Life Book 2014

For questions about Life Book contact Tam on willowing AT gmail.com or Gracie on gracie AT willowing.org
(or leave a comment below)

“Life Book, a celebration and honouring of YOU”

is a year-long mixed media art class  

organised by Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts.

Tam is joined by 22 incredible art teachers who are all gearing up to share their mixed media techniques, tips and tricks with YOU! Themed around self-development and healing, you'll be creating several loose mixed media art journal pages per month which by the end of the year you will bind into a glorious journal (a Life Book)! You will have a wonderful keepsake that you can treasure for the rest of your life!

Registration for Life Book 2014 is now closed
But Registration for Life Book 2015 is open! 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN LIFE BOOK 2015 

Hello dear one! My name is Tam! Thank you for stopping by and checking out the Life Book information. Life Book is SUCH a precious project to me, I pour my be-end all into this baby. Let me tell you all about it. It's kinda an offer you can't refuse I'm sure! Nearly 2000 wonderful people joined us on Life Book last year, it's been an incredible experience (it's still going as we speak). People have learned so much! They've created such beautiful art work and they've been so brave when digging deeper into some of the healing exercises! I receive uplifting emails almost daily from participants telling me how Life Book has enriched their lives. I'm so honoured and blessed to be the host of this fantabulous course each year. I count my lucky stars every day! 

In a nutshell, this is the Incredible Life Book offer: 

◙ 10 In depth Mixed Media Art Lessons by me: Tam

◙ 22 In depth Mixed Media Art Lessons by Spectacular Guest Teachers
(see below who the 2014 guest teachers are)

◙ 20 (Smaller) Bonus Activities like: extra PDF prompts & step by steps/ artist interviews/ ATC swaps/ give aways/ audio meditations/ writing prompts etc by Tam & Guest Teachers

Watch the Promotional Video for in depth information: 
  

So basically you continue to receive creative inspiration and prompts WEEKLY (without fail, every week there is something for you to enjoy) and all that for ONLY £70 GBP or approx $109 USD (the course content is valued at over $1000 so you get a year filled with incredible lessons and inspiration for only 10% (a fraction) of the retail price, is that awesome or awesome?) There is no catch here, just me and a bunch of awesome other artists wanting you to have access to a 'library' of inspiring & educational art lessons and personal development tools that help you enrich your life. Simple as that. :) I personally believe that practising self care through art & self enquiry creates happier people and happier people equals a better world (happy people are nice to others and spread light and goodness! and sometimes: muffins!!!). :-)

I'm so excited about all the fantastic contributions this year! We have a range of truly incredible artists contributing their wisdom, light, beauty and artistic talent to the course, one of which is a personal hero of mine: Flora Bowley! :D

 

I will also have the joy and honour to interview the wonderful and talented Claudine Hellmuth (she won't be teaching this year, but we'll hear all about her creative life and business in the interview)! Of course this Artist Interview will be shared with all the awesome Life Book 2014 students! (To read more about the incredible teacher line up, scroll down!)

Isn't this just awesome? 

 Exciting no? :-) Of course, I am totally biased, but if I came across an offer like this myself: I would jump at the chance! Not only because you can download all the videos which means that even if you fall behind or if you can't participate for a while, you can revisit the lessons at your own time in the future should you want to. :)

I get daily letters from Life Book participants letting me know Life Book has enriched their lives. I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to provide a program that truly helps people feel better about themselves! 

But let me stop gushing ;) and let's have some of the Life Book participants have their say!

Praise for Life Book by current (gorgeous) Participants

✻ Amanda from Jackson MI, USA says: "I never dreamed that an on-line art class would make such a dramatic impact on my life! As long as Life Book is offered, I will be there!!!"

✻ Charmain from United States - Toney, AL says: "It has been a fantastic experience, I look forward to Monday mornings, so that I can see what I am going to experience this week. I've been exposed to so many teachers and different avenues of mixed media. It has just been GREAT!"

