Art Made Easy

I love listening to podcasts and over the past few years, mentions of the Enneagram personality test has popped up over and over again. Last Fall, I decided to explore it further and happened upon a podcast interviewing Ian Cron. I was intrigued. The podcast shared how valuable knowing your team’s personality profile and how it can help the team as they interact with each other. Being the team ent...

The field of art education is often overlooked as a viable career in most school counseling offices. Many college students aren't even aware that the profession exists. Today's guest, Kelsi Quicksall declared Communications as her major until a quiet suggestion from a loved one opened up a world of possibilities. Now into her second year teaching art, Kelsi has a passion for teaching, a love and c...

Do you have a mantra? Something you say out loud before every class? I sort of did. My mantra of every child is somebody's baby was something I thought about before the students poked their heads inside the art room. But it never occurred to me to pick something to say loud and proud. Enter Sarah Krajewski, AKA Art Room Glitter Fairy. She created a mantra that is spoken before every one of her art...

One of the small details that often gets overlooked in the art room is whether or not to cover your art tables during art class. You might be wondering: What type of placemats work best? Should the whole table be covered in paper? Fabric?  It took me a few years to figure out this placemat thing but when I did, it streamlined my prep and clean up substantially. Today's episode answers a question f...

Are your students coming to class attentive, respectful and ready to learn? Or do you spend most of your time battling challenging students? No one wants to admit that there are days - maybe weeks - when the students wear you down so badly that you sink to a low point of frustration. I know I've been there. And believe me, there's no worse feeling than knowing you let down the students and yoursel...

Do you ever wonder what it takes to become teacher of the year? According to today’s guest, Barbara Hua, it wasn’t about having amazing art skills or years of experience — she had little of both. Instead it was something she didn’t realize was noticed —  and her answer may surprise you. Barbara Hua, an art teacher from Conroe, Texas is a member in our Sparklers Club and is our featured Sparkler of...

I’m diving deep into how to cultivate your creativity with daily practice and awareness by following the exercise in Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit…our first book in the DSS book club! This book isn’t what you think it is. It’s not a quick checklist of creative activities to do so you feel like you accomplished something. This book goes deep into the psyche of how creatives think. Not just...

How would you describe the vibe in your art room? What do you focus on? Art? Classroom management? Colorful decor? Today's guest, Rona Wilcox from New Zealand, claims that her focus is community. And she maintains that the strong community she has created is why she has a waitlist for her after school art classes. Sounds intriguing right? In this episode, Rona and I talk about the language that he...

Have you ever wanted to start an after school program? Today's guest, Pamela Saunders from Washington, D.C. was motivated to teach art when her children entered elementary school. Like many school districts, art was not offered, so Pamela took it upon herself to begin an after-school art program. Pamela shares how she began her after-school art classes, what challenges she experienced and what mot...

Have you ever considered what it must feel like to be overweight? Most of us can understand how it feels to be 20 pounds over-weight and even underweight, but weight on a grander scale - like 100 lbs. might be more challenging to understand. Today's guest, fellow art teacher and friend Cindy Ingram, bravely opens up to share her story of what it was like to move through the world with the challeng...

It's the end of January and while many of you are well on your way to integrating new year's resolutions into your life, I feel like I'm lagging. Two months of family, work and holiday bustle has left me worn out and uninspired. But today is a new day and it's because I realized one important thing: the cause of my depletion was actually depletion. The lack of creativity (or not enough of) had a p...

Do you suffer from chronic overwhelm syndrome? Or as I like to say, do you know how to ask for help? If you’re like most women, the thought of placing a burden on someone else is downright unthinkable. Or, you may be of the belief that its far easier to do the task yourself rather than take the time to explain it to someone else. This episode shares the secret benefits of reaching out for help, wa...

Do you deal with disrespectful students and general low engagement in the art room? If you just raised your hand, you are not alone. There has been a flurry of advice-seekers in our Facebook group recently that are struggling with this very problem. So what's an art teacher to do? An effective classroom management plan is necessary yet sometimes our plan is not clearly defined or easily attained....

