The truth is that every good decent young man learns how to be a great man from his father or a positive male mentor. Boys learn the most important character qualities from the adult males they are closet to in their life, especially their father.

Most people know that a father taking his young son out for a one on one activity will encourage bonding and help to form a long lasting, sincere relationship. The majority of activities catered to father and son's are physically-based, which is very important to the development of a young man's brain. However, studies have shown that boys are more likely to engage in mind discovery activities such as art and reading if they do it with their father first.

Art is not a limited discipline, in that, in can teach all kinds of subjects from history, math, science, to geology. Young boys tend to read less as they enter the school age years unless they are encouraged at home to read. Of course, one of the best things to do is to read to your son, or have him read to you. However, art does not need to be a mother and son activity only. Whether it is a wood working project done at home, or taking a painting class together, ANY artistic activity done together will be beneficial for the father and the son.

In a hyper-masculine westernized society, boys are inidated daily with images of violence, hyper-sexuality, and thoughts of accomplishment through physical action. The "super hero"complex (to be a hero you must save someone, win some epic battle, or build something big),  is damaging to young minds if it is the only concept they are shown. The truth is boys can be super hero's in their everyday lives by being a good friend, a good student, and just being himself. We have a generation of insecure men who think that there self worth only exists if they  look physically elite at the cost to their health, and be 
mindless "beasts" (according to popular marketing ads).

Many men and fathers fear that if they introduce their boys to artistic endeavors that it will take away from their masculinity, as if if creativity was only designed for women. The truth is some of our greatest thinkers and creative geniuses of all time were men, and they weren't any less of a man because of it.

We need to raise kids as well-rounded, self thinkers, who can become independent and caring leaders of the next generation. Ultimately children are born with different gifts, and interests, but it is our job to introduce them to positive creative activities, and allow them to choose what is right for them. Being creative not only keeps the body healthy, but the mind as well. Studies have shown that children who participate in creative activities do better in school, better in their home life, and develope better coping skills transferable to adulthood.

Bottom line is that although your son may seem shy at first, he will love that you were "man enough" to do something non-stereotypical with him. When he feels safe to be himself around you, you will have a better relationship with him. Dads find it hard to communicate with their sons about feelings at times, engaging in artistic endeavors is a great way to open up the conversation.

I also found this interesting link:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/06/15/11-best-fatherson-activities/

Skip the controversy of A.D.D, and A.D.H.D. Discover solutions.

Growing up I had two siblings with a learning disabilities. One was diagnosed with A.D.H.D as a child, and the other was born with brain damage. I observed first hand their ability to focus on tasks when they are given creative and athletic outlets to balance their energy.

Children with A.D.D. or A.D.H.D are highly intellectual, and creative, thus the reason why they need constant stimuli. Over the years I have watched kids I worked with that have learning disabilities grow into successful teenagers because of non-pharmaceutical interventions at an early age. From good nutrition, to getting plenty of exercise and rest, all play an important role in the control of moods for developing young brains.

After years of teaching dance, fitness, and music programs to children with learning disabilities in day cares and schools my belief in the power of artistic and athletic therapy solidified. When children are given the opportunity to "be free" in their mind for short periods engaging in artistic or athletic endeavors, they are more able to focus on linear tasks throughout the day. I have found that if they are not given these opportunities as part of their daily routine, they struggle to remain focused in daily chores and studies. 

Al though there is still a lingering belief that children with a learning disability such as A.D.D or A.D.H.D are just "hyper" , "lazy", or "uncontrollable", research into behavior modification studies has shown that is not the case. That is because their brains are inherently slightly different operating systems. Meaning that, their approach to solving a situation may be different, but their needs as a human being are not. Forcing children with a learning disability to conform to the 5 learning types, does not give them a chance to shine in their "own" learning language. Their unique learning language is their super power. They are just as capable of success in their personal and work life with the right support in place. 
​
My brothers have engaged in various entrepreneurial activities as adults, as they found it easier to work for themselves than for a regular employer. When I was a child there was not the research, or programs available to assist my brothers in developing emotional intelligence.  Having high emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of having good social and life skills as an adult. As parents, I believe it is our duty to ensure our children can be as independent as possible starting at a young age.