✻ Jan from Stratham, New Hampshire, USA says: "Just can't thank you enough for the experience! Because of you and your class I was "brave" enough to sign up for a couple of other on line classes this summer and continue to grow in confidence. Would never have tried these classes without you and your wonderful Lifebook experience. You truly are amazing and thank you for touching so many of our lives!"

✻ Glenda from Henderson, NV, United States says: "One of the residuals of my childhood is not feeling loved or wanted. This experience has helped me to heal and as I write these words I am realizing just how much. I am thankful for Tam and all the teachers. I love them all and their teaching skills are just phenomenal. I am even overcoming my aversion to drawing the human body. Through Life book I have come to embrace the artist that lies deep inside and quieting the self talk that told me for years I was not an artist. Thank you Tam and teachers for helping me to grow."

✻ Liezbeth from Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands says: "I love the fact that everything is downloadable. This way I can download my favorite lessons and do them another time, I can also take them on my Ipad and take them on holiday."

✻ Carolyn from Queensland, Australia says: "Life Book has been my first experience of an online art course, and I love it- I'm sold on it!"

✻ Sharon from Bristol UK says: "I have loved it and have made some great stuff - am still looking forward to the book binding bit at the end. I think the course is an absolute bargain and even if I had only completed a couple of lessons, I would have been very happy. The content is massive, massive and I think on so many levels LB is a very generous offering. Hats off to you Tam cos you must have to work very hard to make it what it is. I have enjoyed the meditations and the artist interviews as well as the art making itself."

✻ Rosa from USA, Oroville, CA says: "i will say it again...best investment for myself...enjoyable...knowledge is priceless and i have learned so much about myself and art techniques...especially without leaving home...in my pajamas...can't get any better than that"

 

✻ Cornelia from Washington State, USA says: "Life Book continues to amaze me. I am feeling more grounded and able to express feelings. I am becoming less judgmental towards myself and more accepting. I look forward to each Life Book lesson. My art ability is improving and I am developing strong preferences for material that I use in my projects. I am a quilter and a knitter, but have not had an art background. It did not matter. I now consider myself an artist. Loved the art angel lesson at the beginning. I was very critical of my artistic endeavors, but my art angel is there to express kindness and acceptance of my art. Thanks again to all of you, especially Tam, for all the hard work and love you contribute to this course."

Life Book - More Information & Teacher Line Up! 

How does Life Book work?

Once you have sent payment through you will be added to a private group on my ning site and you will be invited to join the Life Book Facebook & Flickr Groups. Each week a new lesson is posted in the ning group. You will be notified by email every Monday that a new lesson is up. You will find download instructions in the lesson thread. You can then watch the lessons at your own time at home, do your work and share your work in the groups (should you want to - it's not necessary to share your work if you do not want to). You can create your paintings on single pages which by the end of the year will be bound into a book, a Life Book :) Sounds exciting no? :) 

How are the lessons structured?

Tam will provide 10 mixed media lesson throughout the year which will be posted on every 1st Monday of the month and this year there are 22 contributing mixed media teachers who will each provide a lesson for a month they've been assigned to (these lessons will be posted each 3rd and 4th Monday of the month).

In addition there will be extra things happening the other weeks: artist interviews to inspire you, journal prompts to encourage you, extra art exercises, meditations, ATC swaps, art tips and tricks, you name it! This course will be overflowing with lessons, inspiration and stuff to keep you busy the whole year!!

You will become part of a thriving, buzzing, creative community with opportunities to make new connections, learn many new mixed media styles and techniques and make new arty friends!

You will be able to:

• Download all class materials to your machine, keep them forever
• Learn many new mixed media techniques and styles
• Grow and develop both personally and artistically
• Receive extra inspiration, like PDF worksheets, art journal prompts, free uplifting affirmation jpegs (for you to print and hang up), give aways, artist interviews etc!
• Connect with like-minded creative people
• Make new artistic connections
• Become part of a buzzing/ thriving art community for a whole year!

