Case Studies
Case Study
Rhiannon Galanta
Q. What was the SPECIFIC problem that you came to me to help you solve?
A. I signed up for the course to become unblocked, creatively. I was sort of frozen, and had the desire to paint (had wanted to paint for a very long time) but couldn’t get started…or started but stalled because of so much fear and judgment and being fixated on the end result.
Q. What SPECIFIC GOAL did you have in mind, and what did that goal mean to you?
A. My goal was to begin a painting practice that would become a part of my regular life, as a means to express myself and find joy in that process.
Q. Were there any hesitations about working with me? What were they and how did you overcome them?
A. No hesitations. It was my dream to work with you, and when you offered your first course, I jumped in right away, joyfully!
Q. What did you try that you struggled with?
A. I struggled with letting go of my own agenda. I had an idea that I would love to make big, bold, messy paintings…the bigger the better…but I found that to be very intimidating. I had to go to small pages/canvases, but I had a lot of judgment about ‘failing’ and not being able to do what I wanted to do.
Also, the inner narrative of ‘what does this mean? Is it important?’was very hard to let go of.
Q. How did you overcome these challenges? Was my guidance helpful in any way to overcoming them?
A. I felt very encouraged by your words, Tammy, and so I let myself use smaller surfaces to paint and draw on, and I found that I got into a nice rhythm of playing when I used a sketchbook/journal…something about the pages in a book, and being able to play with abandon in that medium…being inspired by seeing your visual journals…it freed me to just let go and then I started to have fun and stopped worrying about the outcome or what it all meant. That was very joyful for me.
Q. What results did you ultimately gain, and what changed in your painting practice as a result? How does that make you feel?
A. I was able to let go of so much judgment about my painting/lack of painting. I was able to draw and paint and collage with a sense of freedom and pleasure…what a relief that was! I had been so knotted up with guilt and expectations of myself, and playing the lessons while I played and made a mess in my studio, hearing you tell about your own struggles with creativity and how you overcame them, and seeing you splashing paint around and having so much fun with it…that was infectious! I just found myself going along with what you were saying and doing, and trying it out for myself. I felt safe, encouraged and seen by you.
Q. Was anything surprising about the process?
A. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the online experience. I was a little dubious at first…I wanted it to be in person…but once the course started, I felt like you were in my studio with me, and it made me so happy to turn on the computer and listen to you while I played and painted. It was really better than in person, because I could replay lessons, stop and rewind, jump ahead, or go back….do things on my own schedule, and not have to travel anywhere.
Q. What would you say to someone thinking about working with me?
A. I would heartily recommend your courses to anybody who is a little or a lot curious about the creative process and how to unlock it, or tap into it. I would say, if having a safe and supportive environment is important to you, this is your course.
If you want to give your soul a very beautiful and deeply meaningful gift….go for it!
Your heart will thank you!
Want to FEEL ALIVE with your painting practice like Rhiannon? Click HERE to Sign UP!
Case Study
Sandra Collins PhD. Psych
Q. What was the SPECIFIC problem that you came to me to help you solve?
A. Life had interfered with my creative time and energy, and I needed a reboot to move back into my art. This class was perfect because there were great videos to review and new techniques to try out each week alongside the regular zoom classes. I started to think like an artist again! I started to look at the world around me through the eyes of an artist again
Q. What SPECIFIC GOAL did you have in mind, and what did that goal mean to you?
A. I specifically chose this class because of Tammy’s wild spirit energy. Her way of being in life and art is so not me! I wanted to be pushed outside my comfort zone and to loosen up in my approach to art (and life). What I found was that Tammy’s energy and spirit drew me into my art in a new way, stayed with me throughout the week, and inspired more freedom of expression in other areas as well.
Q. Were there any hesitations about working with me? What were they and how did you overcome them?
A. Moving outside my comfort zone was unsettling and challenging. That never went away because each week there was something new that jiggled away at my way of being in art and in life. And I loved the course all the more for the shake up it offered. I learned many new tricks and techniques but it is the way of being that has stayed with me
Q. What challenges did you encounter when we started to work together? What did you try that you struggled with?
It was really hard not to have a plan! Just learning to play with making marks, any marks on the canvas or paper, was both fun and daunting. Trusting in the process, relaxing into messiness and unpredictability, opened up the possibility of some new and surprising arising in my art. And it did!
Q. How did you overcome these challenges? Was my guidance helpful in any way to overcoming them?
A. It was easy to get past my initial hesitations because Tammy has such lovely energy. I laughed and marveled at her willingness to try anything. Her vulnerability and raw, humble human spirit was endlessly obvious and consistently inspiring. She created a space in which taking risks was welcomed and everything we did was celebrated
Q. What results did you ultimately gain, and what changed in life and art practice as a result? How does that make you feel?
A. Inspiration, freedom, playfulness, nonjudgment! The pieces I created in this class, both the finished and the unfinished, beckon to me. I hold in my heart the energy and creativity I felt during the class. I no longer feel pressure to finish a piece of art. I’m waiting to see if and when I am ready to return to certain pieces. The process has become more important than the outcome.
Q. How did you find out about me and why did you choose to work with me?
A. I took the class because I am familiar with Tammy’s work - both her paintings and her glassworks. Her art drew me to her and she drew me to the course.
Q. Was there anything that surprised you?
A. I was a bit surprised by how much I liked the final products, which came about only by learning to just be in the process in a new way.
Q. What would you say about recommending me to others?
A. This is a class for anyone and everyone, from novice to experienced artists, who need a burst of energy and inspiration, who are a bit stuck in a rut and need to rejuvenate their relationship to art and self, or who just want to play and have some fun in a welcoming and safe space.
Want to lighten up like Sandra did? Click HERE to JOIN US!