Children with learning disabilities should feel empowered to dream, and have goals, and it is our duty to equip them in problem solving. Art is an outlet where children can express their emotions and thoughts in a safe environment that allows them to problem solve on their own. The parent/ guardian and teacher should be present to provide mentor ship to put those pieces together. 

Art classes shouldn't be a maybe. The music, art, or dance they create will speak to you in ways that words can not. Art is powerful.

If you are interested in private art lessons for your child, or public art classes for them please visit my classes tab above. :) I hope this article was helpful, as just as I want my brothers to be happy, I want your child to be too.

,Ancient History holds the key!

If you look back to thousands of years ago, when the first artists of mankind stepped onto the earth all they had was nature to embrace and teach them about life. There were no other forms of modern entertainment like we draw from in technology today. Man had only the earth that surrounded them to inspire them. It was from the earth art products were created from, and where artistic creations arose.

Art served many purposes from religious and cultural to political. Just like it does today. The difference being man did not have technology to assist them in creating sculptures and painting, just their own two hands and their imagination. In first world countries in big cities we are surrounded by modern architecture and digital technology.

Before all of these innovations existed we only had mother nature in her purest form, and it has been creations made by man's hand back then, that inspired the wonderful advancements we see today. Photography is historical, it captures the old and the new changes we see in the world accurately.

If you are wanting to become a better artist you can travel locally and internationally, or you can simply google an idea, and images will appear. 

If you are a photographer, or have an interest in photography as a hobby you can now bring new life to the images you have captured with your camera by painting or drawing them. Painting a picture can come from a memory you have, or wish to create from your heart, and idea in your mind, or photography. 

I am a self-taught artist. I couldn't afford to go to fine arts school, so in the summer I took photos of things I liked. I went to the zoo to learn how to draw animals, and sat on a blanket and would draw or paint out land and skyscapes that appealed to me. After than I began googling ideas I wanted to paint or draw, and low and behold I became a better artist.

Sign up for art classes today, and I will show you how to take one or multiple images on google or your favorite photography and turn it into your favorite painting: www.artwithsas.com/classes.html

For more on this subject check out this article: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/oct/19/photography-is-it-art

​,The Solution to your teen's rebellion is here!

I can honestly say that I have one of the most rebellious personalities ever. It started when I was a kid, and my family still jokes around about it today. Despite my parents attempts to make me conform to the norm I am still "Artsy Fartsy and loving it,. It's okay though, because it turns out I have been able to make a living out of being creative. My mom had a sewing machine, with a huge custom sewing table that still top this day takes 4 men to move. It was filled with spare pieces of fabric, and tons of thread. There were patterns in the sewing table too, but I at 9 when I was already sewing teddy bears and making fabric paintings by hand embroidery.

All teens need a positive outlet to rebel. For some kids it is sports, others music, and others art. Thankfully, our manitoban school divisions and daycares recognize that and have invested heavily in creative arts education accessibility for kids of all ages. But what if your child has trouble "fitting in", or engaging in activities at school?

The truth is some kids adapt better in different environments. I took my first painting class when I was 13 at a local community centre, and it felt good to be in a place where none of my regular teachers were present. Where I could be free to be me. No judgments, just a regular teen going through the motions,.

If you have a kid who is perhaps more introverted, or even a child that is more extroverted and could use a more meditative activity, art classes could be for them.. Learning artistic skills increases a child's confidence, relieves stress, anxiety, and even depression, and has been shown to greatly improve their mood in general.

