Creative Themes… and how to find one!
Creative Themes… and how to find one!
Find a deeper, more authentic connection with your creativity…
THIS SHORT SELF-PACED COURSE IS FOR ARTISTS WHO HAVE EXPLORED TECHNIQUES AND NOW WANT TO DEVELOP A PERSONAL THEME.
About this course
Are you seeking to find authentic meaning in your work? Have you built your practical skills but feel there is something missing? Working from a theme will enable you to find a deeper, more authentic connection with your creativity.
Join me for Creative Themes….and how to find one. This is not a practical skills course, but it will enhance any practical course you take.
- Many artists need time to germinate their ideas without the pressure of time. Making this available as a self paced course alleviates that pressure.
- Working thematically is an aspect of creativity that is relevant to all artists whether they are realist or abstract, or in-between. This course will enable realist artists to learn how to dig deeper into their ideas moving beyond subject to theme. Abstract artists will be enabled to create work that moves them beyond process.
- This course will also help those who find committing to an intention difficult through fear, resistance and/or overwhelm.
Having decided your theme, you can then go on to gather resources and explore it to the full on your own or by taking my Approaches to Abstraction* or Urban Explorations courses.
*There will be a discount available for those enrolling on Approaches to Abstraction. Please note: Approaches to Abstraction is an annual scheduled course and as such places are limited, unfortunately taking Creative Themes does not guarantee you a place.
Course cost: introductory price of £50
Discount codes do not apply to this launch price
If you are here on Christine Evans’ recommendation please use the link she gave you. That way she gets a commission from me as a thank you for promoting this course with her followers.
ENROL
Buy Creative Themes for the introductory price of £50
“Thank you so much for this, it is just what I need at this moment! I have found this aspect of making art the most difficult of all. I’m looking forward to getting to grips with it.” JK
Course content
- What a theme is, why you need one and dealing with the problems we have when choosing or committing to a theme.
- Approaches to documenting your ideas; writing, mind mapping, subconscious drawing, mood boards and Pinterest
- Ways to start your search; your past and present work, exploring subjects, titles and inspiration from artists.
- How to evaluate your ideas and decide which path to choose.
This is a self-paced course, meaning you can do it in your own time and return to it as often as you need too.
Examples of students’ work that has been developed from a theme
Pip Bignall theme ‘Divergence’
Mary Hickson theme ‘Fragmentation’
Jeremy Bevan theme ‘Sea Defence’
Heather Hanna theme ‘Industrial Debris’
Catriona Stamp theme ‘Contrasting Times’
Beatrice Crane-Baker theme ‘Changing Forest’
Anne Gaze theme ‘Saturated Forest’
Ann Newman theme ‘Boundaries’
Testimonials
“I can now see what connects the various strands of work regardless whether it be figurative or abstract, drawing or mixed media. It is no longer a hopeless muddle! I have a direction for further research through my own practice and by looking at artists whose work addresses a similar theme. I feel freshly motivated – there is clarity at last.”
“I’m so excited it comes exactly at the right time for me, because I’m seriously asking myself: What do I want to say? I want to reflect on where I am going and that is deeply connected to the question about theme and authentic expression.”
“Thank you so much for this, it is just what I need at this moment! I have found this aspect of making art the most difficult of all. I’m looking forward to getting to grips with it.”
“So glad I signed up! What a brainwave to do a course on the understanding and importance of ‘themes/working with themes’. You can read about this but no one as far as I can tell is presenting it as course for us artists who see plenty of practical examples about the how rather than the why!”
“Finally understanding themes – and subject – and beyond – how they work with one another, has meant I now can see why I love certain materials and images over others.
I feel as if I have had all these separate pieces of information/ideas floating around inside of me (and my head) for absolute ages and haven’t been able to put it all together.
Now I feel as if I have arrived at a door, opened it and found what has been missing.”
Course FAQs
What is the aim of this course?
This course is designed to help artists explore ideas and find their creative themes. This course is a pre-requirement for students taking my Approached to Abstraction course, however you will be provided with a £50 discount code available towards Approaches to Abstraction.
What level is this course?
This course is suitable for anyone who has an interest in creating, beginners and more advanced artists alike. It is designed to help artists explore ideas and find their creative themes.
What this course is not
This is not a process course. The skills I teach are about how to find a theme through mind mapping, and research.
When does the course start?
This is a self-paced course and can be started as soon as you sign up. On enrollment, you will be provided with access to all content immediately through Ruzuku. You can work through the classes at your own pace, and return to them as often as you need to.
What is an online course?
An online course consists of videos and downloads to enable you to learn new skills and improve old ones. All my online courses are stored on a specialist teaching platform, you do not have to join a Facebook group, and the courses have lifetime access*
The self-paced courses can be done at any-time that suits you, whilst the scheduled courses are set for a specific number of weeks.
