plus, have you heard the exciting news yet?!?!

21 SECRETS went on sale this week!!!

I'm so proud of this group of amazing teachers that make up 21 SECRETS this year--and already we have close to 300 Art Journal Lovelies signed up!! Not only is it gonna be a playground--it's gonna be a full blown PARTY!!!

Annnnd...Miss Dion Dior is still hosting a FREE 21 SECRETS registration give-away on her blog HERE. Run on over and enter!!! Even if you purchased your registration already--how nice would it be to give one away to a dear friend!!!

Annnnnnd...I just heard the news that if you purchase 21 SECRETS through Miss Gina Rossi Armfield all this week--she'll also throw in one of her personal online workshops for FREE!!! Now that's an amazing deal!! Jump on over HERE to check it out!

Annnnd.....Tracie Hanson just released the coolest trailer EVER for her 21 SECRETS workshop: JournalQuest. You have to run over HERE like right now to see it!! I can't wait to take her class myself! This makes me happy!

I'm also excited because this week I jumped right into the new online workshop Alma Stoller (who also will be teaching at 21 SECRETS 2012) is hosting---it's called STITCHED.

What many of you might not know about me is that I know how to sew. Actually--more than just know how to sew--when I was in college I received a partial scholarship to get myself through school--which required me to work in the costume department of the theater!! Then, for three years I worked as a costume designer/wardrobe assistant for the off-Broadway production of Tony & Tina's Wedding.

Yeppers--to tell the truth--my Mom is actually a master seamstress and I grew up wearing clothes she made and learning how to sew. But...ever since my costume/wardrobe working days--I haven't sewed barely a button.

Time to change that!!

I just absolutely ADORE Alma Stoller--so I couldn't wait to be a part of this workshop--my first attempt back at sewing is going to be the baby quilt class!! You should come over and join us! Dale Annne Potter--another 21 SECRETS teacher is there teaching too!

What makes me over the moon and way past Jupiter happy too is that I received a total surprise in the mail this week! My dear friend Sandy sent me Christine Mason Miller's new book: DESIRE TO INSPIRE!!! How freaking awesome and sweet is that?!? So this baby has been what I've been snuggling up with every night before bed--and I've just love love love it so far!!! Have you gotten a copy yet?!?

Oh yeah...Christine is one of the 21 SECRETS teachers too!! You see why I'm so proud!?!?!

Plus, if you haven't seen this amazing installation in Australia yet--you have to check it out. At least online HERE! This makes me happy beyond words!!! I wish I could go experience it for myeslf--heck, I wish I could have a party and be a part of something like this!!

This is the kind of Art that makes me very happy!

Annnd....my dear friend and fellow FEARLESS™ Painter: Lisa Wilson is hosting a very cool online FREE meditation/awareness project called THE WILD ELEPHANT PROJECT. I've already signed up myself! It starts on Monday!

Who couldn't use a little more stillness in their life? Go HERE to check it out...and if you haven't already seen it---a very EXCELLENT article called THE JOY OF QUIET was published online in the New York Times recently. It certainly is a must read.

And last...the thing that makes me the happiest of all time HAPPY is that this week I went to the Baby Doctor and was told that everything is going A-Ok with Gummi!!! I sure can't wait to meet him soon!!

Yep-HAPPY NEWS!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Being An Art Teacher Starts With...

2012-01-04T15:48:00.002-07:00

From my own 15+ years of being an Art teacher in both public and private schools the one thing I hated most was feeling at times like I was herding cattle. Lots of times all I had was 40 minutes with a class--before the next group was standing outside my door with a very antsy teacher ready for their lunch break.

You see, to be a successful Art teacher--and to actually have your students "learn" something--you got to be a queen at time management as well as people management. You got to know how to predict the unpredictable, be flexible, know what battles are worth fighting, how to handle difficult situations with grace, and most especially--you got to have a sense of humor about the whole thing or you're gonna fry like bacon.

And ask anyone, I ran my classrooms like a fine oiled machine.

My students always knew what was expected of them--and we worked as a team. Everyone had their job--their responsibility--because, seriously, I wasn't going to waste my time just teaching Art--I wanted these young hearts and minds to leave my classroom with real life experience on how to get along with one another productively and kindly--how to feel empowered and confidant as leaders--and most importantly how to be creative, problem solving individuals.

Stuff, that let's be honest, can't be measured in standardized tests--so many times fails to be a focus in the general classroom.

I spent part of the year teaching my students how to run the classroom, and the rest of the year handing it over to them.

It was my favorite part of teaching. To see a group of young people work together--learn together--CREATE together--and coexist together peacefully (for the most part) in a community.

