I always say to my students; I wish we could all come together, paint, chat, cook and pet kittens. Although I’ve met a few of you over the years, many of us are oceans apart. My livestreams, Zoom meetings and newsletters are a way to stay close to each other. I’d love for you to be a part of that.
Every month I choose a theme/word and make a schedule for you. I post a blog and send a newsletter on the 1st of the month. Here are the quick links that you need:
Every month we have…
- our monthly theme: don’t take this too seriously. It’s just a way to give me some structure and maybe offer some inspiration to those who need it (usually me). There’s no rule that you can only work with or discuss the theme.
- the livestreams: these are always on my YouTube channel at 8 PM CET (Amsterdam time). I schedule them for the whole month, so you can click the ‘notify me’ bell button for each. If you’d like to join the live chat, make sure you’re subscribed to my channel!
- Zoom meetings: Twice a month on Friday’s we meet in my zoom room at 8 PM CET (Amsterdam time)
For my livestreams I created a separate page where I always post the current livestream and the resources and/or reference that I use for that day.
Safety & boundaries
One of the most important things in my endeavours is safety. A safe space for people. Safety and inclusivity are not the same. A space that is safe for some people, inevitably excludes those who make it unsafe. When you think about joining an online community, it’s valuable to know what those parameters are. You can then make an informed choice wether or not that community suits you.
My livestreams, Zoom meetings and social media feeds are safe for: LGBTQIA+ people, pro-abortion folk, the neurodivergent, the mentally ill or challenged of any race, age or planet. They are also safe for naked 18+ people in paintings because it’s art for Leonardo’s sake.
There is a whole lot going on about wether or not communities/groups/art in general should be PoLiTiCaL or not. I’m gonna keep it short: life is political. Politics is life. You don’t have to be an asshole though. Sometimes people need to get shit out because something has impacted their lives and therefor their art. Let them, hug them and move on. I’m not going to forbid anything that isn’t violating the safe space mentioned above.
To replay or not to replay
My livestreams are obviously live streamed. 🙂 The replays are available on my YouTube channel and the rest of the internet. That means that anything you say in the chat, will be available as well.
My Zoom meetings are as private as the internet gets. No recordings will be made and no replays will be available! When you come into a Zoom gathering, you will find that people can share intimate things and I hope you will keep that private as well.