Hi, , I originally wrote this newsletter back in April, but delayed sending it out because I simply wasn't ready to believe we'd still be dealing with the pandemic for months on end. 

Denial, thy name is Laure! 

 

Did you ever imagine our world would change so much in the space of a few months or that this pandemic would continue to turn our lives upside down and inside out?

 

 

I've been working on finding a path forward to a new normal. (You can read my post from April about this new normal here on the Painted Thoughts Blog!) But...fast-forward to nearly the end of June and I find myself in much the same place I was two months ago—still seeking a new normal.  

 

I'm pretty sure my house isn't going to be a whole lot cleaner or decluttered, I'm not going to be ready to head out to the beach in a bikini and I probably won't be writing a book during the lockdown!

 

Instead, it seems I spend a lot of time struggling to stay focused on anything for any length of time. I've been spending a large amount of time creating art and it's been wonderful, but something is still missing. 

 

And it seems like that missing piece is you! 

 

I've been missing classes but even more than that, I've been missing interacting and chatting with you. Social media helps to ease some of the disconnect, but it's hard to spend much time on any of the major channels without running smack-dab into the doom and gloom of the pandemic, politics and so much more. Yuck! 

 

I'm looking for something more constructive, happier and more positive, so I'm entertaining offering some live classes via Zoom. For those of you who have not yet ventured into any live online classes, Zoom is a live-streaming tool where you dial in via your computer at a set time and we can interact—live—for a period of time. It's the platform that many of the school systems are using in the United States to continue classes. 

 

I would be hosting projects we would be completing (or nearly completing) together while online. There would be a demo of the chosen project with time for you to paint along as well as a chance for you to ask questions. The classes would also be recorded so you would have access to review it and watch it again later. 

 

To be clear: the two main differences between this and the current classes I already offer online is the ability to interact live and ask questions in the moment but this means you have to be able to be online at the predetermined time. My regular online classes are set up so you can watch them whenever you want to, but there's no live interaction.  

 

I've taken a few classes through Zoom and regardless of the instructor, Zoom poses a few challenges. I'd like to hear about your experiences and thoughts, so I've set up a survey that I love for you to fill out so that I can make sure to meet your needs with these classes. If you could, please click here and fill out the survey! It would help me a whole bunch!

 

If you have any thoughts or ideas on class subjects you'd like to see, let me know that too! I've started a list and I want to make sure what I'm offering is something you'd want to learn. Something to keep in mind, the classes will be no more than two hours in length and the subject would need to be fairly straightforward so everyone would have a chance of finishing the project in the two hour window or be far enough along they could finish it on their own without difficulty.

 

So, let's start connecting again! Please take the survey and when I get a good cross-section of answers, I'll figure out a time and post the first class!

 

As always, let me know of any questions I can answer. 

 

Take care, keep healthy, stay creative!