About Tam's Life Book Lessons

Tam provides completely new (unseen) lessons to Life Book each year (there are no repeat lessons apart from the binding videos posted in December). Though the lessons are new each year, techniques that were covered in previous years may be repeated. Tam's Life Book lessons become available in a self study group once the Life Book year is finished. 


Yearly Class Schedule is HERE! :)

Download this PDF to read a description of all the weekly offerings. Please be aware, however, that though the likelihood is that the classes will appear as described in this document, some may change slightly depending on the circumstances & happenings throughout the year!

weekly-schedule-lb2014-publish

Basic Supply List

Click on the image to download the basic supply list needed for the course. Please be aware that you won't necessarily need to buy every single thing on the list, certain materials can easily be replaced with other ones that you already have. So if you are on a budget, don't go crazy buying all the supplies. Throughout the year different teachers may introduce you to new materials as well. It's never compulsory to buy all the materials used on the course (of course not!), I'd say: see how you go throughout the year and if you see a teacher use something you really really love, then go buy it, but you don't need to 'arm' yourself with a house full of supplies you may not continue using in the future! 

LB2014-basicsupplylist

Who can sign up to Life Book? I haven't ever done any art, can I join too?
Darling, OF COURSE YOU CAN! Life Book is for EVERYONE! :) Sure, the course will be easier if you've done some art already, but don't deprive yourself of learning the awesome magic making and healing power of art just because you haven't done it before! The course is suitable for beginners/ intermediates and masters alike! Everyone will get something different out of the course. The course is run in an open, supportive, inclusive and encouraging environment where you can play, experiment, make a 'fool' of yourself and start all over again! There will be no judgement, we will only love you and encourage you! :) All lessons are conducted in such a way that you can follow the tutors step by step, so you can do what they do, and if that bores you, then you can go totally off the rails and do your own thing inspired by their lesson! Sounds good? :) You are loved and welcome here, no matter what skill level, for serious! :D xoxoox

What do I need and need to know in order to join Life Book 2014?

• You will need a highspeed internet connection to be able to download the videos. If you have a slower connection you can stream the videos online and/ or learn through the PDFs, but the best option is to have a highspeed internet connection.
• It will be helpful to have a basic understanding of IT, like reading emails, navigating sites like Facebook and flickr etc. If you're having trouble with some IT related stuff some help can be given, but in depth IT guidance cannot be given.
• If you are planning on downloading and keeping the videos you will need to make sure you have "a few" gigabites available. Each video can be between 200 - 900 MB in size. Multiply that by at least 32 lessons and you can see you'll need quite a bit of space! I recommend you get an additional external hard drive on to which you can download all the lessons. Unfortunately I am unable to offer the entire class on DVD/ CD.B
• Be aware that you will have access to the Life Book content until the end of January 2015, so make sure you download what you want throughout the year, DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, because the content will really disappear after Jan 31st 2015.
• With regards to the personal development exercises: please understand that none of the art teachers on the course are qualified psychotherapists or psychologists. Therefore if you are prone to depression or if you think you might be triggered through one of the healing exercises it's important that you only embark upon the healing exercises knowing that you have an adequate support system around in the form of friends, family and/or a therapist to help you deal with painful stuff should this happen. Though there will be an 'emotional support thread' on the course available, the teachers and I are not able to provide you with in depth emotional support (as much as we would want to!)
• This course should not be considered a substitute or a replacement for face to face therapy. It is designed to help and encourage the participant to love and accept themselves more fully through personal development exercises and connecting with their inner creative nature. Participants who suffer from any kind of mental health issues are advised to seek the help from mental health professionals. Life Book can be used a supplement to any therapy treatment, but should not be used as a main form of treatment for any mental health issues. 
• The course is not based on any specific religious faith but may refer to and base lessons on and around 'non-dual' teachings. The course is inclusive of every human being regardless of their chosen faith. The theme focus of the course is 'self-development/ self-love/ self-healing'. We may refer to concepts such as: "The Goddess in You", "Intuition", "Shamanism", "Mandalas", "Crystals", "Yoga", "Sacred Ritual", "Being Here Now" etc.
  