Kids and teens are engaging more and more on social media because they are seeking social connection, and creative expression. That is why they download apps, watch or make videos on Youtube, and spend copiousness amounts of time on instagram. These forms of social media are similar to the apps parents use like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Facebook.Teens are learning to form their identity through social media, and in the process are creating a false identity ( a mask) of who they really are. The one thing about art, music, and dance, is that it is completely pure. It does not lie, It reveals the very secrets, wishes, passions, and fears of the artist creating it. Art is a photographic journal of ones soul.

Maybe like many parents you have tried to reach out by engaging them in multiple activities to no aval. In my experience however, no kid has ever not benefited or enjoyed an art class. It may take them more time to open up to the idea if they are really demonstrating their independance, but nothing says you respect their journey more than gifting them a creative activity.

I grew up in a rough neighbourhood, and if it wasent for after school art classes and sports I am not sure If I would have had enough self respect to make great choices for my life that has lead me where I am today. Because I was always busy doing the good things, when I was asked to engage in drugs and parties I turned the opportunities away as I by that point was more passionate about my hobbies.

I encourage you to sign up your child or teen in art, music, or dance classes today, and see what happens.
To learn more about the classes I offer you can subscribe/ follow me on facebook at: www.facebook.com/a

Makeup Artistry, is just that. ART! The better you are at painting, the better Makeup Artist you will be.

**The above images represent 3 different Artists work of which are not my own but to use as examples in sculpture, drawing, and painting. **
Makeup Artists, Body Artists as well as Fine Artists utilize most of the same brushes in their everyday work. So it would be hard to believe that if you are good at one discipline, you wouldn't be good at the other. The truth is, to really master either profession it would be useful to take classes in all. Why? Because although the ingredients of the products are different, the product purposes are the same. Let me break it down the differences in how each discipline approaches application methods.

FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON GLAM & EVERYDAY CLASSY MAKEUP & HYPER-REALISM PAINTING & DRAWING.

1. You set a background

• Makeup Artists use foundation to blend and contour the face to even the differing tones in a persons natural skin tone.
• Body Artists set a background in which to shape the person's face/arms/legs into something. I.e setting the tone. They start at the persons head, core, or hands (depending if they are full body painting or just a hand/foot/head/back/or tummy painting). Generally the rule of thumb when drawing and sometimes painting is that you start from the centre of the canvass, and work your way out. that way you can control the composition of the painting.
• Fine Artists create a background using one or more colors to apply the same principles as Body Artists, but unlike body and makeup artists, they have a flat canvass to work on. Trained Fine Artists however, have the ability to take their painting knowledge and apply it to painting on various objects and materials such as building walls, wood, metal, and more!

There is literally no difference other than the canvass the paint or makeup is being applied too. If the background is done correctly, it should bring your yes to the "focal" piece of the painting. For Makeup Artists they may want to highlight the person's eyes or their mouth. If they add to much detail to all parts of the face, it will wash out the focal point, and just look like a blurred/ abstract image.

Whether it is face, body, or fine artistry, the one principle remains the same: To have an even image that makes sense, you must have good composition control.

