Who: Art Your Grief classes are for grievers. Grief comes in many different forms - this class is for anyone experiencing grief - it might be a diagnosis, death, relationship, job loss, a dream, a home, etc. All grievers are welcome. No art experience is needed to take an Art Your Grief class. All you need is to bring yourself and be willing to show up and try painting, drawing and collage to process your grief. Current students have priority for sign ups. If you are grieving the death of a pet, please check out Pet Loss Community as well as Pet Loss Psychologist Instagram page. In the meantime, I am keeping an interest list for those interested in Art Your Grief for pet loss and if/when I get enough interest - I will consider hosting a pet loss specific offering.

What: Explore and express your grief using art on Zoom in a safe space with other grievers. I will be walking you through different prompts with basic art supplies (watercolor, colored pencils, collage - nothing fancy) to help you connect with your grief while creating. The goal is not to create beautiful art (although sometimes this happens), the focus is on your grief and having a designated safe space to connect and express your grief using color, texture, and movement. I will have a demo screen showing my hands as I guide you through prompts, and a screen showing my face so that you can see I am there with you - as we create together.

Why: Creative expression while grieving has been one of the most valuable experiences I’ve known, and I want to share it with fellow grievers. When we create with our hands - something inside us shifts - makes way for the grief to move - not to be done with or to get rid of - rather to work with it. To enter into grief physically. Grief is exhausting - and when we move with grief, with our hands, with art, things open up and the heaviness, sadness, anger, exhaustion, joy, etc. all get a place to exist. Not just inside our minds and hearts. Art is a powerful tool to express and explore grief. There is something beautiful that happens when we sit with it all - even if it’s extremely difficult to do.

Class Options:

Sunday Class: Sundays 3:30-4:45 pm PT / 5:30-6:45 pm CT / 6:30 - 7:45 pm ET on Zoom - 4 meetings - $120 - message me to sign up - current students have priority. If we don’t have a minimum of 5 students the class will be cancelled. There are no make ups for no- shows or roll overs to next months classes.

Tuesday Class: Tuesdays 6:30 - 7:45 pm PT / 8:30 - 9:45 pm CT / 9:30 - 10:45 pm ET on zoom - 4 meetings - $120 - message me to sign up - current students have priority. If we don’t have a minimum of 5 students the class will be cancelled. There are no make ups for no-shows or roll overs to next months classes.

Wednesday Class: Wednesdays 8:30 - 9:45 am PT / 10:30 - 11:45 am CT / 11:30 - 12:45 am ET on Zoom - 4 meetings -$120 - message me to sign up - current students have priority. If we don’t have a minimum of 5 students the class will be cancelled. There are no make ups for no-shows or roll overs to next months classes.

Each class is 75 min. long. The first 60 min. are for creating, the last 15 are for optional sharing/listening (or you can continue creating). I will walk you through prompts and demo for you as we go. No art skills are needed. Please e-mail or message me on Instagram for availability/to sign up. I take a small handful of participants each month as it is important to me to keep classes small and intimate.

Workshop: Saturday 5-6:15 PM PDT, 75 minute session, $36. Message me to sign up, current students have priority. The first 60 min. are for creating, the last 15 are for optional sharing/listening (or you can continue creating). Please e-mail or message me on Instagram for availability/to sign up. I take a handful of participants to keep workshops small and intimate. The only difference between workshops and classes, are that workshops meet once. There are no make ups or roll overs for next months workshop if you miss class.

Private Sessions: You can schedule private Art Your Grief sessions if there is availability. An hour class is $65 ($260 for 4 sessions). Please e-mail or message me on Instagram if you’re interested in a private session.

Buddy Sessions: You can schedule buddy sessions of Art Your Grief for 2-4 people. An hour buddy session for 2 people is $45 per person, 3 people is $40 per person, 4 people is $35 per person.

Private Class: You can schedule a private class for 5-7 people for 4 sessions of 75 minutes each for $120 a person. The first 60 min. are for creating the last 15 are for optional sharing/listening (or you can continue creating). Please e-mail or message me on Instagram for availability.

For more information, check out the Art Your Grief Instagram page. The highlight titled “Class Info.” has lots of information. If you’d like to see feedback from past students please check out the Art your Grief Instagram page and see the highlight titled “Feedback.” If you have any questions please let me know.