Longer self paced and scheduled courses have areas to share work and ask questions that only people that have registered for the course can access. All videos are pre-recorded and you can watch them at your convenience, with additional written content in the form of downloadable PDF’s.
Is there tutor support available on your online courses?
My self-paced courses are designed to be studied independently, and contain all information you need. If you do have questions, my longer self paced courses can ask them on the course forum, an area specifically set up for you to share work and chat with other students. I call in regularly and can be ‘tagged’ for a more immediate response.
On my scheduled courses new course content is available each week of the schedule, and I am with you on the course on a daily basis to answer questions and join in discussions. You will also be learning alongside a group of other students with brilliant discussions, sharing of work and encouragement amongst participants – although there is no pressure at all to join in or share if you don’t want to.
What is a 'forum'?
I realise that not everyone is on Facebook, and so I don’t use Facebook Groups for my course. I wanted to provide a dedicated place for you to feel free to share your work with others in the course.
All participants on my longer self-paced courses are invited to post images in one of the course forums, but there is no obligation to do so!
My scheduled courses have areas with each activity where students can post images and join in discussions.
What if I get behind on a course, will I be able to catch up?
All of my courses have lifetime access*. The courses consist of pre-recorded videos that are available to watch, and re-watch at your convenience.
For scheduled courses I am only available during the schedule of the course, but you get lifetime access* to the course content and all the discussions and posting from other participants. Many students continue sharing and discussing long after the end of the schedule.
*lifetime means as long as I am able to communicate, or as long as the platform is in existence.
How do I enrol on a course?
At the very top of each course page on my website there are buttons for you to click to enrol and pay for a course. Clicking this will take you to the Ruzuku platform and payment will be taken securely by credit card. The Ruzuku platform is where all the courses are kept.
The payment is set in GDP as I am in the UK but when you pay it will convert to your own currency. Payments are made via Stripe, a safe and secure payment platform, using a debit or credit card.
Once you have paid for a course, you will be asked to create a Ruzuku account using your email and a password. Note that this will also happen only the first time you enrol, you do not have to create a new account for each course. All of your courses will all be available in the ‘My Courses‘ section on Ruzuku.
I live outside of the UK, can I still enrol on a course?
Yes of course! I would love you to come and learn with me, and I have people signed up from all over the world. The payment from your currency will convert to GBP.
Only two courses have live meetings with students on Zoo; Approaches to Abstraction and Urban Explorations. I aim to make sure there are options for different time zones available.
Where can I find my course?
When you enter Ruzuku at the top you will see ‘My Courses’. If you click on that you will get a list of your courses. Just click on the relevant course name to enter that course.
If you have any technical problems, find the top right menu and click on ‘Support’ to access the Ruzuku support help-desk.
Can I download the course videos?
No, unfortunately you cannot download the videos due to copyright, but once you enrol you will have lifetime access to them and can return to them at any time.
What internet connection and device will I need?
To get the most out of the class you will need to have a high speed internet connection, and a newer computer or mobile device that is equipped to stream video off of the internet. If you have any questions about this please do get in touch.
My videos are compatible with all devices including iPads, tablets and mobile devices. Please test out different browsers if you have any issues – Safari is the default browser on an iPad, but Chrome is actually the better browser for a lot of people.
If you’re having difficulty watching the videos try these tips:
- Close down any open applications and exit out of any extra windows in your browser. These all take up memory on your device and cannot effect the ability to play video smoothly.
- Refresh the page.
- Restart your device if you have not today.
- Make sure your device is updated. (including the operating system and browser)
- Try a different browser. My videos have been verified working with:
- Firefox (Windows and Mac)
- Internet Explorer (Windows)
- Google Chrome (Windows, Mac and Android [4.1.2] tablet)
- Safari (Mac, iPad and iPhone)
*I cannot guarantee that our videos will play on your device. There are too many variations in each person’s scenario.
Can I share the course content with others?
My courses are priced very reasonably, and I have worked very hard to give you an in-depth and inspiring range of courses full of content. As such please do not share your login and course access with others.
All of the course content is my own intellectual property, built up from over 40 years as an artist and teacher. You are not permitted to share demonstration/how-to videos of yourself using the techniques I am teaching you.
Of course many general, individual techniques are already out there in the public domain, and no one can claim ownership to those, but it is the sequence of techniques; particularly some of the tools and equipment used, as well as the methodologies and concepts taught on my courses that are not to be shared. More details about my intellectual property rights can be found in the Terms and Conditions.
Also, if you create work that is clearly based on my demonstration pieces, please do not attempt to sell it as ‘yours’. More details about my intellectual property rights can be found in the Terms and Conditions.
Do you offer refunds?
I do not offer refunds for self-paced courses as the course descriptions give a very full account of the content. In the unlikely event you have booked a course that is not right for you, please let me know before you start accessing the content.
With my scheduled courses if you feel they are not right for you I will refund you within a week of your booking/the course starting, (less an admin fee) or a full credit towards another class.