Finished Lauren Krauze's Creative Nonfiction in person course and gained useful skills in just a…read moreshort period of time. She's smart, runs a great classroom and inspires everyone to write authentically.

I took the memoir writing class on zoom the summer of 2024. The teacher advised that people were to…read morelisten to everyone's final project, a personal memoir, without commenting on the content. It was extremely difficult for me to write about my traumatic and very personal experience of an abusive coworker from over two decades prior, and completely erased from my mind. I bravely wrote my memoir and even more bravely shared it. I alluded to this abuser having "a special place in hell" for what she had done. This well-earned sentence was torn apart by another participant in the class. Her complete disregard for the trauma I had been through and her single lens focus was totally ignored by the teacher. I was humiliated. The teacher not only ignored her comments about the content in my writing, but she even encouraged the participants comments. I never shared my writing again and I never will.

I recently finished the Beginner and Intermediate 1-2 workshops at PhotoSprouts. Jordi is an…read moreamazing and incredibly knowledgeable instructor who knows how to break down technical settings so they actually make sense. Photosprouts provides their own mirrorless cameras and lenses for these workshops but you can bring your own as well. I brought my own and Jordi helped a ton with helping set it up and answered tons of my questions about when to use various features. The class structure is a mix of lectures and immediate hands-on exercises. The photowalks during the intermediate sessions were especially useful for applying manual settings to real-world scenes and learning how to compose shots on the fly. Getting that direct practice with my own gear was the biggest takeaway and I walked away with a much better handle on my camera. Highly recommend PhotoSprouts and I plan to take some of the more advanced workshops in the future!

Christina is the best!…read more I first came across PhotoSprouts when I took a beginner photography lesson in 2023 with Jordi. Afterwards I followed up with questions on what the best camera to buy for a safari would be, and PhotoSprouts owner Christina went above and beyond in helping me compare and contrast the 2 models and lens I was debating. She literally wrote me an essay and I remember being blown away. Fast forward to 2025 when I bought my first real camera (the Canon mirrorless one that she'd recommended two years ago) in advance of a safari honeymoon. I took 2 private lessons with her to learn how to use it. I'm a complete beginner (ex. I barely knew how to attach the lens and adapter to the camera base). Christina is knowledgeable, warm, and patient. She suggested we go to the SF Zoo to practice shooting different animals to best recreate what the honeymoon would be like. We started off with the basics (ex. aperture, ISO, shutter speed) in the Zoo cafe. Christina was prepared with printouts, props, and example pictures which helped me grasp the concepts faster. After we went through the 101 printout, we walked around the zoo to put the concepts in action. It was so helpful to have her next to me so I could ask her all my questions as they came up in real-time. For example, she pointed out that I had a tendency to over-expose my shots (because they looked dark on the LCD and viewfinder when we were out in the sun) and that I could be more aggressive when pressing + holding down the shutter release button. I also only had one battery which died within an hour, and she kindly lent me another for the remainder of class. I was amazed by how much I learned in the 2 hour lesson and took a follow-up lesson on how to import, store, and edit photos. Thank you Christina for the amazing classes and tips!

I did a pinch pottery workshop with Hue. It was 3 weeks, one session for two hours each week…read more The class was nice a small (handful of people or so), the format relaxed and Hue was so helpful, sweet and encouraging. I had such a great experience - this was my first time doing any type of pottery. The first class we just got the basics and played around and made a few small pieces. The second class we were able to add color to the clay itself, and then also in tandem, begin a "final project" aka bigger piece. During the third and final class, we learned about glazing and got to glaze our pieces! A week later, we were able to swing by the studio to grab our pieces at our convenience. I was able to make 5 pieces - some people probably made more like 8-10. I signed up for a full length class (two months) next session since I loved it so much! Can't wait to be back! And shoutout again to Hue who is awesome!! Would love to have her again as an instructor.

