Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Sometimes an artist needs to evaluate the what and why of their art.  That's what I've been doing lately.  Learning and doing should bring me joy.  That joy comes through in my creations and when there is no joy perhaps I should try something else.  That little voice in my head questions me and asks  "Have you practiced enough and do you understand the process?  Should you try one more time to improve your skill and see if  you find joy?"   So I take another class or watch another video and try again!   Sometimes that works and sometimes not.  This year I took a class with Susan Lenart Kasmer at Art Unraveled - a little different technique and using liquid enamels.   Susan's classes are always enjoyable as I love her art, jewelry and her outgoing personality.  She is a good teacher but this time I was frustrated with my progress and my project.  Usually I have a  lot of things to show from the class.  Not so much this time.  When I got home, I decided

From my new fall collection My latest online class:  Building Better Beads with Dan Cormier What a learning experience!  I'm pretty experienced with polymer clay and know there is always something new to learn.  In this class I built a bead in 4 weeks.  No, I've never taken that much time to build a bead!  A lot of time was spent on each step building the best bead I could instead of making lots of beads as fast as possible.  The zen experience of looking at each step and deciding if it was the best it could be before going to the next step really made me focus.  While I may never spend that much time on a bead again I will look at what I'm doing with more discerning eyes evaluating time, value and quality.   Seeing the process of each step through the eyes and hands of a skilled professional who is willing to teach is invaluable.  Getting feedback on how to improve is so important.  The skills of sanding and buffing polymer, steps to bring a high gloss to a piec

A Favorite Bracelet made from a DVD class Time - I can watch the classes at my convenience.  Maybe early morning or late at night! Or in the middle of the day or with earphones while waiting in a hospital room. Comfort - I don't have to dress for class -- actually I don't have to dress! Convenience - I can watch a segment and go try the technique.  I can watch the same part over and over until I get it!   I can watch again in a year because I don't remember everything. Authority and experience - the teachers are amazing, interesting, and professional.   Teachers are all over the world. New Techniques and tools - I learn so many new things, get new ideas and see what is available in other parts of the country. Expense - even though some classes are expensive they seldom cost as much as actually traveling to a different part of the country plus hotel, etc. There are tutorials and mini-classes and usually you c