Take gentle care of yourself in and outside of class: Art Your Grief classes are not intended to replace professional psychological care, professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. I am here to provide support in the form of companionship and art techniques. I highly recommend and encourage all students to seek regular therapy as feelings will come to the surface as you do this work. It will be beneficial for you to have the support from a therapist in place before embarking on this work. If you are seeking therapy, do a local search for providers in your area. Psychology Today is a great place to start. If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text the crisis line: text “HOME” to 741741. Help is available for you.

Safety of the group is my top priority: I reserve the right to remove anyone from class at any time. It may be that Art Your Grief is no longer a good fit for a person needing more support than what Art Your Grief is able to offer. A student may be removed from class for their own safety and the safety of the group. My priority is, and will always be, that all participants are being properly held in their grief. A participant will be removed if they disregard any of the following Art Your Grief Values below.

Art Your Grief Values:

• Listen with love & compassion

• Do not compare or give advice

• Honor your pain, grief, love, and give them space to exist outside yourself - in what you create & with one another

• Acknowledge & express the full range of emotions/feelings you experience. There is no unacceptable emotion or feeling

• Cliches and hurtful things people often say when loss hits will not be something you find in class: “at least ___________”……“everything happens for a reason”…….“find the silver lining”…. “they wouldn’t want you to be sad”….”God needed another angel”….”they are in a better place”….”they are looking down on you”….”they are no longer suffering”… “time heals all things”…etc.

• Commit to being gentle with yourself as you do this heavy lifting…if a prompt isn’t a good fit, pivot and do what fits best in a given moment.

• Give all group members a chance to share

• What you hear and learn in class won’t be discussed outside of class

• When taking a photo while in class - block members’ faces/names as a way to protect members of the group because not everyone wants to be on the inter-webs & have it known they are in a grief class

• Mute yourself while you actively create so that you don’t interrupt someone else’s grieving and creating process

• You will be asked permission to share any of the work you created in class. Even if you tag @artyourgrief in your post or story, you will be asked for permission before anything is shared on the @artyourgrief Instagram
  

****Interest Form: Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions below & sign after reading through the information & click submit when it is completed. Thank you!****

Supplies: There are three lists because some want to use what they have on hand, some want to purchase supplies and some that want to upgrade what they currently have. You don’t need to purchase anything to join an Art Your Grief Class.

Bare Bones List: $0-$20 Dollar stores have most of these items & you don’t need everything on this list.

• something to draw with: highlighters, pencils, crayons, ball point pens, kid coloring pencils, etc.

• glue: off brand glue sticks work great

• magazine: anything with images you don’t mind tearing up (calendar/newspaper/adds/cards)

• watercolor paint: Crayola works great & any kid set will work

• watercolor paper: you can use printer paper, lined paper, card-stock, cardboard, index cards, etc.

• paintbrush: kid ones work - & most watercolor sets come with a brush

• rag/paper towel: old t-shirt or any cloth

• water cup: recycled food container/cup

Middle of the Road List: $20-$80

• something to draw with: prismacolor colored pencils - scholor ($19)

• glue: glue stick ($1-5)

• magazine: glossy pages whatever you can find

• watercolor paint: Crayola watercolor paint washable set ($7)

• paper: Canson watercolor paper 140 lb 9” x 12” 30 sheets ($13)

• paintbrush: Royal langnickle zen 5 pc set ($13)

• rag/paper towels

• water cup

Fancy Pants List: $100-$400

• something to draw with: prismacolor scholar or premier colored pencils ($19-60) copic markers (or another brand of alcohol markers $50-120)

• glue: Uhu glue stick ($5-$7)

• magazine: glossy pages whatever you can find

• watercolor paint: Windsor & Newton Watercolor pan set ($20-$110) or Daniel Smith Watercolor pan set ($57)

  • Or: purchase Daniel Smith Individual Tubes $32 for 6 colors and buy pan/trays to squirt tube paint into separately. $10-30 for empty pan sets to pour tube watercolors into.

• watercolor paper: Canson Watercolor Paper 140 lb, 9” x 12” cold press 30 sheets (blue cover)

• paintbrush: DACO Clarity painbrush set $26 or Royal Langnickle Zen brush set 5 pc $13 or any Windsor & Newton set