Learn something new this year! Austin has PLENTY of places and classes for you to exercise your creativity. Who knows, maybe you’ll pick up a new, favorite hobby or blossom a newfound passion into a business one day. At the least, you’ll try something new and that’s always good for your brain.

Below is a big list of classes, mostly for adults but some for kids, sectioned by topic, that you can find in Austin. You can be creative in so many ways, and hopefully, there’s something here that piques your interest. These group classes are open to the public, though most require a class fee. Some offer private lessons also.

Craft Classes and Venues with a Variety of Class Topics

A few places offer classes about multiple topics, so here’s where you’ll find them. These workshops include topics such as brush lettering, making bath scrubs, home décor, and more.

• CRAFT
• MAKE ATX
• Austin Tinkering School
• Upstairs Circus
• Something Cool Studios
• 7th Street Candle – custom candles and more – See my candle experience here
• Fuzz Lab
• Asmbly Makerspace
• The Mosaic Workshop
• The Paper + Craft Pantry

Plant and Floral Classes

Where are my plant people? These plant classes will teach you to make plant things and arrange flowers.

• Wild Vine Floral
• The Natural Gardener
• House of Margot Blair

Sewing, Knitting, and More Classes

Want to learn to sew to make your own totes or alter thrift shop clothes? Or maybe you want to learn to quilt or knit to make things like blankets and scarves? This section of classes is for you! Some might call these grandma crafts but they don’t know what they’re talking about.

• Honey Bee Quilt Store
• Hill Country Weavers
• Sew Much More
• Northwest Sewing Center
• Austin School of Fashion Design
• Beehive Craft Studio

Woodwork Classes

If you want to learn a bit about woodwork – from the fundamentals of the tools and design to creating your own stool – here are some shops to check out.

• Austin School of Furniture and Design
• Woodcraft

Pottery Classes

Have you ever wanted to learn how to throw clay? These pottery classes offer one-time and multiple sessions for you to learn how to make pots, bowls, and more.

• Austin Pottery
• Broad Studio
• Feats of Clay
• East Side Pot Shop
• The Art Garage
• Mud Club ATX
• Mud Studio

Check out this post to learn more about pottery classes in Austin.

Glass-Blowing and Glass Art Classes

If you can stand the heat, come play with fire and blow glass to make things like stained glass décor, beads, and vases.

• Blue Moon Glassworks
• Ghost Pepper Glass
• Helios Fused Glass Studio

Jewelry Classes

In these jewelry-making classes, you’ll learn how to twist metal, weave beads, and create various types of jewelry.

• Sisu Studios – silversmith class – See my experience here
• Sea of Beads
• Aviv Collection – charm bar, permanent jewelry
• City + Stars – charm bar
• Loveweld – charm bar
• Nina Berenato – charm necklaces and bracelets, permanent jewelry

Painting and Art Classes

Art is probably one of the first associations when you think of creative class. We might have gotten a taste of this in elementary school, but painting, drawing, and creating are alive and well in these classes for you to re-visit now.

• Austin Creative Art Center
• Austin Creative Reuse
• The Contemporary Austin

Creative Writing Classes

As a blogger and marketer, writing is a big part of my job, but it’s also helpful for many careers. These places will help you tap into your creativity and bring what’s in your brain to the paper.

• Writers’ League of Texas

Photography Classes

Did you upgrade from your camera phone? Learn how to use your fancy camera by taking a photography class.

• Precision Camera

Improv and Theater Classes

I took improv classes a few years ago, and it was so fun! Every week in the eight-week course we learned different techniques and it accumulated into a recital show for the public. Most of the theaters have a free intro class you can try out.

• Fallout Theater
• ColdTowne Theater
• Merlin Works
• The Hideout Theatre

Cooking and Culinary-Related Classes

Is it a surprise that these are some of my favorite classes? From cooking to chocolate-making to beekeeping, these classes will teach you about specific cuisines and processes.

See this post to see all the details.

Conclusion

This list of classes reminds me that there are plenty of ways to exercise and expand our creativity. We might be creative in different areas, but I believe everyone is creative. Recognizing this and finding ways to explore it helps our brain, sparks energy, and is a lot of fun. I hope you find ways to be creative this year!

P.S. If you need more ideas for creativity, try this list!

The post Best Places for Creative Classes and Art Workshops in Austin appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Shibori Indigo Dye Workshop
One of my goals this year is to complete a creative project every month. This month I took a shibori indigo dye workshop at HIVE. The result was two very colorful tea towels! How have you been creative lately? Any crafts you’d recommend?

For the Record
Actress Jennifer Aniston wrote a piece on Huffington Post speaking out about the expectations society put on women daily. It’s a great reminder that we should see the characteristics of a person and not only their roles in life as valuable.

Change
I think the word change is always an unconscious ‘word of the year’ in our lives. (See the actual words I picked out for my 2016 here.) We encounter a lot of change throughout the year and many times, it’s only in hindsight do we realize its effects. And then there’s active change. Things we want to accomplish or things we need to accomplish. I like this thought-provoking quote from Nicole about change: “Change is hard because it forces us to confront the size of the gap between our ideals and our actions.” How big is your gap and how do you work to narrow it?

