One year long art course: a way to exhaust yourself or an important commitment?

If you are an aspiring/ beginner or intermediate artist who is wandering whether a one year long art course is too much of a commitment, here are my thoughts on how it can help you on your artistic journey.

There are several one year long art workshops that have been around for years, 3 of which I have participated on as a collaborative teacher: PYHAS (Paint Your Heart & Soul) - contemporary art on variety of subjects, styles and medium, Life Book - a lot of illustrative and story art, and Let’s Face it - painting faces in variety of ways.

First of all, what is the concept behind one year long art workshops? In few words it’s 30-40 online art teachers are pulled together, to make 2 video classes each. Starting from first week of January, students are beginning to receive by email link to different class each week.

So, why I personally love being a part of one year long art workshops as a teacher and why do I feel that participants are benefiting from them?

  1. You can go at your own pace, open these classes any time, view videos, paint. You can do all of them or only those that you like. You can give it an hour daily, or only couple of hours on weekend - it’s up to you and how busy you are. Any amount of time spent making art is worth it. There are no strict requirements on how deeply you engage with the material.

  2. You have lifetime access.

  3. You can participate from any country from the comfort of your home.

  4. Discovery of your art style and preferences is made easy, because of variety of instructors and their respective styles during the year. By end of the year you know what you love and what you don’t love, and your signature style begin to emerge.

  5. You discover artists/ teachers that you love and can now follow directly.

  6. Large community of other students like you will share art and support you in private FB group. By sharing your art and engaging you create art friends for life. I myself made friends in online art workshops 10 years ago, and still friends with them today, few I even travel to meet in US all the way from South Africa.

  7. Teachers offer their support and encouragement on the same FB group.

  8. It’s extremely affordable, when you take yearly amount of registration and divide into an amount of weeks per year (or amount of classes), it works out as something like $2 per class.

If you are thinking to give it a try, PYHAS-2024 have already opened registration for next year. I will be among teachers there 8th year in a row! In 2024 I will be teaching a story art with elements of collage, mixed media and acrylics, as you see in example below.

Even if you see this post later in the year of 2024, you can still sign up, gain access to whole year material and catch up with others. Sign up any time, go at your own pace, share if you want, ask for support, and enjoy dicovering your style.

I wish you much joy and success in your artistic journey!

“Light above me” - mixed media. (Original is sold, prints are available here.)

What is Akashic Records Reading of your soul's journey through time?

People often ask what does it mean that I read Akashic Records?

Provided one believes in reincarnation, it’s a recording of your Soul’s Journey through Time, your soul’s origins - where it was created, what star systems it lived on before Earth, how old your soul is, how many lives you have had on Earth, which places on Earth your incarnated in and what were your best moments where you lived most in line with your soul’s calling.

Akashic Records are believed to be the recorded library in the Upper Realms, of every thought, word, and deed of every living being, in all times: past, present and future. There is no judgment or implied penalty in the Records — they are simply a record of each soul’s journey through the infinite. Akashic Records is simply another Spirit Realm of higher dimension, a cosmic library of sorts, library of lives of human souls.

How can I read it?

In my journey of spiritual awakening 5 years ago, I simply discovered that I can. First I have heard of another Akashic Reader and went to her to have my Records read. I cannot say that I immediately believed everything she told me, but I was intrigued. Couple of years later I had to admit that most things she said were actually accurate and have confirmed in my life one way or another, even though they spoke of my soul origins and past life events.

Shortly after I went to her, I decided to go to Akashic Realm myself, and when I went - the Book of Life simply opened for me, information was given, and I was told that I have the ability to read Records for myself and others. Since then I read hundreds of Records for people. I don’t usually advertise, they find me by the word of mouth. They are confidential, and their purpose is Awakening of your soul, Illumination of your soul, it’s brightest moments in history and information of your greatest potential. It serves as a point of awakening, helps to make better decisions at crossroads, explains relationships and soul contracts with people, and creates ripple effects for positive changes in your life.

To read more and order Akashic Records Reading, please click here.

“Weaving Life” - painting of Akashic Records. (Original is sold, prints are available here.)

My 3 in-person workshops in New Jersey, USA!

Day 3: Tribal Art

What a privilege it is to be invited to stay in Olga Furman home and paint in her studio! 18 hours flight from Cape Town, South Africa was absolutely worth it. Olga chose a gorgeous farm venue for the workshops and the students were a delight to work with! We had a blast creating first 3 days of painting, then 3 days of sculpting.

We even had a day in-between to hangout together in a historic town Lambertville, filled with vintage shops, beautiful old style houses, inviting restaurants and stunning wide river with a bridge leading to a town of New Hope.

