Art Made Easy

Have you ever wondered whether you could run your own creative business? In this episode, I'll walk you through what its like owning a business, qualities you need to possess to be an entrepreneur and what to look for when deciding what type of business you would like to run. This episode is perfect for anyone who is looking to supplement a teaching income, explore ways to teach art outside of sch...

Are you dreaming of what life will look like after you retire from teaching art? Or perhaps you’ve had enough of teaching and are ready to move on? Today’s episode helps a reader bridge the gap between finding happiness as a K-8 public elementary art teacher and her dreams of opening up a children’s art studio. This is Part I of a two-part series on exploring creative opportunities after teaching....

In this episode of Art Made Easy I’m diving down the rabbit hole of personality tests. Don't know if you are a fan, but I've been literally obsessed with the Myers-Briggs test since I listen to The Mind Your Business podcast a few months ago. Here's what I learned; by knowing what makes you tick, you can learn how to become a better teacher, engage in activities that bring you more joy and be arou...

To start off Season Two of Art Made Easy, I'm answering a member's question about Guided Drawings. Gloria asks: "Sometimes when I am doing a directed drawing lesson, like the Matisse fish bowl, rabbits, pumpkins or really, whatever …. I'll always get the question from my students Do I have to do it that way? or Can I just do anyway I want? And, frankly I'm torn. I don't want to squash their creati...

Today is the last episode of Art Made Easy Season One! When I embarked on this podcast journey, my intentions was to test out the platform, see if anyone was interested in listening to what I had to say and to share my love of teaching art through others. I'm proud that the show has over 65K downloads and has been in the New & Noteworthy section as well as the What's Hot section in iTunes (K-12 ed...

New Year's Resolutions aren't just for January! As the school year draws to a close, now is the perfect time to reflect on your year, celebrate your achievements, review what you want to improve on and get clear on how you want the 2016-17 year to look and feel. Reflecting upon your successes, failures (yes, we all had them) and bright spots in your year may feel unnecessary but I PROMISE YOU, it’...

I'm excited for you to meet art  teacher and anointed Pinterest Art Queen, Donna Staten. Donna is an art teacher from Austin, Texas who is known for her HUGE following on Pinterest. And because of her Pinterest efforts, Donna has been invited to be a part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council. Pretty impressive, right? This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to lea...

Art teacher and blogger, Ginger Bowerman-Pacer of Paintbrush Rocket shares how she pushed past the barriers that were holding her back from creating a platform for her teaching resources. In an honest and vulnerable conversation about the joys and struggles of teaching art, Ginger confronts the stories she told herself that prevented her from starting a blog and sharing her talents with others to...

THE BEST ART PRODUCTS TO USE WITH KIDS: AME 020 Ready to order your first shipment of art supplies and don’t know what to order? Curious why some art supplies are better than others? Today’s episode of Art Made Easy helps identify why some paints, paper and brushes deserve a place on your art supply shelf.  Don't forget to download an art supply ordering checklist and buying guide to help you get...

Do you hit the google search button whenever you need to introduce a famous artist before an art lesson? I know I’ve filled the white board with a few boring facts a few times. What if I told you you didn’t have to research a thing about a famous artist? Today’s guest, Cindy Ingram from The Art Curator for Kids website, shares her philosophy of how she talks to kids about art and ways that you can...

Do peers ever ask you to share your teaching secrets?  Do you specialize in an area of art-making? Does generating extra income sound appealing? If there is a yes in there somewhere, this episode is for you. In this episode, I unpack how I developed and executed my successful Art Workshop. I break down the process from the idea to how to book a facility to structuring the projects plus much more. ...

Do you teach art from a cart? Or travel from school to school with your car packed with art supplies and resources? Today’s guest Heidi O’Hanley has spent most of her career traveling from school to school and teaching from a cart. It sounds impossible and maybe even a bit scary, but Heidi is here to help you. Heidi shares what art projects are best, what art supplies to use and ways to make teach...

