Hello! I’m Sandra Farrell, B Sc, F.A. minor, Psy. minor, B Ed. — I’m an artist and a high school art teacher!
It all starts with an idea! The Creative Process and personal expression can promote intellectual and emotional growth in a fun and adventurous way. This process is so often inspired by true events or based on some aspect of our experiences, memories, or identities, and as such, I find the creative outlet to be a natural pairing with the pursuit of psychological and emotional well-being. The creative process allows us to explore and express thoughts and feelings through our imagination. This process is not about the skilled pencil strokes or impeccable lines. It is far from perfection or any limiting definitions. It is about insights and new personal growth.
All in all, it is a process of finding unexpected solutions, shifting perceptions, and transforming “mistakes” into masterpieces.
I became a high school art teacher 23 years ago — and my philosophy was, and still is, to better one individual in society at a time. As I walked along my teaching path, I made a surprising discovery. Art is a catalyst for improving connections and expressing emotions, and helping youth reach these goals became second nature to me. A question I asked myself was, why not offer this same thing to all people?
A common thread started out as: ‘Art is great, but art is too risky.’ The risk part involves being open and vulnerable to express one’s own deep emotions. The reward for those who are open and willing is creating deeper connections with themselves (self image) and with others (relationships), and to emotionally heal and mature into a healthy and successful mindset.
Today, I divide my time between my high school teaching in Kitchener, Ontario— where I help teenagers discover their most expressive voices while developing scaffolded art skills — and The Art-Filled Experience, my online (and in-person) courses and events for individuals, couples, and groups.
I like to think of myself as a channel into people’s minds and emotions — the kind that gets drawn onto paper or gets splashed onto the canvas, and the kind that flows from one heart and mind to another every day. This channel allows people to have that ‘aha’ moment of clarity in their world, and I’m grateful to be a part of that!