Who are the awesome artists contributing to Life Book? Hold on to your seats, guys, this line up is QUITE something!! :D 
 

I am so privileged and honoured, excited and joyful to have the following amazing artists contribute their skill, time, knowledge and energy to Life Book 2014.

To read in depth bios and see examples of the artists' artworks download this PDF (or scroll down to read all about them):

Alena Hennessy - www.alenahennessy.com
Anna Dabrowska - www.tworzysko.blogspot.co.uk
Carissa Paige - www.carissapaige.com
Carla Sonheim - www.carlasonheim.com
Christy Tomlinson - www.christytomlinson.com
Danielle Daniel - www.danielledaniel.com
Dyan Reaveley - www.dyan-reaveley.blogspot.co.uk
Effy Wild - www.effythewild.com
Flora Bowley - www.florabowley.com
Jane Davenport - www.janedavenport.com
Jennibellie - www.jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com
Kate Thompson - www.fracturedangelics.blogspot.com
Kelly Hoernig - www.kellyhoernig.webs.com
Kat McBride - www.KatCanPaint.com
Lesley Riley - www.lesleyriley.com
Marieke Blokland - www.bloknote.nl
Micki Wilde - www.thesecrethermit.blogspot.co.uk
Mika Diaz - www.mikadiazmixedmedia.com
Serena Bridgeman - www.serenarty.com
Steven Speight - www.speightoftheart.com
Tascha Parkinson - www.timewithtascha.blogspot.ca
Traci Bautista - www.treicdesigns.com

**********

More Praise for Life Book! 

“I always thought my creativity and abilities would not be enough to paint anything worthwile. I started life book, learned so many differend methods and developed so much personally and artistically that I now think about starting a creative business! When I really look at my life I always wanted to do something creative and didn´t have the guts... I thought I was not skilled, creative, good enough even to try! Life book changed that feeling and my art skilles about 180°! (Thank you, Tam!!!) It makes you stretch out of your comfort zone and makes you reach for the stars - and you will reach at least the moon! :-)” - Leila Freiburg (a.k.a."Amy"); Germany

“An amazing course that spans a whole year, and has lessons from some amazing artists that have really inspired me to try new techniques.” - Monique Green, Surrey (UK)

“It's a fantastic self-paced course with world wide, well known instructors teaching methods in a way that anyone can create great works of art. The course also helps to expand the mind opening the door to creative thoughts that have been dormant in some and locked in others. With visual instruction along with readable content and available help 24/7 makes it THE online art course to enroll in! “ - Connie Foster Bissell - Marshfield, MO USA 

“Life Book is a wonderful, Year Long, Art course. With new lessons by different teachers each week. It's fun, and challenging, and it's full of amazing techniques, I'm learning about new to me mediums, which is great! And there's a personal development aspect too, which I love. There is so much to it and it's very reasonably priced .... it's exciting and wonderful! And at the end of the year all these pieces of art you created will be bound into an amazing book. You get lots of support and encouragement... and help when you need it. And you work at your own pace. "WOW" ....I really LOVE Life Book! ;) “- Phoebe Thibault-Sherrard, in Kitchener, Ontario

“I am taking this amazing year long art class. It has so much information to learn and is so incredible. I can't recommend it enough!” - Stacie Spencer,New Market, Maryland USA

“There's this GREAT class called Lifebook, available on-line! The cost is affordable...and it is so nice to have something to look forward to each week. You can work at your own pace, you can download information if you choose. The teachers are varied in style & lessons vary in content so there really is something for everyone. I've LOVED being part of this experience!” - Patricia Bleecher, MA., USA