Art isn’t just about making things. It’s a way of thinking, feeling, noticing, and being in the world. My art teaching approach is designed to support artists in developing a creative practice that’s both personal and sustainable — one that has structure, depth, and room to grow.
What Shapes My Approach
Before becoming a full-time artist, I spent over 30 years teaching adults across a wide range of settings: from business and marketing to psychotherapy and creative education. I’m qualified to MSc level in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and hold the qualification of Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA) — the highest professional award in TA training.
For five years, I co-founded and led a UKCP-accredited psychotherapy training institute, designing curriculum and teaching at MSc-equivalent level. That experience taught me how to hold rigorous, respectful learning environments that allow for deep growth. Although I no longer work clinically, these skills remain at the core of my work as an art educator.
What I Believe About Learning and Creativity
I believe art is an expression of self, and that artistic development comes from within. Creativity is a vital, life-affirming force — an expression of what TA calls physis. My art teaching approach and role as a teacher isn’t to shape artists in my image. It’s to create the scaffolding: the structure, support, and reflective space so you can explore your own path, your own language, and your own questions.
My art teaching approach is grounded in:
- Curiosity: Inviting experimentation and openness to what emerges
- Respect for autonomy: You decide what matters; I help you work with it
- Structure without rigidity: Clear, thoughtfully designed learning journeys
- Emotional and creative safety: So risk-taking and reflection can happen
- Integration: Valuing not just materials and methods, but meaning and mindset
I draw on adult development theory, experiential learning models, and my own studio practice to offer teaching that is both spacious and intentional.
What You Can Expect
Whether you join me for a course, workshop, or one-to-one mentoring, you can expect:
- A learning environment that’s warm, focused, and thoughtfully held
- Practical activities that open up new ways of seeing and working
- Space for reflection and conversation
- Encouragement to stretch, question, and grow
- An approach that honours where you are while gently supporting where you want to go
My teaching is not about ticking boxes or producing outcomes. It’s about supporting you to build a creative life that feels honest, enlivening, and your own.
“I don’t build artists — I design the scaffolding so you can build yourself.”
If you’re curious about working together, take a look at Directions in Abstraction, Creative Play Lab, or Art Coaching to find the right space for you.
I welcome artists at many stages of their journey — whether you’re starting out, shifting direction, or seeking deeper focus.