As a young girl I often had paper and pencil in hand, drawingstill life scenes within my home. My favorite classes at primary -secondary school were always arts and textile related, so when given a chance, I chose fine art, or arts and crafts as my elective courses. When I completed high school I didn’t have the chance to attend college and the art classes I longed for. My life headed into a different direction- working, working, working. I supplemented my boredom with evening classes at the local college, completing a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration.
But my heart drew me towards the Creativity courses I attended and the Creativity conferences I sought out were always positive and life affirming. I followed my heart to obtain a Masters in Creativity in Education which I combined with a doctorate in Social Justice.
It wasn’t until later in life that my right brain craved time to keep my hands busy with something other than clicking keys on a computer. I found the squares of a sampler quilt I had started at age 20 and chose to finish it at age 48. I grabbed the knitting needles I long had forgotten and attended a weekly Stitch and Bitch group in Amsterdam. I attended waterpainting, clay sculpture, art quilting, and any other class or program I could find in my local area to appease my creativity.
When the financial crisis hit in 2008, I lost my job and turned towards my passion- Creative education and textile arts. In 2010 I started DIY Textile School, an amateur arts school with fiber as the medium. Since 2010 I have:
- Taught creativity and a variety of mixed media and surface design classes at DIY and other locations
- Curated yearly live and online student exhibitions
- Empowered many people to continue their own career in creative arts
- Trained others to teach and empower students’ creativity
- Contributed to local and international magazines and affiliations
- Invested in my own creativity by attending a variety of art classes both at DIY, online and afar
- Exhibited my own work with varying groups and associations
Since the Covid pandemic the DIY bricks and mortar school has closed and my focus went to my ageing parents living in the US. Finally after 11 years of teaching creativity and various mixed media techniques, I have more time to focus on my own art.