2. You begin to contour the background by blending with a few different brushes

• Makeup Artists tend to work from the inside of the face to the outside, just like Fine Artists and Body Artists do. To contour correctly one must have an understanding of what colors bring certain features forward, and what other colors bring parts of the image on the canvass back. For example: If a persons nose is to large you would want to shade the dominate parts of the nose with a darker color to push it back, and the middle of the nose with a lighter color to bring it forward. basically you are outlining the face/ or setting the stage for the final lines/ details to finish the face and make it pop! Makeup artists generally have about the same amount of time to render a final image as body artists do, but they need to take into account the style of fashion the client will be wearing, and where the client will be traveling too.
• Body Artists have to understand how to blend colors correctly the first time with the right brushes, stencils, and sponges, as if they add too much paint it will crack on the persons body, and will not render the same bold sharp lines. The biggest difference in contouring with body art and painting on a stapled canvass is that painting on a canvass involves several layers which a person can ultimately work on for years, and even paint over any errors they make. Body Art involved alot more control as you have less time to paint the image you desire, and just like applying a tattoo, to make the image stand out in a way for the audience to understand it it can not be to abstract. an artist can put an abstract image onto the persons body, but the entire body can not be abstract, otherwise the body artist has failed in rendering. Body Artists can be photographed in front of a background, into a background, or at an event. Just like makeup artistry, the image is temporary, and not permanent. The audience will only be looking at the image for a short amount of time, so it must look perfect, and understandable to the audience at first glance.
• Fine Artists understand that in the hyper-realism art form, an image must be broken down into very tiny details. that means every brush stroke, and amount of pressure you apply to the canvass through the brush can make, or break your painting. A great piece can take hundreds, and thousands of calculated brush strokes, and tons of different shades of 1 color to render one small piece of the painting correctly. Yes there are specialty brushes, sponges and techniques that can hurry the process along (especially in acrylic), but a hyper-realist artist is a designer. They know what they want the final image to look like, and break down the painting into steps and sections. 

3. You apply the final details

• ​Makeup Artists will now apply the eyelashes, lip gloss/ or lipstick, rhinestones (if applicable), a bit of blush, and line the eyebrows and eyes. This is when everything can go all right, or all wrong. It is like icing a cake. Now your eyes are drawn to the final brush strokes that complete the image.
• Body Artists do the same as the makeup artist.
• Fine Artists can literally ruin an entire piece if their lines are to thin or to thick, as the shading (the foundation/contouring/ and background) has been set. The principle of "less is more" applies very heavily in this moment.

To be a great painter, you must have a solid skill set in drawing. Although paint doesn't blend and apply to a canvass in the same way that sharpies, pastels, and pencils do, art is a series of shapes, lines, and colors put together strategically to create hyper-realism art. A great makeup artist has mastered the ability to control shapes to enhance a person's natural beauty. A fine artist must take a subject (a person, animal, or building), and render it in a way that brings it to life starting from a "blank canvass".

Being a fine artist takes a great deal of patience and discipline. I have been drawing since I was a little kid. As a child I wrote and illustrated my own children's books, and my own comic book series. I then took an interest in design and animation and starting creating the things I saw in my mind out of clay, wood, fabric paper, and boards. From creating stuffed animals to my own Halloween costumes it took off from there. As a teen I started drawing tattoos, as I wanted that to be my career when I graduated. As an adult I ended up being a Caricaturist and temporarily tattoo artist for events. I only started to paint about 7 years ago, and it wasen't until I started doing body art, and creating my own costumes for my productions that my painting skills got a lot better. 

In conclusion, if you want to expand your portfolio as a makeup artist, and work in the professional film/ theatre/tv (production) industry then I recommend you take body art and painting classes. It will sharpen your skills, and make you an invaluable asset.

How about a little art prescription therapy?

For years, researchers believed that addictions was a disease, and that at the utmost it could only be treated with medications, and rehabilitation centers with very little hope of recovery. What researchers have know learned, and studies have shown is that addiction can come from childhood trauma, but also from a lack of adequate healthy social connections in ones adult life. It is important to separate the person from the addiction, and realize that every addict has the hope of recovery. 

I can honestly say that I have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, but I have been to dance and fitness. One might say how can addiction to physical exercise be bad? Well amazingly it is. It can reak havoc on your joints, muscles, organs and heart. Too much of a good thing, is just that. The question is when do you draw the line? When does it end? For me I had to realize that me as a person mattered more than looking like girls in fitness magazines, I dance because I love it, and I am good at it. Winning in a dance competition because I have trained a little extra is a bonus. Plus exercise IS something that should be apart of our daily routine. The difference between an addiction to a hobby and an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or prescriptions is that it is never a healthy hobby even in small doses.