Why do things always seem to work out for some people and not for others? Do you have goals in your life that just don't seem attainable? I'm a firm believer that you can achieve anything you want--happiness in your job, great relationship with your spouse, joy-filled hobbies--but there are some age-old philosophies that make it possible. This episode is a bit of a stretch for me. I don't often ta...

Drawing with kids is probably the best job in the world which is exactly what Rob Jensen does with his three kids 5 days a week. After starting Art Hub for Kids in 2012, Rob shares his love of art with his kids by committing to a 5-day a week art show in YouTube. His success has been exponential. He shares his YouTube secrets of how to get subscribers, staying engaged with you audience and how to...

Jeanette Nyberg, author of the popular art blog Craftwhack and former professional artist, traded in her paintbrushes for a keyboard after the birth of her kids. Discovering that her love of kid’s art was just as passionate as her former painting days, Jeanette started a blog that changed, transformed and ultimately lead her to her first book deal. In this episode, Jeanette shares her struggles wi...

Creating a portrait in elementary school is a natural part of any art curriculum. Over my 13 years as an art teacher, I taught thousands of kids how to draw portraits--whether of themselves, a friend or an imaginary person. It may surprise you that teaching a child how to draw a portrait is not just about eye-placement or looking into a mirror, it's also about how to create a piece of art that cap...

Do your students blurt out at random moments during your demonstrations? Do you have trouble getting kids to listen or take you seriously? Do you have children that always seem to be pushing your buttons? Does your clean-up routine border on chaotic? I know that I've struggled with behavioral issues, stressful transitions and more than a few wild classes and I learned that unless I got those thing...

If you teach art to children, no doubt that you’ve come across a child who is unhappy with their work. Some children become rattled by a torn piece of paper or even a color choice. What can you do to help these children work through the sticky points of art-making? There is plenty of advice out there but sometimes the best way to help a child is to put yourself in their shoes.  In today’s show, I...

Kathy Barbro was one of the first art educators to offer online art resources through her site, Art Project for Kids.  No doubt you have seen or purchased her wonderful artist-inspired collaborative murals for your students to color. After speaking with Kathy for the first time in January, I realized there was so much more to Kathy than how-to-draw handouts. Kathy is a busy gal. Not only does she...

Megan Schiller is the founder of The Art Pantry, a design studio specializing in children’s creative play spaces. She is a former Reggio-inspired preschool teacher and art educator and her mission is to encourage creative independence and learning through inspired spaces. Megan works one-on-one with people in Northern California looking to set up creative play spaces in their homes or schools She...

Have your colleagues ever told you how well you explained a lesson? Or how creative you are? Do people always ask you for advice? If any of these questions ring true for you then you need to listen to this episode. Jennifer White shares how she went from teaching during the day and working as a cashier at night to making $14K in her first THREE months of selling her craft products on Teachers Pay...

Have you ever wondered how art teachers come up with so many fabulous lessons? Today I talk to Laura Lohmann from the blog, Painted Paper, on her strategy for designing & implementing her amazing school-wide thematic units. She walks you through the steps she uses to select a year long art theme, strategies that go into designing the curriculum and how she creates the projects with her students. Y...

How do I gauge if a lesson is too easy or too complicated for an age group? I get asked that a lot. And Heaven's knows, I've tried to answer that question myself on more than one occasion. But here's the thing: judging whether a lesson will work with your little charges gets easier and easier. Still, I resort to a framework that I established by about my fifth year of teaching. These are my very g...

Today is episode 5 of Art made Easy. I promised you back in November that if I decided to host a podcast, I would commit to at least 6-months. The learning curve has been steep and the investment of time is immense, but I love having conversations with creative folks in our industry. I'm learning how a podcast works ( as many of you are!) so please bear with me as I learn how to interview, talk in...

Thank you so much for all of your support during the launch of Art Made Easy. I was super excited to see my logo in iTunes New & Noteworthy section of the podcast page (Kids & Family) and as the TOP podcast in iTunes Education (k-12) Category. What a thrill! And it was all because you downloaded the show and subscribed in iTunes. Today may be the best show yet. Cassie Stephens takes you inside her...