They're our future. They need practice at stuff like this. Why can't our government see this!?!?!

But what killed me--what drained me dry--was the lack of support, the lack of respect, and the lack of agreement that kids are NOT scores on a test. That's what drove an excellent teacher like myself out of the classroom.

Though, that's not my point.

As I've been putting the final touches on IGNITE--my FEARLESS™ Painting Teacher Training Program that I will be announcing super soon--I've been thinking so much about Art.
Teaching Art.
Learning Art.
Being an Artist.
What it means to be an Art teacher/mentor/guide.

And the truth is teaching Art should never just be about teaching Art. That's a plain waste of time.

Art is this incredible vehicle that can take a person places--places within themselves they never knew existed.

And I'm not being all woo woo soft here.

I'm saying Art can actually empower people. I've seen it over and over--in my classroom with the kiddos--to grown adults in my workshops.

Art can lead you to healing--real healing--the kind that requires a bit of sweat and tears to it.
Not just a happy-go-lucky feeling that comes and goes.

Art can create innovative ideas that changes lives.
Seriously--changes lives.

I know this all as true--because I've seen it.
I've been a catalyst for it.

And you know why?

That's the intention I teach with.
That's what I want more than anything for my students.

BUT that's what I want for myself.

Being an Art Teacher starts with what you want for yourself, my dear friends.

Not with what you want your students to do.

Save that for those who train monkeys.
Art is too precious to waste on just paint splatters and glitter.

IGNITE goes on sale Monday, January 23, 2012!

Painting Is Like Arranging Furniture

2012-01-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Painting done by SUZEIMAGES in my FREE Total Alignment course!

Just as physical surroundings affect the people who live in them, the overall spaces of individual artworks shape the identity of everything within the composition.

Try making art as though you are constructing a place or arranging things in a room. Watch how the first gestures you make fill the space and call out for something that relates to them.

We don't realize how the making of every artwork, even miniatures, is an arrangement of spaces. Any one of us can move furnishings in a room without inhibition. We can do the same things with forms and colors on a canvas, with words on a page, with movements and sounds in space. Even the most experienced artists can overlook how their expressions are spaces to be arranged. paintings, poems, stories, dances, sounds, and every form of performance can be viewed as spaces which generate different kinds of energies.

~ Shaun McNiff

There are still two lonely little spaces left in BIG!

We start up January 15--come paint FEARLESS™ with me!!

Go HERE for more info and to register.

21 SECRETS On Sale Now!!!

2012-01-02T06:00:00.001-07:00

21 SECRETS On Sale Now!!! $59

21 SECRETS Begins April 1, 2012 and closes January 1, 2013.

Dirty Footprints Studio's third annual 21 SECRETS is an online, self guided, Art Journaling workshop where exciting Art Journaling techniques, methods, and approaches are taught by a family of diverse, professional Artists. In 21 SECRETS you choose which order of the 21 classes to take and have an active online community to share and grow with. All information including, pdf's, videos, and supportive text and photos are always available and teachers are present in a timely fashion to answer questions and share their comments. Sorry though--the videos are NOT downloadable. All sales final.

Art Journaling Virgins & Veterans welcomed!

Please note that after purchasing 21 SECRETS you will automatically receive an email sent to the same email address you used for PayPal that will include instructions on how to finalize your membership to 21 SECRETS. Sometimes these emails fall into the black hole called Spam. Please be sure to check there as well--and keep this email as your confirmation of purchase.

_______________________________________________________

Here are the 21 classes that make up 21 SECRETS!

GET LOST

Aimee Myers Dolich

Unfamiliar places, both emotional and geographic, snap us out of our identities and comfort zones. The unknown sharpens our senses and brings us directly in touch with the moment, pushing us into spaces that are ripe for self-discovery. In this workshop, we'll lose our way (and ﬁnd our way back) through a playful series of journal workouts including maps, lists, brainstorms, stories, and other journeys of the imagination. Now come on -- let's get lost!

CHILD'S PLAY WORKSHOP PART 2

Alma Stoller

I am delighted to be a part of 21 SECRETS again. We had a blast last year, and this year, we are set for another wonderful learning and creative experience.

In this workshop, we will continue to explore and play with everyday items to create richly textured journal pages and canvases. In this 5 video workshop, I will show you numerous ways to create intricate patterns, one-of-a-kind surface designs, and unique journal pages using various children's toys, recycled materials, basic art supplies and found objects. You do not need expensive art supplies to create art. I have a ton of ideas to share with you to help and inspire you to get experienced student.