In my childhood like many others, I experienced trauma. I didn't want to fall into drinking, drugs or cigarettes, so I turned to health and fitness and creativity to cope with my emotions. Unlike exercise, creativity never hurt my physical body, spirit, mind or emotions, and as long as I stayed on a budget.

For a couple of years I worked in Downtown Winnipeg as a an Art Therapist/ Outreach Worker in two different Drop-In Art Centers located in temporary homeless shelters. At first only one or two people came to the class, then bit by bit more came until the entire room was full of students. A room full of students than transformed into three volunteers, which lead to two casual paid assistant positions with myself. Empowering participants through individual and group artwork sessions to build confidence, gain social skills, personal life ambitions, and heal from trauma could came with 30 mins. to 3 hours here and there. I truly believe that:

"Transformed people, transform people."

To conquer any challenge in life. we all need a mentor and a positive role mode. I try to be that person for my students by making art more approachable and less intimidating. 

cognitive behavior patterns that lead to having an addictive personality can be unlearned from cognitive rehabilitation, and art therapy is a proven method of success. This is why I have found in my occupational experience, that so many people who are attempting to recover have failed with scheduled counselling and prescription medications. Art doesn't need to have a structured, rigid format to be art, and the path of recovery isn't a clear 12 step program either.

The goal of an art class for the purpose of therapy or creative expression for an individual should be healing, at their own pace. Un-prescribed, raw, non-methodical, self-lead healing. Sometimes when working on an art piece new light can be shed on areas of darkness as the brain begins to work better as decision making patterns begin to shift and align.

Being an "addict" can usually carry a much more heavier meaning. Usually when someone is an addict there is determinatal affects of the addiction already present in their life. No one can go back in time and change their past, However, art can help them re-frame it into something positive. This opens the door for the addictions to speak less, so the heart of the addict can speak more. Opening the individual up to talk to therapists, and even sometimes family about their experiences so they can move on, and move up in their life.

A previous addict can not be successful in life management if they have not worked on the root cause of their addiction, their "triggers." Triggers can come at any time for any reason, no matter how positive a person is trying to be. Whether it is dance, music, fitness, fixing an old car, or painting mini figurines, everyone needs a hobby to "escape" to or express those triggers in a positive fashion.

If it wasen't for the the mentors I had (dance and art teachers), I wouldn't be the person I am today. I know one thing for sure, arts saved my life. Every one deserves excitement and adventure in their lives as part of Maslow's Hierarchy needs.

Leadership has so much responsibility, match that pressure with relaxation and fun.

Studies have shown that individuals in leadership positions that take time off of work, or work creative activities and adventures into their work week are more productive, less stressed, happier, get sick less often, and ultimately live longer. Many countries have know integrated mandatory physical exercise, afternoon naps, volunteer opportunities, and creative team building exercises into the corporate work day.

As a small business owner, and project manager for almost 10 years in the community services and corporate world I learned the hard way that a full day of managing personal and work responsibilities with very little play can not only put you at the risk of burning out, but it can also very easily zap the joy out of what you do for a living. Even if it is what you love. Boxers know that for every step you take back from your opponent (stress), you can come back harder and better with a well thought-out punch. All Artist's when creating a piece step back from time to time or take a break from a project for months to explore other ideas to bring new life to the piece once they return to it.

Just like you go to the gym to "work out" your body, your creative mind needs the same "workout". Many people in leadership believe being creative is a luxury, or an unnecessary use of time, but it is quite the contrary. 

I encourage you to take a couple hours out of your busy day to take an art class.
Classes are every monday from 1pm-3pm and every Wednesday from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Michaels store classroom (840 St.James Street, Winnipeg, MB). For more information please visit:
www.facebook.com/events/1190229497758607/

If you are interested in ArtWithSas teaching a 2 hour Beginner Grumbacher guided lesson plan in either still life/ floral/ seascape/ or landscape at your workplace please email myself directly with your inquiry.artwithsas@gmail.com