Kristy is exactly what the doctor ordered! In a time when I needed her most, I reached out to…read moreKristy after reading her glowing reviews right here, on Yelp. My original ask, please help me write clearly and concisely to help make my boss happy. After a few sessions, she helped me realize that being a good writer comes from within, and it starts and ends with writing about things we are passionate about. Through my time with Kristy, she unlocked a belief in me that I didn't know existed. The courage to realize when I wasn't in a work environment that fostered growth, passion or creativity to instill good writing. I'm still on that journey in finding what's next for me, but when I do, she will be one of the first people I reach out to with an update. I highly recommend Kristy, not only for her exceptional skills and expertise, but for her heart. She's a one-of-a-kind teacher and one that will put in the effort to help you succeed in your writing or creative storytelling. She helped me refine my process and relearn old grammar rules that I had forgotten. If you're like me, or any of the others that have worked with Kristy in the past, reach out - we promise that you will not regret it!

I might be a professional writer, but words fail me when it comes to how valuable, generous, and…read morehelpful Kristy is as a writing coach. I actually like to think of her as more as a writing therapist. Kristy is one of those gifted teachers who not only sees where you are, she knows where you need to go, and can offer a roadmap to get you there. What more can a writer ask for? I came to Kristy with a partial book manuscript, after a long health crisis had rocked my household. I was still depressed and depleted after nine months of nursing my partner back to health, feeling awful about myself that I hadn't worked on this project for so long. Worse still, I felt completed disconnected from what I had written so far. I couldn't remember why I was writing it--a huge crisis in confidence. I remember saying to her, "I don't know if I can do this." Kristy's gentle optimism carried me through, believing in the book even when I couldn't. I'm delighted to say that after six sessions, the book is complete. Writing is lonely and hard! I encourage you to let Kristy make the process a partnership--get the help you need.

My almost 7-year-old has been attending this school since she was 5. Why? Because she genuinely…read moreenjoys it. She loves that she is never bored. Every week she learns something new: new styles, materials, and techniques. Sometimes they focus on painting, other times on sculpture or different forms of art. Katia and Sara have both been her teachers, and she has felt happy and supported with all of them. Like with many activities at this age, it took a couple of weeks for her to fully adjust and feel familiar with the environment but consistency made a big difference. As parents, we appreciate seeing her come home excited and proud of what she created. It is easy to notice how much she has progressed over time and we get very excited when we see her project. We also appreciate the communication style of the school. They provide a high-level overview each week of what the kids will be working on, which keeps parents informed without overwhelming us with too much information. On the administrative side, tuition payments and renewals are simple, and the staff has always been friendly and helpful whenever we have had questions or needed help resolving any mistakes on our part. We also love the location. Depending on the day and who is with me, it is easy to wait nearby at the library, a coffee shop, or a restaurant while class is in session.

Highly recommend Advanced Watercolor with Luka. He's an amazing instructor and I learned a lot in…read more10 weeks, including new techniques, breaking down reference photos, and a values study process. I grew a lot from this class, and received specific feedback and guidance for my needs. I loved the format of this class and how it challenged me to take on complex subject matters. By the end, I had more confidence, a more experimental approach, and an even greater love for watercolor. I'm excited to take more classes here!

Amazing lectures. So well prepared. Love the whole atmosphere. People are so helpful.read more

As an employee of USF, I have had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of Fromm lectures. If it…read morewasn't for that, I wouldn't have the chance to experience this opportunity for myself for another 30 years! I think the website summarizes the Fromm program much more eloquently than I could: "Founded in 1976 by Alfred and Hanna Fromm, the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning is an educational program for retired persons at the University of San Francisco. The program offers daytime, noncredit, college-level courses in a wide range of academic subjects. With a faculty of over forty emeriti (retired professors), the Institute presents approximately fifty courses each year over three eight-week sessions: fall, winter and spring. While the Fromm Institute creates a peer age setting in its classrooms, program participants also have the opportunity to interact with the multigenerational community while on USF's attractive and accessible campus." They also offer an amazing holiday program complete with holiday luncheon and special lectures. Highly recommended for your parents and grandparents to keep them mentally stimulated!

I've taken a class taught by James Sansing at Fort Mason time after time over the years, Art &…read moreAssemblage Workshop: the Re-Contextualizing of Objects. I wouldn't return if it wasn't any good. Assemblage (say it with a French accent to impress your friends) is, simply put, an art form where found objects, everyday articles and whatever you got are glued or screwed together to make freestanding sculptures or wall hangings. James' class is very low key and freeform. It's actually more of a guided workshop than a structured class. James brings in huge bins of junk, debris and discarded materials which might consist of doll heads, driftwood, electric appliance parts, photographs, toys, old telephones and what-the-heck-are-these-things. James supplies tools and glues. Many students bring materials from home. Then the students take the materials and put them together to complete their own masterpieces. There's a lot of "networking" that goes on between the students. It's fun to go around to the different work tables to see what the others are doing, and many times we offer suggestions or take advice from each other. I've stolen some of my best ideas from other students. James is very low key and non-judgemental but he has a subtle way of guidance that is always helpful and inspiring. He is a master of tools and adhesives, and he is a great problem solver when it comes to assembling art where a student is unable to figure out how to put something together or needs another eye to see what works best in the way of balance, color, etc. Besides being knowledgeable in the utilitarian side of things, James is an accomplished artist with a very strong vision of his own that is not forced on anyone else. On top of that he's a very likeable man. If you are looking for a very structured class with a teacher who has a definite agenda and a syllabus, I wouldn't recommend this class. If you're looking for a class that is freeform but has a steady mentor who is there if he is needed but is savvy enough to know when to stand back and let your creativity flow, then this is the one for you.