WORD PLAY

Christine Mason Miller

In this workshop I am going to share some of my favorite techniques of incorporating words and text into mixed media creations. I will demonstrate and discuss the way I use rubber stamps, vintage books, and old letters to add poetic, thought-art journal pages and collage pieces on wood.

THE ART OF TEXTURE

Christy Tomlinson

Texture is all around us and I can't help but love all that texture has for us to explore. In this workshop I will teach you some of my favorite techniques for creating texture in my art journal.. techniques will include the use of modeling paste, ﬁbers, beads and more!

FLOW

Connie Hozvicka

Stop thinking so much about it!! Our juiciest Art comes when we embrace our mistakes and just go with the ﬂow! In this workshop weʼll paint FEARLESS™, have fun, and stop the exhausting search for our Artistic style/voice---weʼll just go with the ﬂow!

PERSONAL ACTS OF KINDNESS

Dale Anne Potter

The world around us sometimes tries to take us out of our POSITIVE, HAPPY, JOYFUL place. We can succumb to those contrasts OR we can manifest some POSITIVES from them. One way to do that, is to be kinder to ourselves. In this workshop, we will create ART and send ourselves some of those POSITIVES.

We will make 7 postcards that we can mail to ourselves over a week - on a week that we NEED them. Once home, they can be put into a book ( mini - album) that we construct. The book will be made with pockets for you to pull out your postcards to see and a simple accordion binding.

TAMING THE CRITIC

Diana Trout

Scary? Not. My techniques for getting in touch with your critic are pretty amiable. Heʼs not going anywhere so letʼs get to know him! Iʼll encourage you to move quickly, outrunning your critical left brain.

Think storms of words, lines, papers and color and a comfort in imperfect (gasp!) journal pages. Games and prompts will help you locate that critic-free space within. That power gives you the strength to begin a communication.

INTUITIVE PAINTED LAYERS

Dina Wakley

The only way to get a layered look is to do the layering work. With this workshop, I will show you how to paint intuitive layers. Intuitive layers come when you free yourself from any concept of a ﬁnished product. You start painting, then you step back and observe. You listen. You let the journal tell you what to do next. We will start our pages with abstracts--painted pages full of color, shapes, movement, and energy. Then we'll examine the abstracts and let them speak to us. We'll spot images in our layers and discover hidden meanings and messages. We'll add even more layers and techniques to let those images come alive! By the end of the process, you'll have dozens of layers on your pages, and you will have participated in a creative process that will free your soul to new ideas. Take a deep breath, and see what happens when you create intuitively!

WISDOM CIRCLES

Dion Dior

The word “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning “Circle”, they are an iconic part of human culture well known for their calming effect on the mind and body. The creative process of making mandalas is an ancient form of meditation and healing that is deeply calming and insightful. In “Wisdom Circles”, we use myth and legend to infuse the art of creating mandalas within the pages of our journals. Through visualization, reﬂection and instruction we create aour own beautiful, deeply personal, and symbolic mandalas.

15 MINUTES TO SANITY

Gina Rossi Armfield

Give me 15 mins a day and a few supplies and I will have you ﬁlling your journals. Ever sit down and think - Where do I begin? Well, lets put an end to that! Do you take photos of everything and not know what to do with them? Do you collect magazines? Are you an eye candy junkie? I will show you what to do with all of those images to create a journaling technique that ﬁts your own voice and style!

FROLICAHOLIC (aka DRAW HAPPY 2)

Jane Davenport

Turn "I donʼt know what to draw" into " I need a bigger journal!". Drawing is a great tool for untangling and expressing every emotion from the heaviest burden to ﬂoating-way-above-cloud-nine. But you have to get that infernal inner-critic behind bars, to allow your natural drawing talent the security and conﬁdence to roam freely. In Frolicaholic we learn to love our lines!

WONDERFUL WATERCOLOR

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

I love watercolor! Itʼs inexpensive, easy to clean up, and enormously versatile. Iʼll be sharing ﬁve different ways to use watercolor in your art journal: shadowing, stamping, stencil printing, and two techniques for creating backgrounds. These are easy techniques that I use constantly. I hope theyʼll become a part of your artistic repertoire too!

THE ART-BODY JOURNAL

Karin Bartimole

Using your body as inspiration, we will redeﬁne the art journal to create a healing process that will help transform and deepen your relationship with your body. Whether it's a trauma, an illness, or a discomfort with some physical characteristic of oneself, most everyone has some challenge in the relationship they have with their one lifetime companion - their own body. A division within keeps us from attaining our full potential. This journaling process will encourage a shifting of old perceptions and limitations trapped within the boundaries of ﬂesh to unite body and spirit as one.

