By Guest Writer Rachel Price, All Fired Up
Your Resolution This Year Should Be…
Children have incredible imaginations, don’t they? They can create entire worlds out of play-doh and be entertained for hours creating planes, trains, and automobiles out of Lego building blocks.
Pablo Picasso once said “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist once you grow up.” Picasso knew that creativity must be cultivated, or else it starts to fade as we get older. Like any other skill, making things beautiful takes practice. Be intentional this year about stretching and growing your creativity muscles, and your own creativity will come to you more and more easily!
Make your New Years Resolution to be more creative!
But how?
Taking classes at All Fired Up is a great way to get those juices flowing. Each month we have a selection of classes for kids AND adults, as well as some opportunities to save when you’re ready to let your imagination run wild!
Here are just a few events we have every month to choose from…
Kids Fun Night
The first Friday of every month is Kids Fun Night, from 6-8pm! Drop your kids off with us for two hours, and they will learn various clay techniques, think in three dimensions, and ultimately create an original work from wet clay. (Did you know? Clay building develops your child’s problem solving skills, and holistic thinking.)
After creating a wet clay project, children will also have the opportunity to practice two-dimensional design principles as they glaze a ceramic project. Their finished pieces will not only be beautiful, but functional as well.
Kids will also enjoy a delicious pizza dinner and interact with other kids their age. Our friendly staff will guide them through the process and provide a safe environment to cultivate their creativity.
The best part? Kids Fun Night classes are only $25 a child! That’s such a great value for so many fun activities packed into two hours!
So join us for our upcoming Kids Fun Night on Friday, January 3rd, 2014 as we create a glass nightlight, & design and paint a dry erase board. Or, next month, on February 7th, when we create a heart-shaped candy dish from wet clay, and paint a bud vase.
Click this link to learn more or sign up your kids for these upcoming classes today.
Technique Workshops
Kids aren’t the only ones with the chance to learn something new and exciting.
Each month, on the second Thursday of the month, we offer Technique Workshops for teens and adults. We hand-select a special design that anyone can learn and show you how to put your personal touch on your hand-made masterpiece.
These workshops vary from fun and functional pottery pieces, to easy yet exquisite glass fusing projects. Each month is a different design, and perfect for all skill levels. Our knowledgeable staff will be with you, step-by-step, to teach you the tricks and tips to make a seemingly difficult technique so much easier than you would’ve ever realized!
Join us this month, January 9th, from 6-8pm, as we teach you to create Nancy’s beautiful Dot Design on your very own martini glass. Or next month, February 13th, as we paint an oriental-inspired chopstick bowl (and ceramic fortune cookie, when you sign up with a friend!) To learn more about All Fired Up’s upcoming Technique Workshops, click here.
Youngster & You
These classes are a great bonding opportunity for you and your young ones, as you work together to create a beautiful keepsake that will last a lifetime.
Each month, we release a new design that captures your little one’s fingers or toes in a unique way on a large dinner plate. Our friendly staff be by your side to help you get the perfect prints from your infant or toddler. The best part is that we do all the design work for you! You just come in with your little one, we’ll get the print, and then you’re free to go. We will finish the design, coat the entire piece in a clear glaze to protect it, and then fire it in our kiln so it will last for years to come!
Check out our January 7th design, which turns your toddler’s happy feet into adorable penguins! Or, come in February 4th to capture their fingers and toes in our precious “Love is Sweet” design. To see these designs and learn more about how it works, visit us at this link.
Ladies Night Out
This is your chance to kick back and relax! Just imagine a relaxing night creating your own work of art while gabbing with your best girl friends…
The last Thursday of every month, All Fired Up closes down the studio to the public at 6pm to give you a relaxing night off! There’s no limits to what you can try – pottery painting, glass fusing, or even wet clay projects – so you can really let your imagination run wild! We even stay open late, until 9pm, to make sure you have plenty of time to finish your piece.
You’ll also automatically receive 10% off your piece, and snacks are provided and on-the-house, so be sure to call your local studio and register your group so we know you’re coming.
Our next Ladies Night Out is Thursday, January 30th, which gives you plenty of time to invite your friends and make sure it’s a fantastic night out.
Resolve to Be More Creative
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
There’s nothing that can keep you from a resolution like this but yourself. Refuse to believe the lies that run through your head, like, “I’m not creative” or “I can’t even draw stick people.” You have much more creativity in you than you realize, if you just give yourself a chance to try.
Alright, I just have to share one more quote before I get off my soap box. Vincent Van Gogh, creator of one of the world’s most beloved paintings, “Starry Night,” once said, “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
(For more inspirational quotes about creativity to get your motivated, visit our Pinterest board.)
All Fired Up is an advertiser on Richmondmom.com and Rachel Price is the owner of All Fired Up.