Do you have an art degree? What about a teaching credential? I'm always surprised at how many of us have found our dream job of teaching art to kids by tapping into our creativity and allowing our intuition to lead us to the perfect job. Today's guest is Sparkler Jackie May Hiller who after a career as an occupational therapist, followed her bliss and began teaching art in her children's school. J...

Are you looking for ways to cultivate creativity, choice and personal expression in your art room? Today's guest, Kat Clarke shares the five questions she asks her students as they work through an art project. If you need an injection of inspiration or an alternative way to approach teaching art, I invite you to listen to today's episode. Kat's journey to becoming an art teacher wasn't easy. She d...

Many art teachers dream of running their own art studio. The freedom, the creativity and the chance to impact children on a deeper level appeals to many of us. Maureen Marks, a member of our Sparklers Club, shares how she went from teaching art in a public school to running a successful art business in her home town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Maureen shares what made her decide to move out of he...

While I've been asked a hundred times, I rarely go out of my way to talk about it. Mostly, I'm afraid of the unwanted attention it would create. Or the feeling that I was abandoning my art teacher identity or that somehow my intentions were misguided. The it I'm talking about is how I transformed an art teacher's side hustle into a thriving business that employs nine people and impacts thousands o...

Krista Hilmen is a former high school English teacher turned art teacher at her children's charter school. Learn how Krista raises funds for her art program through a successful art auction. She shares what the most popular projects are, how her auction committee manages the tasks and how she decorates the venues. If you are considering doing an art fundraiser, this episode will leave you inspired...

Do you dream of the day when you can spend all your time sipping tea and working on your art? For most of us, it’s a long-term goal and one in which Nicholas Wilton is far to familiar with. Nicholas calls this the Hibernation Stage, which according to his 6 Stages of the Creative Path is the stage practically everyone is in: those who wanted to make art but can’t seem to find the time. Can you rel...

Need a little art room make-over? Yvette Ackerman is passionate about making her art room feel like home. By using warm, textural elements and a strategy for student inspiration, Yvette's art room is a dreamy example of what's possible. Yvette is a former classroom teacher turned art teacher for her local Charter School in Northern California. Yvette is also a brand new Sparkler having joined the...

Today on AME, I’m continuing with my series: The Draw, Paint, Sparkle Book Chat, where I read sections of my new book and give you extra insight to how my teaching philosophy has worked throughout the years and how it can help you create art with your kids. In today’s episode, I’m sharing the reason behind one of my biggest art preference …why don’t I use pencils in the art room. As Deep Space Spa...

Are you a relatively new art teacher who’s trying to figure it all out? Guest teacher, Tamara Evans shares her how she gets her students to help with prep and clean up. And it’s pretty easy! Tamara Thomas Evans, teaches K-8th art in Hendersonville, North Carolina after a long career as a dance instructor. Tamara is a Sparkler and was invited to share her experiences as a relatively new art teacher...

Do you have enough time to prep? Are you able to enjoy your job? When do you sit and breathe? I teach over 850 students at my school. There is little time built into my day to lesson plan, grade, hang/take down work, clean the room, and what ever the next thing is that admin assigns to me. This was a question posted last week in the private Sparkler Facebook group. Perhaps you feel the same way? I...

Today on AME, I'm continuing with my new series: The Draw, Paint, Sparkle Book Chat, where I read sections of my new book and give you extra insight to how my teaching philosophy has worked throughout the years and how it can help you create art with your kids. I taught in an elementary art room for 13 years before going full time with Deep Space Sparkle. And over the past few years of writing thi...

Today on AME, I starting a brand new series: The Draw, Paint, Sparkle Book Chat, where I read sections of my book and give you extra insight to how my teaching philosophy has worked throughout the years and how it can help you create art with your kids. Today’s episode talks all about Directed Drawing. While directed drawing, or guided drawings, are a gateway of possibilities for a child, sometime...