Back to School?

An idea of returning to the classroom... I'm not talking about renovating a dorm into a dream party pad or doing triple lindys to win the big match for the title, although I happen to know the stunt double who did the diving tricks in the Comedy Central favorite Back to School. After seeing the paintings I recently did, my mom suggested I go back to school for some further instruction, because she believes, "you may have missed your calling. You have a real talent for color and composition."

That may have been the nicest thing someone has said to me this year, and only adds to my desire to create.

I've been a big supporter of continuing education through the years. I've enrolled in countless continuing ed classes: Dave and I took ballroom dancing before we got married, co-workers with tension headaches pitched in to pay the tuition on my massage therapy class, I recently ran into my guitar teacher at an art show opening, and I learned combat with a foil, taking fencing classes in Missouri.

My favorite class by far was the metalsmithing/jewelry class at Kendall College of Art and Design. It was a one-night-a-week, four-hours-a-night class where I would slip into my right brain thinking during the creative process, and four hours turned into five. I had lots of crappy attempts are creating something cool that didn't quite work out: a pin, a little brass box, some random stamping. But what did turn out was a beautiful bracelet that its category for Best in Show at a juried art exhibition the next year.

The challenge going back to school creates is when, where, and how much. The when is the biggest issue, with the baby starting pre-preschool, keeping up with skating, my job, my family and of course keeping the house clean. The where coincides with the how much: a return to Kendall would be wonderful, but the cost of their continuing ed, while a bargain compared to tuition, is still cost-prohibitive. And with cutbacks and downsizing, parks and recreation departments have done away with most classes outside of aerobics and nature walks.

So my new quest, in addition to everything else, is to find a small space in time for some creative studies. While I will give the idea some effort, I'm sure the right class will find me. However, any readers in the GR area, if you have a lead on a class, let me know.