LET'S GET INTO SHAPE -- COLLAGE LIKE THE DIVA, THE COLLAGE DIVA

Kathryn Antyr

I 'm excited to share with you my favorite medium, collage. I'm often asked "How do you assemble a collage so the random objects look like they were meant to be together?" We will pull out scissors, glue sticks, and magazines and our play will focus on one design element, shape. I'll share some key principles that will get you piecing together new works of art. In this workshop, you'll get a dozen prompts to choose from as you experiment with your collages. Are you ready to get into shape?

CHANNEL IT GIRL

Kelly Barton

channeling our stories we will
throw them down by ﬂinging
some paint, creating a colorful
piece, containing a bit of ourself.

it is simply about using our
inner self to allow the creative
process

a creative spread.

using a quick simple way to get
your thoughts out and a creative
flow going. using a book spread
or just a simple sheet of water
color paper. to make a page
the beauty of this is that
later new pages can be added
as your stories come later.

channeling it girl is all about getting
those juices moving and opening
up the flow, allowing yourself to play.

THE SHORT ATTENTION SPAN ART JOURNAL

Ken Robert

Wow, art journaling sounds great, but you're a creative bumble bee. You buzz about your life, zipping from one thing to another. You like to dabble in this and dabble in that. One day you feel like painting. One day you feel like writing. One day you feel like working on seven kinds of paper. One day you feel like you might have ADD.

A blog could be just the thing you need to bring all your lovely distractions together in one place.

Learn how to use Tumblr, or any blogging service for that matter, to create your very own short

attention span art journal, the kind you can add to a little at a time for as long as your attention

will hold.

CREDIT CARD FLOWERS

Martha Lever

In this fun class we will use cut-up credit cards to create ﬂowers! My husband tells me to feel free to cut up any credit card in my wallet— but, of course, any credit car or key card will work! (I donʼt advise you to use your active ones!) I will show you how I cut mine into several shapes to create ﬂowers, leaves and stems. We will also discuss brieﬂy one of the most important concepts in any painting… value. I wonʼt bog you down with a value study but we certainly donʼt want any hokey paintings and a painting without light, medium and dark values will certainly ﬁt into the hokey category. So, get ready to create fun ﬂowers in your journal, on a stretched canvas and for just about anything else you can think of. All from a little credit card.

JOURNALING OUR (HE)ART OUT

Nolwenn Petitbois

In Journaling our (HE)art out, we will be using the symbol of the heart, this shape we know since weʼre little kids, and make it tell what is actually inside ours. Put it out on paper. The fears, the shames, the doubts. And make it something beautiful we can look at afterwards if we want as a reminder that we can always shift the negative thoughts into something awesome that would help us heal.

THE PRACTICE OF SELF-AWARENESS THROUGH VISUAL JOURNALING

Traci Bunkers

People are so used to the daily grind, of trying to get everything done, just getting from one day to the next, that they frequently function on auto-pilot. Because of this, they are fairly out of touch with their feelings and with themselves--not thinking about how they feel, just going where life takes them and then wondering later how they got there. Itʼs time to stop. Itʼs time to look within and gain some self-awareness.

No matter if you are new to visual journaling or a seasoned pro, this workshop will help you to

broaden your self-awareness and to become more in-tune with yourself through working in your

journal. Iʼll guide you with some inner journaling tactics that have helped me gain better

understanding of myself. Through the magic of video, you can watch me create a journal page

from start to ﬁnish using these same exercises and techniques. Although I feel the process of

working in the journal is more important than the ﬁnished journal page, Iʼll also show you some

of the mixed-media techniques that I used to create the visual layers and textures of my journal

pages.

This class is for everyone. No writing or art experience necessary--Just a willingness to be open

to creative and personal exploration!

JOURNAL QUEST™

Tracie Hanson

Do you dare step into an artistic adventure of the heart?

Do you dream of discovering whatʼs hidden within?

During JournalQuest™, youʼll encounter exotic creatures, ancient artifacts, meaningful symbols and lore . . . the stuff of legend! It was there all the time, buried deep and waiting to excavated by you. Join the journey.

ALTERNATIVE LIVES

Zom Osborne

Have you ever fantasized about living another life? We donʼt have to be unhappy in our lives to wonder what it would be like to have a different one. We all have sides to ourselves that we havenʼt lived out. Did you want to be a famous singer? An athlete? Live in the time of the pharaohs? You can explore any life you can imagine in your art journal -- without leaving behind the one you already have. To do this, I will introduce writing prompts to get us imagining. Then we will use various collage, painting and drawing techniques to enter and explore our alternative life.

To learn more about the Artists teaching at 21 SECRETS go HERE.