ATXBloggerMixer
Fellow Austin blogger Jesse Coulter and I hosted the quarterly ATXBloggerMixer this month and it was so much fun! It’s always fun to connect with bloggers in real life and talk shop about what we do. I also enjoyed hearing Kirsten, CEO and founder of Raven + Lily speak about how she has grown her company and the importance behind their mission of empowering women around the world.

• Thank you to Raven + Lily for having us at their new store in the Domain Rock Rose!
• Thank you to Mighty Swell Cocktails, Shortbread Baking Co, and Salvation Pizza for the yummy snacks!
• Thank you to Oh Happy Day Booth for the photo booth!
• Thank you to Viva Day Spa, Birds Barbershop, and CorePower Yoga for the giveaways!

Foodies of Austin Unite
Speaking of bloggers, did you know there is a vibrant food blogger community (Austin Food Bloggers Alliance) in Austin? It’s no secret that Austin is a foodie city, and many restaurant reviewers and recipe creators are a part of this group. Check out the Facebook page to see regular posts from members and check out the annual City Guides to find the best eats in town!

On Growing Up
It’s my 10-year high school reunion this year. (Cue all the exclamations of being “old.”) In our alumni Facebook group, people have been posting “where are you now” updates, giving a few short paragraphs about what has happened in their lives in the 10 years since high school. I was thinking about these stories and my story and I think we all ended up ok, despite what we might have thought then. Sure, where we are now might not be exactly where we thought we would be, but we’re smarter and stronger. In reflecting, I’m proud of the personal growth I’ve experienced to become more bold and thoughtful, the degree I earned, and that I no longer have a middle part and bushy eyebrows. What have you learned or are you most proud of in the last 10 years?

Now Listening
Here’s the music on my playlist lately.
“Stole the Show” by Kygo
“River” by Bishop Briggs
“Close” by Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo
“Never Be Like You” by Flume
“Into You” by Ariana Grande
“Capsize” by Frenship and Emily Warren

50 Best Burgers in Texas
Texas Monthly released their annual 50 best burgers list, so you’re in for a treat. I would definitely vouch for two of Austin’s winners – Chicon (had the burger at Contigo and Gardner) and Hopdoddy – and I can’t wait to try the ones at Central Standard, Clark’s Oyster Bar, Texas French Bread and Second Bar + Kitchen. Have you tried any of these fine burgers around Texas?

Simple Living and Finding Your True Self
Sometimes we think way too much about life and make it more complicated than it needs to be. This simple post on Becoming Minimalist was a great reminder of aligning your values and coming back to your true self. Be sure to give it a read!

What have you been captivated by lately? Any cool articles, videos or products you want to share in the comments below?

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Creativity is a hot topic right now. We’re all trying to find ways to do work we love, be more productive and innovative and live our best lives. I’ve found that it comes back to being creative. When we exercise our creativity, we allow new ideas to come to life and it enlightens parts of our brain that we may not use often. Some may argue that creativity is genetic, but putting yourself in a creative environment and putting effort in developing your creative skills proves it’s more about nurturing.

If you want to be more creative, first, you need to change your thinking. Think like a kid. What would you do if you couldn’t fail? Be positive. Worry less about perfectionism and more about discovering what is possible. Be open-minded to consider new ideas. Get curious. Be aware of fear (fear of failure or not doing something well enough) and don’t stop when that fear appears. Some of the ideas listed below may feel strange or silly when you’re first starting out. Keep at it and see where your creative routine can take you. Stay hungry.

Next, you need to find the time and be intentional about it. Try committing to one hour every week or twenty minutes every day, whatever your schedule allows or however long you feel you need. Put it on your calendar and don’t skip it! Be present during your creativity time.

Now you’re ready to exercise your creativity. Here are some ideas!

• Limit your tools. Make something with certain tools.
• Take photos. Capture the things that inspire you. Look for new perspectives and things you never noticed before.
• Use a new app. Try photo editing apps like Instagram.
• Doodle.
• Sign up for a class. Learn about something you have no or little skills to do. This can be art or cooking classes in your city. There are MANY online class options available, and they’re usually an hour long. I recommend Brit + Co or Skillshare.
• Make something with your hands. Explore Pinterest for a DIY project or new recipe to make. It can be as simple as a paper banner or as intricate as a wood-burned board. Check out my posts about DIY projects.
• Get moving! Go for a walk outside or go to a work-out class. Bring your camera to check two things off at once – a photo-taking walk!
• Keep a journal. Fill it with ideas, thoughts, and drawings. Write about interesting parts of your day.
• Watch TED talks.
• Brighten up your space. Surround yourself with things that you find inspiring, even if you don’t quite know why.
• Go to a busy place like a coffee shop. Feed off of the energy in the room.
• Watch and/or do stand-up comedy.
• Travel to a new city or country.
• Study a subject you’re interested in. Learn. Research. Read.
• Attend creative events. Museums. Something you wouldn’t usually go to.

Have a suggestion about how to exercise your creativity? Comment below!

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