Why I Started The Teaching Artist Project (and Why Sketchbook Studio Exists)

Why I Started the Teaching Artist Project

Three years ago, I stepped away from my teaching career.

It was a necessary break. Teaching had been a huge part of my life, but the reality of working in schools with a young family, a husband in the forces, and very little support wasn’t working. It was a good decision. Life got that bit more manageable which made a huge difference.

But over time something started to creep back in. I began to feel the familiar pull of wanting to work with children again - and more specifically, to teach art.

I didn’t want to return to teaching in a school setting. The reality of working in schools just doesn’t fit with my life in the way I need it to. But the part of teaching that I loved most - sharing art with children - never really went away.

That’s really where The Teaching Artist Project began.

When children work this way, everyone learns the same skills - but the outcomes are completely individual.

Teaching Art the Way Artists Work

The way I approach teaching art is very different from the step-by-step activities many of us remember from school.

Instead of everyone copying the same image or completing the same craft activity, I take a process-led approach. Children explore materials, experiment, play with ideas, and gradually develop their own responses.

It’s much closer to the way artists actually work.

Sketchbooks become a place to test ideas. Mistakes become opportunities to learn. Children discover how to think visually and how to develop their own ideas over time.

The result is that everyone learns the same skills and goes through the same creative journey - but the outcomes are individual.

No two pieces of work are ever the same.

Mistakes aren’t something to avoid. Often, they’re where the most interesting discoveries happen.

Inspiration from AccessArt

A big influence on my approach has been AccessArt, whose work I have followed since around 2010.

Over the years I used many of their resources both in my own art practice and in the classroom. Their approach to teaching art - exploratory, inclusive, and rooted in real artistic processes - always resonated with me.

When they launched their Primary Art Curriculum, I was fortunate enough to help implement it in the last school where I worked. Seeing children respond to that kind of rich, exploratory art education was incredibly exciting.

It reinforced just how powerful a thoughtful, process-led approach to art can be.

That philosophy will also underpin the work I want to do in my Sketchbook Studio sessions.

Why Sketchbook Studio Exists

When I started looking at afterschool activities in our local area, I noticed something interesting.

There are plenty of wonderful opportunities for children to take part in sport, dance, music, and one-off craft sessions and holiday clubs. But there seemed to be very little that offered children the chance to explore art as a creative process over time.

Craft activities can be enjoyable and engaging, but they often focus on producing a finished product in a single session.

What I wanted to create was something different.

A regular space where children could:

• explore a wide range of high quality materials and resources

• learn new skills and techniques

• develop their own ideas

• work through a creative process over several weeks

• and ultimately create a final piece they feel proud of

  
  

Most importantly, it would be a space where every child could experience success, regardless of how confident they felt about art at the beginning.

What I wanted to create was a space where children could explore art over time, not just finish a project in a single session.

A Creative Community

Another thing I hope will grow from the Sketchbook Studio clubs is a sense of community.

Creative work thrives when children feel relaxed, curious, and supported. Over time, regular sessions allow children to get to know one another, share ideas, and build confidence in their own ways of working.

My hope is that these clubs will become small creative hubs where children can experiment, take risks, develop their own creative voice and have fun!

Creativity grows when children are given time, space and encouragement to explore.

Looking Ahead

The first Sketchbook Studio afterschool clubs will begin shortly after the Easter holidays, towards the end of April.

At the moment there are two clubs are available to book, and I’m really looking forward to welcoming the first group of young artists.

Alongside these regular sessions, I also hope to run occasional one-off workshops and holiday clubs, giving children even more opportunities to explore materials, different disciplines and develop their own skills and ideas.

This is only the beginning, but I’m excited to see where it leads.

Because creativity grows when children are given time, space, and encouragement to explore.

And sometimes all it takes is the right environment for that to begin.

What kind of creative opportunities do you wish had existed when you were a child?

Interested in Sketchbook Studio Afterschool Clubs?

The first Sketchbook Studio afterschool clubs will begin shortly after the Easter holidays.

If you have a child who enjoys drawing, making, experimenting with materials or simply being creative, you can find out more or book the sessions here 👇

Sketchbook Studio Art Clubs