25 years teaching

Feb. 2017 marks the 25th year since I created my first course for Fanshawe College night school - Adobe Illustrator. I was given less than 3 weeks to put together a 30 hour course. I took the opportunity, and week by week, I created the course and attained my experience teaching in front of a class. Two years later I created the Photoshop 30 hour course and  the first Electronic Graphic Design course which was 54 hours in length.

I continued to teach for a total of 10 years where I finished my last 2 years teaching at the daytime Design School at Fanshawe College. With both my art and technical knowledge, I created a Portfolio Creation course for Urban Design students and taught Creative Thinking to Graphic Design students. During this time I was very active teaching corporately as well.

For over the past 2 years I have been trying to find what (as I joked with my daughter) what Mom wants to do when she grows up. Anyone who knows me knows that I have been actively engaging with the digital design sector in London with no success. I have wanted to teach at Fanshawe College again but am not given any hours.

Over 5 years ago, my husband and I built our dream home which we designed and where we were the general contractors. We were able to design it exactly as we wanted it. That included an amazing art studio and gallery. Last fall I started advertising Paint Nights at my studio and teaching art lessons. I had success with the paint nights almost right away but it wasn't until after the new year where I now have 2 students to whom I am teaching art, not bad for January. I am getting more requests for various types of classes and am looking forward to creating courses that people want.

Everything that happened this year so far is screaming to me that this is what makes me happy and is financially beneficial. I really miss teaching and that IS  what I do best. I plan to teach for the next decade and impart on others the fun and play with creating art and design while adding all the details that I have learned as a BealArt and Fanshawe Design graduate.

I am so grateful for all the people who have believed in me and have supported me in this endeavour. We have always told our children to do what you love as a job and I think I finally have relearned that myself.

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