I love the Berkeley Art Studio! I took two classes here last year; one in Painting Fundamentals…read morewith Oil and another in Figure Painting with Oil (both with Scott Leddy). The first class is a great introduction to painting with oil, and the second was a continuation with live models. Having had been away from art for years, these classes were able to bring the connection back. They definitely made my one evening a week. Scott is a great instructor; he has a relaxed style of teaching that I definitely enjoyed. I also liked sharing a class with other art enthusiasts with different skills and styles. It was so fun to walk around the class and see how everyone would interpret the same model! The classroom was spacious, equipped with the tools we needed, and had amazing views of campus. Classes can be a little bit pricey if you're not a student at UC Berkeley (like me). Remember, you need to buy all of the materials. But, they're definitely worth it. If you're a student, you should definitely take advantage of them. I miss these classes!

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!

Going into the bootcamp from a remote environment, I had the mindset that it would be both…read moreoverwhelming and difficult to make friends. While the remote experience was a little strange at first, it became very comfortable as the class continued on. The classes were run well with little to no technical difficulties, and I found it easy to create a regimen around the class that helped me balance the classwork with life in general. Yes, at times it was stressful, but there are a number of resources available (including your soon to be classmates/friends) that will help you progress. Taking breaks and doing things outside of coding is a big part of bouncing back. Since many projects were group projects, it was easy to get to know some folks in my class right away! My cohort was fairly large and consisted of many outgoing characters who I began to cherish the more I worked with them. GA is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life and I hope that anyone who is interested in a boot camp strongly considers GA for their experience as well. A special shout out to Kenny Bushman, Michael Petty, Yulia Tsernat, and Adonis for being such a wonderful instructional team!

No longer a public facing school, now they just teach AI courses to businesses and "enterprise…read moregroups". It has gotten much more difficult for these kinds of institutions to give out incorrect hiring info and get away with it. Like giving out info that x% of students went on to be employed even though maybe 90% of those folks are working gig jobs or in restaurants. I checked this place out long ago for UI and no one there could give me hard numbers on how many students went on to employment in that field. It was just one big sales push. One young woman told me we could "go to a private room and talk about it." It's probably easier to give incorrect info without witnesses. At the time they emphasized on their site about how many pizzas you would eat while studying there. That was a big red flag. $8k-$14k buys a lot of pizzas.

I cannot recommend the Institute of Urban Homesteading's Cheese Making Intensive enough…read more This day and a half "intensive" is a combination of the cheese making 1, 2 and 3 classes, taught by IUH founder Ruby. It's fast-paced and she throws a lot of information at you, but the whole process is warm, interactive and accessible. I immediately felt like I could leave Ruby's home and make these cheeses (and other dairy products!) we had learned in my own. I especially love that she's found what seems like the perfect middle ground between science lesson and home-cook/homesteader understanding. She brings her personal experience in with just enough of the science and technical understanding to make home cheese making incredible accessible and attainable. I also love that IUH also has a sliding scale for fees because it demonstrates the value they put on what they teach in making these classes more widely accessible. I already have the summer farm tours on my calendar, and I can't wait to take my next class.

I recently took the Canning tomatoes class- and left with all of the skills I needed to do it on my…read moreown. Ruby does such a great job of detailing everything you need to know- as well as why it works. She dispels a lot of myths and fears about canning- it's really not so hard as people think! The class was really fun, part listening and part hands on. We all left with a jar of tasty marinara and the confidence to do it on our own. I would highly recommend any of the IUH classes. They are professional, informative, and give you everything you need to do it on your own without costing an arm and a leg!

A lively and engaging teacher who makes the whole process of carving a linocut plate seem easy…read more Upbeat encouraging attitude in a well-paced and informative class.

As someone who doesn't consider himself artistically-inclined, I was very glad I dove in and took a…read morelinocut immersion session with Katie. Very approachable, encouraging instruction, which I especially appreciated as someone who has never taken a class before. Got to take home some prints I carved and gained more confidence in my own artistic skills.

I came into this class not knowing a single thing about digital art and came out knowing soooo…read moremuch! jen and josh are super helpful and flexible when it comes to classes. they are helping me put together my portfolio for the marin school of the arts and their help is making me confident that I will get in! thank you guys. I defiantly recommend the art reactor