Having never sculpted before, my experience with Marilyn was simply amazing!! She is very patient,…read moreand knows how to communicate all her years of knowledge to a newbie like me. The class is relaxed, yet very informative. The day after every class we receive a detail email with pictures & so much information. So not only did I feel like I learned, I created 2 masterpieces!

Marilyn is a master sculpture and an incredible teacher. I have taken many classes with her and no…read moreone else I have ever met understands the body inside and out as it relates how to sculpt it in real life. Her classes are intimate and fun with a great sense of community. You will be amazed at to what you can make under her tutelage.

So I went to a community pop-up dinner with my coworker a few months ago and we were chatting with…read morethis cool artsy couple sitting next to us at the table. Marilyn and Jeff turned out to be both writers, and I told them that when I'm not at my day job, I've written a few pieces that were published on digital lifestyle sites. We bonded over the trolling/haterade we all received in the comments sections. I mentioned that I'd been feeling too lazy and uninspired to write recently and they told me they actually founded a writing school called the Writing Pad, where different well-known writers come in and teach the field they specialize in. I looked it up online later and browsed through their current curriculum to find what interests me. I picked the 5-week personal essay workshop. I'm currently halfway through it, but so far the workshop has exceeded my expectations. Not only does it teach you about the common structure and do's and don'ts of that particular genre, the group keeps you motivated to continue and finishing your writing by holding you accountable to a certain schedule. It is a very safe environment to share your personal stories, where everyone is supportive but isn't afraid of offering constructive criticism because they all want to help you. The person running this particular workshop is Mark Luckach who has been published in the NY Times and is currently working on a book with an agent. I find him incredibly helpful, probably because his regular job is a school teacher :) Lastly personally I had only worked on writing in my own home or at a cafe before, and sometimes I would get distracted, but I really like the environment of the Writing Pad: it feels like a nice clean living room, and the tall ceiling makes the space feel really big and free. The comfortable chairs and couches, various snacks and refreshments also really help the creative juices when you're sitting in the same spot for hours at a time. I look forward to checking out more of the classes here!

I took the 5-week oral storytelling class with Corey in SF. In the month since, I've won TWO local…read morestorytelling competitions. I can directly attribute my success to the wonderful things I learned at Writing Pad. The class was not cheap, neither in price nor class. The substantial investment made me take every class seriously, arrive on time (except the first one!), and put my heart and soul into my work. Jeff and Marilyn, Mr and Mrs Pad, run the school at the pinnacle where professionalism meets a friendly, off the cuff vibe. They're so devoted to their cause, they even took the class along with us! Corey's simple approach, as well as the down-to-Earth environment of the Writing Pad, instilled confidence and a can-do participation aspect I've found largely lacking from institutional learning. This wasn't about admiring great storytellers; it was an immediate, nuts-and-bolts approach to improving my own personal self-expression. Corey's easy-to-use structure liberated my creative self, freeing a back-up/ pent-up logjam of ideas. Dealing with massive performance anxiety, Corey's "yes, and" technique set me free to fail without fear or shame, and turned classmate feedback from an intimidating ordeal into an exciting collaboration! Truly, that's a gift. But the greatest gift of this class was the deeper lesson, the personal transformation that happened within the class itself. Whether we knew it or not, wanting to tell our stories masked something deeper, a personal need for growth, be it in self-acceptance, performance anxiety, perfectionism, vulnerability, a tendency to ramble... I saw all my classmates improve and transform in these areas under the Writing Pad's guidance-- a bargain at twice the price!

I attended the figure drawing workshop with graphite and white charcoal by Tobias Hill. The model…read moreposed in the same exact position for four days so you really got to learn how to draw the figure from life. Tobias did a great job going around and individually helping people as well as his demos. Linda Dulaney (the owner) is very welcoming. And shout out to Emma and Matt (who work there).

I made a big progress just by participating in a workshop. All the students are very serious and…read morebeing in this environment is very precious.

I have been painting at this studio for many years from Asheville, NC using Zoom (computer app). It…read moreis so easy to paint from home this way. This painting process has changed my life. Also, Claudia's wisdom and guidance at times in my process when I feel stuck have been so invaluable. Painting opens my heart to delight and play. This process has freed me from the critical voice and allowed me to just love the process of exploring and creating. I feel like it brings me back to a child-like innocence where I get to play and not take myself or life so seriously. It awakens such a gentle peace and passion for living in me and I really notice the difference when I don't get to paint in a given week. It helps me meet and integrate my inner experience (including fears for myself and our world) for a greater sense of peace and acceptance. Painting with Claudia is a weekly refuge where I tap into my deepest truth and expression. It helps me feel deeply connected and held by the mystery of life. I highly recommend Zooming from home as a wonderful way to commit to your creative process and gain the gifts that creativity has to offer.

Claudia is an amazing teacher. She has helped my to find my inner artist. I had never painted…read morebefore and her process has gotten me comfortable with experimenting with new ways of expressing myself. I have taken two eight week classes with her so far and plan to continue. Very enjoyable!

Tiphaine was a great watercolor instructor. She taught us different techniques and brush strokes…read moreas well as some color theory. The paintings were challenging but Tiphaine guided us with the initial sketching through to the final stroke of the brush. I highly recommend Tiphaine if you are interested in learning how to paint with watercolors or if you want to take your skills to the next level.

J'adore! Such a fun night! The space was so peaceful and welcoming. I was so impressed by how much…read morewe learned about color theory and technique. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to book another lesson soon!

We had such a wonderful experience with Brandi and her Terrarium Workshop! We hosted the workshop…read morefor our interns as part of their final event, and it was the perfect creative activity to bring everyone together. Brandi was professional, and made the workshop easy and enjoyable for everyone. The interns had a great time creating their own terrariums, and it was wonderful to see everyone engaged and having fun. Highly recommend Brandi for team events and creative workshops. We would definitely love to work with her again!

My company recently hosted a happy hour event and we wanted a fun activity for our guests to…read moreparticipate in and have swag to bring back home, so we found Brandi at Flourish Workshops! Brandi was very responsive to my team when getting this organized. On the day of the event, she was prompt with set up and worked with the space and tables we had. During the event, everyone had positive feedback about the terrariums and looked like they had fun building them. We were also able to 3D print little tags with our company's logo, so the guests could have a nice company touch to the terrarium. Brandi was knowledgable about the succulents and care. It was so nice to have Brandi at the event organ I highly recommend Flourish Workshops if you are looking for a fun activity to incorporate in your events!

We have had a great experience with Alla over the past 13 years. We enrolled our daughter in…read moreAlla's art class at the tender age of 4.5 and she still takes classes as a senior in high school. Next year she will be attending a premier art / design school with a substantial scholarship. We attribute a good portion of our daughter's success to the foundational skills developed and refined over the years under Alla's tutelage with many of the pieces in her admissions portfolio being developed with Alla's guidance. There are many great memories from over the years since we had Alla host birthdays, sent our children to summer camps and participated in group art excursions to Yosemite. Our middle school aged son attends Alla class and anticipate him continuing in the foreseeable future.

My sister and I loved coming to Alla's art camp when we were kids (about 15-16 years ago). It was…read moremy absolute favorite summer camp, I'd go every year that I could as a child. I'm so happy to see the art studio is still open and inspiring new kids. Thank you Alla!

The instructors here are top notch ! Highly recommend !…read moreVery patient and thorough. I creating some keepsakes !

Chris was very sweet and knowledgable! he made the instructions simple without being condescending,…read morehelped us all see the beauty in our wood for cutting boards, and have an enjoyable night! We are planning to go back for another class. Super fun evening!