meet the instructor
Sandy Allnock
I’m Sandy – and I’m an eclectic all-around creative nerd! While playing with color and texture brings me happiness, it’s the excitement and growth of my students that gives me my greatest sense of joy and accomplishment.
“Art is a journey; wherever you’re at, you’re in the perfect spot right now.”
my story
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an art teacher; those who taught me and encouraged me at the time were such important people to me, I couldn’t fathom not being a person that was SO important!
When I went to college I still wanted to fulfill that dream. But my advisor informed me, sadly, that school art budgets were being slashed. It was horrible news! I’d never get a job doing what I wanted so I changed to an art degree with a concentration in graphic design rather than education.
I worked in agencies, corporations, and the nonprofit sector most of my life, as a graphic designer, illustrator, and art director.
In the early 2000s I began a charity and that included making YouTube tutorials, teaching the crafting community to create cards for the organization (now closed).
It began to dawn on me that I had actually become the art teacher I dreamt of, and in 2013 I’d had enough of all that and took a flying leap into starting my own business—you see the fruits of that decision on this website!
“To increase levels of creative thinking, entertain sheer silliness. Stop taking yourself so seriously.”
“Art is more about the journey than the arrival. Celebrate the process and the flow, and don’t judge yourself by outcomes.”
What I believe
Art makes us whole and healthy as human beings, and is as necessary a daily activity as breathing. Making art relaxes the mind and body, stimulates the imagination, and releases dreams of a hopeful future.
- I believe everyone is naturally creative.
- I believe that life is an artventure filled with untapped creativity.
- I believe that art has the power to transform the world.
- I believe that we have a responsibility to impact our world for good wherever we can.
We create new realities as we draw and paint, allowing new thoughts and ideas to bubble up. Problems arising in other areas of life can be mysteriously solved while the mind focuses in a different area; new connections between ideas are made visually when otherwise inaccessible.
Let’s debunk some art myths.
“I wish I had artistic gifts.”
95% of artists aren’t a special class of people who had fairy dust sprinkled on them. What did they get an extra dose of is a desire to create. A determination to learn. A commitment to practicing.
Nobody heads to the gym and picks up the biggest weights or commits to three hours on the bike. We know intuitively it takes time and regular, daily or several-times-a-week work to build up muscles. Why do we think we’re going to spend a few hours painting and come out rocking it?
When you see professional artists or online teachers do something that “looks” easy, it looks that way because of a lifetime of building that muscle memory. You can build that same muscle memory! Just commit to it…and don’t look for fairy dust to speed the process.
There is no magical fairy dust.
Art takes regular practice, study, and dedication. Everyone can grow their skills.
Your brain will bring your negative talk into reality. Get control over your words and teach your mind to be open to growth.
“I’ll never get there.”
You’ve heard people say “Never say never.” And really — don’t use that word. Nothing is immutable!
Where would we be if space scientists said that? Would we now have photos of amazing deep space galaxies? Would we be contemplating sending astronauts to Mars?
If you say never, then never is your destiny. Your mind hears your mouth or your heart say that, and proceeds to bring that to reality. It believes the words you utter!
Instead, say “I’m working toward ____.” That leaves your mind open to possibilities of learning and growing even while the goal is still far ahead of you.
“I can only copy, I don’t have ideas.”
We all copy when we start out! When little kids learn to walk, it’s because they see everyone around them — even the family dog — ambling around on their legs.
Eventually we gain art skills too – baby steps – that we’ve learned one by one, and we start to add them together. Learning to draw a tree gets added to a lesson about painting a sky. Shading a ball helps teach where shadows go on a face.
I love to teach those progressive skills in classes, building on concepts throughout a class. At some point those puzzle pieces come together. It makes teaching classes far more rewarding than one-off tutorials that don’t allow for building layers of understanding on top of each other..
Skill-building is best done in small steps, not tackling complexity right away. Practice one tree before trying a whole forest.
MY PURPOSE
I exist to see people released into the creativity they were born with.
MY MISSION
I provide inspiration that equips people to confidently create.
MY VISION
I am part of unleashing a creative renaissance around the globe.
MY GOAL
I make art accessible and help others see their own potential.
MY STYLE
I teach with joy and passion to encourage the same in students.
MY SUCCESS
I see students soar past where they ever expected to reach.