CCSF Fort Mason campus has changed my life... even that is an understatement…read more I first found out there was an art campus at Fort Mason from getting a CCSF flyer in the mail. Months later, I went to their annual holiday sale to see just what kind of art was being made there. The depth and variety is amazing to me given how, all things considered, the building is kind of small. City College only takes up two floors of building B. Painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture... it's all there. I'm one of those people that resorts to drawing symbols of stick figures when asked to draw a human. Now that I've been taking classes here, I can actually draw a person to their likeness. One of the best things about the Fort Mason campus is the incredible diversity it attracts in students. Obviously there is a lot of ethnic diversity, but it's the age diversity that is such a joy. I've literally had classmates ranging from 18 to 94. The range of ages adds so much to the classroom's energy. Everyone is there because they want to be there and they're all at different stages in their life. All this life experience elevates the work and it's inspiring for everyone working there. The teachers are great too. They make it such a pleasant, encouraging, and supportive environment. I was kind of intimidated when I took my first class. I had flashbacks to grade school and was worried I'd be the only one that didn't already know how to draw at least a little bit. My worry was for nothing. If you are thinking about taking a class here, do it!

This is a course in whole life design. It's for busy, successful people that haven't made time to…read moreaddress the things that matter most. They work off of the 'buddy system' and you get weekly coaching calls from a life coach plus 3 in-session workdays. After I did the course, I got a totally new relationship to my body, achieved tremendous things with my career and my personal relationships flourished. This is a must-do course, I'd consider doing it once a year!

Very nice service and administrative staff who introduce me to the class and explain. Her voice is…read moresoft and tone well. Can't love her enough. My soul rests.

I am currently taking a course at GA San Francisco Campus. I am shocked that during a time in which…read moreCalifornia has declared a state of emergency, in which many firms have moved into WFH options, and in which major California campuses have moved to online classes, General Assembly tells me courses will remain taught in physical setting and essentially they can't enforce me to show up but that any absences will count towards the 3 maximum--above which one cannot graduate. This means losing thousands of dollars on my end. It is preposterous that no online alternatives are offered or exceptions to be made to the graduation criteria during a time of a global health crisis. I believe GA would not want to be liable for any risks I am exposing to myself for commuting to and sitting in a classroom to take its courses. The U.S. is seeing exponential increases in confirmed cases, and hence why social distancing is being encouraged. It is not rocket science that sitting in a classroom of people does not equate to social distancing. Please help me better understand why the policies are the way they are and how my very real health concerns can be better addressed.

I took the Product Growth Certification (PGC)™ with Debankur Naskar and would highly recommend it…read moreto Product Managers who hope to sharpen their skills in product experimentation. The topics and content I learned in this course are practical and super relevant in the workplace. Debankur was a great teacher who challenged us to think beyond the basic content to critically assess what actually drove success. He used real world examples that really contextualized the content we were learning. I'm super happy I took this course and excited to apply what I learned throughout my career.

Product School offers excellent opportunities to learn from very experienced instructors and go…read morethrough some outstanding course material. I especially appreciated the AI Product Management course, which provided a clear survey of AI development frameworks, useful background on the technology, and space to think through real implications of applying AI techniques to both existing and new products. The Product Leaders course was another highlight, building on the Foundations course by going deeper into leadership, business modeling, financial modeling, metrics, and more. The discussions and instructor insights were consistently the most valuable part of the experience. Overall, I found the subscription well worth the investment. Why not five stars? While the curriculum is strong, Product School could get even better by deepening the material. I would love to see twice the number of discussions and case studies, ideally with real-world data. That would let PMs truly practice and sharpen their skills. Currently, the cases are accessible but often too abstract; striking a better balance between accessibility and realism would make the experience more impactful. That said, I recommend Product School to anyone looking to grow their product management skills and leadership capabilities--it's a valuable program, and with a bit more depth, it could be unbeatable.

Life-changing. I suppose prison could be listed as…read morelife-changing, too, so let me say: Life-enhancing! A thousand valuable words and lessons packed into a few days. Dozens of warm new professional relationships. Fascinating, invaluable craft and writing sessions. Brilliant critiques. Consistently lovely facilities and amazing food.

I feel very lucky to have experienced Lit Camp 2014. The atmosphere, faculty, and food (I have to…read moremention the food!) were superb, and the top notch agents and fellow writers I met there have been career-changing. Thanks to Lit Camp, I met a handful of new and trusted readers who continue to give feedback on, and influence my work, and I have been honored to correspond with three extremely helpful literary agents. If you are considering whether or not to apply for Lit Camp...do it!