SOOOOO, WHAT IS THIS THING?
THE SHORT SHAKE SESSIONS are a series of weekly 1-hour online sessions to help you begin, reconnect with, or expand a practice of ‘making’ — hosted by me, and in the company of other healthcare workers. I’ll provide a prompt, which can help you get started, but you can do your own thing, too. You get to choose what materials you use (see ideas below) and what you do with them. Think of it as an adventure –where will you go with what’s in front of you?…. like when you were a kid and just messed around with no expectation of what you’d make (if anything).

WHAT TECH DO I NEED?
You will need a laptop or phone, good wifi and/or data so you can have audio AND video.

DO I NEED THE ZOOM APP?
YES. The Zoom app is free, and you will be prompted to download it when you click your class link (if you don’t already have it installed on your device). Zoom will ask permission to access your camera — click ALLOW, so you can be present with the rest of us. You can use your smartphone, a laptop, desktop, tablet, or iPad. See instructions below for how to join… and try it out a few minutes ahead of the start time. If you’re unsure about this, shoot me a message at least 24 hours in advance, and I’ll do my techy best to help you out.

I’M NOT AN ARTIST. WILL I GET ANYTHING OUT OF THIS?
Yes!! This is about process, not product. This is about giving yourself time to play around. It’s about noticing your own energy and gathering energy from the group. What do you feel like doing? Are you restless and want to slow down? Maybe color in a coloring book. Are you just waking up and need to up your energy? Maybe make big marks, let your arms loose. Are you pissed? Maybe rip paper into little pieces and then glue them back together in a new way. You might not even know at the beginning how you feel. This is time for you to try to find out. There is no right or wrong. When else do you get to follow your own whims?

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF ART MATERIALS?
Sometimes the best art materials are things just lying around the house. They’re not precious, so we feel more free to “mess them up.” Take a lap around your place, and I bet you can find some great supplies. If all you can find is a Bic pen, bring it.

•Surfaces to work on: brown paper grocery bags, newspaper, the pages of old children’s books, cereal boxes, envelopes, canvas, fabric, journals, cardboard, old greeting cards
•Pencils – regular, colored
•Markers – thick, thin
•Crayons
•Oil / chalk pastels; colored chalk
•Highlighters
•White-out
•Sharpies
•Nail polish
•Pens – colored, ink, fountain, the one in the back of your Misc. Drawer
•Paints – acrylic, tempera, watercolor, gauche, oil, your kid’s Crayola set, your coffee (no joke)
•Yarn, thread, fabric scraps, string, buttons
•Coloring pages –search and print “free coloring pages for adults”, and the world is your oyster
•Cut out magazine images and words, maps, old greeting cards, sheet music
•Modeling clay
•Popsicle sticks, wood scraps, bottle caps, wire, jars, small boxes

CAN I WORK ON A PROJECT I’VE ALREADY STARTED?
Absolutely! Maybe you’re wanting to finish knitting that 8-foot, small gauge scarf. Or that painting / scrapbook / chair refinishing you started way back when…. Bring it on. Just be ready to give yourself permission to abandon it and do something else if your energy isn’t there for it. This time is for doing what you want, not what you “should”.

 OTHER IDEAS TO TAP INTO CREATIVITY THAT YOU COULD BRING TO THIS SPACE
•Play an instrument (…you’ll be muted online)
•Tap into others’ creativity by looking at art books, reading liner notes, poetry…
•Prune your bonzai
•Lay out and cut a sewing pattern

WHEN SHOULD I LOG IN?
If it's your first time, log in 5-10 minutes beforehand to make sure you’ve got it. I’ll let everyone in right on time. And since it’s only an hour, I’ll start and end on time.

CAN I JOIN IF I AM LATE?
Sure. Life happens. You will be muted when you enter, so just join in wherever we are in the flow.

CAN OTHERS BE IN THE ROOM WITH ME WHEN I’M ONLINE?
This is your time, your space. You will get the most from it if you’re not caregiving anyone but yourself. That said, sometimes that’s impossible, and I’d rather you have some time than none. However, if you’re finding yourself attending more to others than yourself, call it a day and come back next week.  

I’M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH MY CAMERA ON. DOES IT HAVE TO BE?
Yes. Part of the reason we’re coming to this space is because it’s easy to disconnect from others, our work, and/or ourselves. We make connections through seeing eyes, smiles, facial expressions. My goal is to host a space that is, above all, open and inviting for every human body, race, orientation, size, and culture. Isms will not be tolerated, and you allowing yourself to be seen will encourage others to do the same.