Be sure to sign up for the Dirty Footprints Studio newsletter!

Adventure...Wonder...Reverence

2012-01-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Happy New Year!!

I'm starting off 2012 with a messy studio, a bun in the oven, and so much LOVE in my heart that it's crazy!!! And--I'm BAAAACK!!! I'm back to blogging and totally getting ready for BIG to start in 2 weeks (HEY! There's still room if you want to get your FEARLESS™ Painting on!!! Check it out HERE!) And, well, I'm just back from my month long Soul Hiatus.

What a beautiful month it was!!

Now I'm feeling ready, recharged, and renewed with excitement for Life and all things FEARLESS™ Painting!

So the one thing I do know for sure about 2012 is that I have no idea what to expect!!! I've decided in moving forward with a sense of adventure, wonder, and most of all reverence.

My only goal for 2012 is to cultivate reverence for every moment and breath of my life.

Reverence: deep respect, profound love, and with great care.

And I'd like to share with you what I learned from my month long Soul Hiatus, but I can't quite formulate the words. I think it will be best revealed organically as time passes.

As for now, I'm going to spend the day in the studio, stir up a bowl of black eyed peas, and savor the start of a new year with my honey Hansel, our mysterious and kicking Gummi, and our family of furry loved ones. It feels really good to be back to blogging--and I look forward to sharing this incredible year of discovery that lays ahead with all of you.

Sending big buckets of wishes that all your dreams for 2012 come true and a few good surprises thrown in there too!

Simply This

2011-12-30T15:06:00.003-07:00

It's 73 degrees Fahrenheit out and sunny. I got the windows open and my favorite short sleeve shirt on. The one that still sort of fits.

Almost 3:00 in the afternoon and I haven't showered or done anything with my hair.

Thinking maybe of ordering a pizza with extra cheese for a late lunch.

And...for the very first time...I felt my little boy move and wiggle something fierce inside me. Best part too: Hansel was laying right there with his hand on my big belly when it happened.

Awww, nobody prepared me for this? This...you know...this....this is awesome.

And then this morning a dear friend leaves a message on my Facebook saying she saw this quote from Vincent Van Gogh and thought of me: "I dream my painting and then paint my dream." I took a deep breath--chuckled a bit and looked up at the wall above. Quickly I shot this photo for her and sent it her way.

But it doesn't stop there. No there's more to all this.

I received four heart felt, melt me with sweetness and synchronicity, emails from soul sisters across the world. The kind of emails where you feel like the two of you are sitting across from one another, a cup of chai in hand, and one of you is kicking the table. The kind of emails and words that let you know that you're friendship is no mere accident.

And nobody prepares us for this? You know..this...this stuff..this awesome stuff.

And up until an hour ago I thought today was Saturday. Would have bet my paintbrushes on it. But found out that it's Friday...and still a few days left of this blessed year.

I've kind of lost track of time. Kind of gave up on schedules and stuff like that. Instead this December I let my body and mind slip into a Soul Hiatus--let my heart wander away from technology and back to harmonizing with the natural rhythm of life.

I let my paintbrush become my fickle lover again.

Then Wednesday was my birthday. (I think it was Wednesday.) Who really knows. And as I sat picking away at my cheesecake the tears were flowing like tsunamis.

Nobody prepares you for this? Nobody lets you know what you should do--how to breathe properly or interact in the world when it happens? Nobody talks about this...this...you know...this...the awesome stuff.

Dinner with Hansel, a movie that felt more like a long oracle, holding hands, and cheesecake showered with tears.

Because this. This is my life.

This amazing simple little existence that I have. That I share.

This is so awe inspiring in just that I'm alive to actually feel it all.
I never am prepared for the joy and happiness that overcomes me when I realize that this....
This is it.

This.

When everyone else is posting long list of accomplishments and things that made 2011 so incredibly Beautiful and wild--
I have nothing to say.

Nothing worth bragging about more...

Then simply this.

Paint The New Year FEARLESS™

2011-12-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Did you get yourself some sweet Art supplies for Christmas?!?

Are you ready to paint the New Year FEARLESS™?

There's still room in BIG for YOU!

Come on over HERE and join us!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

2011-12-25T06:00:00.005-07:00

Photo by my beloved HANSEL.

To all my FEARLESS™ Painters & Dear Friends of Dirty Footprints Studio...

Sending you so much LOVE for the holiday & wishing each of you a New Year

full of joy, peace, and LOVE!!!

And to those of you that feel lonely or in pain this holiday...
know that I hold you even closer in my heart....you are never alone.

Never.

Thank you for all your support & inspiration!!

BIG Hugs,

Connie

Dirty Footprints Studio

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