What if you never start?

What if I never took a weaving class?

I took a weaving class in college, partly because I thought that it sounded interesting, and partly because it fit my schedule. Sometimes I wonder, what would I be doing now if I’d never signed up for that class.

Weaving isn’t something that you just pick up and try, because looms are big and they aren’t cheap. It’s also not an easy thing to understand until someone shows/tells you how to do it.

If I hadn’t taken that class, and uncovered a medium that I love, maybe I would have never become a working artist.

I didn’t love weaving when I started, in fact we were pretty much enemies , and had I not been in a class, and getting a grade, I may have walked away . But I was in a class, and was earning a grade, so I stuck with it, kept asking questions, practicing, and learning. That’s the magic of signing up. Teachers, classmates, and grades help to hold you accountable, and keep you from giving up with things feel hard.

” What counts, in making art, is the actual fit between the contents of your head and the qualities of your materials. The knowledge you need to make that fit comes from noticing what really happens as you work-the way the materials respond, and the way that response ( and resistance) suggest new ideas to you. It’s those real and ordinary changes that matter. Art is about carrying things out, and materials are what can be carried out. Because they are real, they are reliable.” ( from Art & Fear)

Advice from a former student:

Dear Future AP Art Student:

The hardest thing about this class for me was simply submitting pieces once I’d finished them. After I put the pencil or stylus down, I spent hours fiddling with or staring at the piece, analyzing every aspect of it. I asked myself questions like: “Is this piece really finished?”, or “Is this style getting old?”. This obsessive process made it very difficult for me to submit work, and the more times I tried a certain piece, the harder each iteration was to submit. I’m not telling you to submit an unfinished piece, I’m telling you that if you find yourself in a cynical, critical, obsessive cycle, just take a deep breath and post the piece. This way you can benefit from the advice and criticisms of third-parties, and understand how other people perceive your work.

Early Bird Registration ends on July 1st. If you have any questions about the course, or things that might be keeping you from signing up, hit reply, and we can chat.

AP 2D Design

AP Drawing