Our goals for this session of
COCKTAILS & CLAY:

• Developing an artist proposal and project timeline
• Begin creating a small body of work* that aligns with your creative vision
*or finishing past work that can can be put together as a cohesive body of work
• Documenting your process and progress

Pre-class homework: 
1. Think about and answer these creative prompts (these are meant to be quick, one sentence responses):
• Today I’m finding beauty in….
• I live creatively by…
• My inner creative spark is guiding me to …
2. For our first Show & Tell: Chose one of the above creative prompts and find an image (from somewhere online or in your personal photos) or a symbolic object that can best visually represent your response. Send an image of this to Julia by Thursday, October 8.

WEEK 1: GETTING THE LAY OF THE LAND

(Friday, October 9)
Discussion: What is a cohesive body of work and why should we create one
• 6 ways we can bring consistency to our work 
• Artists whose work exemplifies a “signature style”
Show and tell: Reveal your answer to the creative prompt you chose in the pre-class homework (“Today I’m finding beauty in…”  or  “I live creatively by…” or “My inner creative spark is guiding me to …” ) and show an image that visually represents your response. If you don’t have an image, that’s okay too. You can just talk about your response.

Homework for next week: 
1. Think about and answer these creative prompts (these are meant to be quick, one sentence responses):
• I’ve been nurturing this spark of an idea…
• I think it could become…
• If I got really bold with this idea, it would be daring to…
2. For next week’s Show & Tell: Chose an image (online or in your personal photos) or an object that can best visually represent your “spark of an idea”. Send an image of this to Julia by Thursday, October 15. If you don’t have an image, that’s okay … you can just talk about your response. Or if you were in the first session and prefer, you can show your vision board and we’ll talk about narrowing down your ideas to one you’d like to explore more in depth.

WEEK 2: PLANNING THE JOURNEY

(Friday, October 16)
Discussion: What is an artist proposal
• What to put into your artist proposal and a few examples to help guide you
• Developing a timeline for creating a body of work
Show and tell: Reveal your answers to the creative prompts from homework (“I’ve been nurturing this spark of an idea…”  “I think it could become…”  “If I got really bold with this idea, it would be daring to…”) and show an image that visually represents your “spark of an idea”. If you don’t have an image, that’s okay … you can just talk about your response, or show your vision board from last session.

Homework for next week:
1. Read over the “How to Write an Artist Proposal” worksheet and start writing your proposal
2. Think of any questions you would like to ask next week’s guest speaker and email them to Julia by Thursday, October 22
3. Creative prompts to think about this week:
• The creative vision I have for myself…
• My strengths are…
• My strengths serve my vision by…

WEEK 3: SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER 

(Friday, October 23)
Expert Talk + Q&A with artist guest speaker
• We’ll meet as a group at our regular 7:00pm time slot before our guest speaker joins us at 7:30pm for a special talk plus follow-up Q&A
• Our artist will discuss topics like inspiration, process, artist statements and proposals and what it’s like working as a professional artist. After the talk, you’ll be able to ask questions.
Post-talk: We’ll be announcing who is in Group 1 and who is in Group 2 for our proposal presentations. We’ll also be on hand after the talk (and outside of class) to answer any questions you might have about writing your artist proposal or support you with any feedback about your ideas. 

Homework for next week: 
1. Start writing your artist proposal and timelines
2. If you are in Group 1, be sure to send your finished proposal to Julia by Thursday, October 29 *
3. Creative prompts to think about this week:
• I used to be afraid of …
• I feel brave when …
• Courage is telling me right now …

* If you need a little extra help preparing or designing your proposal, please reach out and let us know as soon as possible so we can have it ready in time for the presentations next week

WEEK 4: SETTING OUT

(Friday, October 30)
Discussion: Getting in the right mindset
• Making sure we know and have what we need, from techniques and supplies to self-confidence and support
Show and tell: Group 1 presents their artist proposals to the group for discussion and feedback.

Homework for next week:
1. Start working on the individual pieces for your body of work and documenting your progress
2. If you are in Group 2, be sure to send your finished proposal to Julia by Thursday, November 5*
3. Creative prompts to think about this week:
• If I didn’t have to do it perfectly, I would  …
• I surprise myself when …
• I’m really good at ….

* If you are in Group 2 and still need help preparing or designing your proposal, please reach out as soon as possible so we can have it ready in time for the presentations next week

WEEK 5: MAPPING THE ADVENTURE

(Friday, November 6)
Discussion: Documenting your process and progress
• Keeping a “studio journal” for recording daily/weekly progress, processes & techniques, glazing formulas & firing records + any changes or pivots within the work
Show and tell: Group 2 presents their artist proposals to the group for discussion and feedback.

Post-class homework:
1.  Continue working on the pieces for your body of work and documenting your progress
2.  Feel free to post updates and images of your progress in the facebook group
3. Creative prompts to think about:
• My creativity is fueled by …
• I’m hopeful that …
• When I work on my art, I want to feel ….

* Be sure to email 3-5 pictures of your work in progress to Julia by Thursday, December 3 for our first post-class check-in and feedback session

CHECK-IN #1: POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD

(Friday, December 4)
Talk it out: Keeping on track with your creative vision
Discussion / Show and Tell: What we’ve done so far: conversation and feedback

Post-check in homework:
1.  Continue working on the individual pieces for your body of work
2.  Feel free to post updates and images of your progress in the facebook group
3. Creative prompts to think about:
• Today, I’m showing up to…
• I’m not giving up on …
• I’m learning ….

* Be sure to email 3-5 pictures of your work in progress to Julia by Monday, December 7 for our second check-in and feedback session

CHECK-IN #2: MORE POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD

(Friday, January 8)
Talk it out: Staying motivated & leaving room for experimentation + what comes next
Discussion / Show and Tell: What we’ve done so far: critiques and feedback