Sharing here some favorite moments of this truly delightful experience. I loved in person interaction, which happens rarely for me, I mostly teach online. It was so wonderful to connect to old time Facebook friends and meet new ones as well.

Day one: mixed media and collage, students works

I have 1 last workshop ahead of me before I head back to South Africa, it will be held inside Olga Furman studio (a bonus!) on 7-9 August, day 1 painting Collaged and Mixed-Media Story Art, day 2 painting Icons with gold leaf halo and illustrative patterns, day 3 painting earthy tones Tribal Story Art. Large variety of techniques and color palettes is used for 3 in depth demonstrations. This is intensive workshop, where students grow in skill tremendously in such short period of time.

i have 8 years experience in teaching art, and a school teacher’s degree I received in my 20s. I felt how my previous life experience have prepared me to handle well 9 and 8 students classes, 3 day long each.

Here is one of testimonials from previous class:

JEANNE ELLIOTT 

July 27, 2023 at 10:55 pm

This was such a WONDERFUL workshop!!! I really enjoyed spending time with Annie Hamman painting soul filled portraits! She is such a wonderful encouraging teacher who shares her passion for story art with so much love and energy. If there is any way you can manage to take her workshop, GO!! You will be soo happy you did!!! I learned a lot and this is such a great opportunity to study with one of the very best. It was truly amazing how much we all accomplished in 3 days! I can not recommend it highly enough. Olga Furman was such a delightful caring hostess as well! She also shares so much love and joy. What a wonderful time we all had! It was a truly unforgettable experience that I am sooo happy I had!

If you are considering to sign up for my last class, we have few spaces left. You can read more testimonials from students that just finished a class, and sign up here:

Sculpting The Winged Ones with shells, driftwood and other nature items.

Day two on Painting Icons, works in progress.

Online art teaching in PYHaS 2023, plus giveaway

Dear artists, I will be teaching art online once again, after a long pause, during which I focused on discovering new ideas and techniques in my daily art practice. My last online workshop was released 3 years ago. Since then, I went on a road of self discovery through plant medicines, Native American teachings, tribal themed paintings and sacred tools crafts. This year in April, I have graduated as Shamanic Ceremonial Practitioner, Sweat Lodge Pourer and Prayer Pipe Carrier with my teacher Michelle Reid, who is a holder of Okanogan/ Cherokee lineage here in Western Cape, South Africa.

I am excited to film and edit instructional art videos again, with new subject matter and techniques. And the first project I signed up with is PYHAS 2023 - collaborative 1 year long workshop, hosted by Olga Furman, with 40 different art teachers, with new classes emailed to you weekly for the whole year. I am planning to make my own new stand alone classes as well, which I will announce as soon as they are in production.

I would love to follow your progress on PYHAS 2023 throughout the year and comment on your art created in this course. To sign up click here:

First 500 sign ups for the course get 41% discount off original price! ($119 instead of original $199.) It is truly incredible offer for weekly classes from 40 talented teachers for the whole year.

For those who wish to enter my Giveaway of 1 spot in this remarkable course, here are the guidelines:

  1. Please subscribe below to my newsletter (If you are already on it, there is no need to subscribe again.) Please make sure your name as you subscribe matches your Facebook first and last name.

  2. Go to my personal Facebook page and comment in the pinned Giveaway post.

I will check to match subscribers and those who commented on my FB post, and the winner will be announced on Facebook in the same pinned post on 13 September.

Good luck and hope to see you on PYHAS from January 2023!


Much love,

Annie.

“Bird of many lives” - by Annie Hamman






Have I abandoned painting for crafts?

“Seal Medicine Shield”

“Seal Medicine Shield”

I tried to resist crafts. I pretended I am just dabbling. I even forced myself to paint when I wanted to craft. To craft rattles, jewelry, leather pouches, magic wands, protection shields, accent braids, drums, and clay sculptures. But in the last year I made so many crafts, I had to admit my defeat. Crafts have consumed me. I still love to paint. But it got pushed away as one of the things I want to do, it wasn’t the main thing anymore.

Who said that painting is more noble thing to do, or more refined thing to do, or even more skilled thing to do? Creativity is just that - creativity, in whichever form it present itself. And art can take so many forms: from dance, to writing, to acting, to music, to paintings, to crafts.

Below I am sharing some of my this year crafts in this post. Please let me know if you like any of them.

And thank you for checking what I am up to and being present on my creative journey to this day.

Much love,

Annie.

P.S. You can request something custom made, based on below images. :)



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Lady brush, a brush and clay sculpture. Available, please inquire. :)

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