This week Camp Mama is in full swing, aka special time for Dinah and I while Grace spends each morning at a summer camp nearby.

Camp Mama agenda included going to a local paint-your-own pottery/ceramics studio.  In session in a nearby room was the studio's summer creativity camp.  There were a half dozen or so kiddos, looking about 8 years old or so, sitting around a table chatting while they created their art.

The conversation flowed seemlessly. 

Sir Ken Robinson discusses about how many times the things that steer you away from your dreams are quite benign -- such as someone telling you that you can't make a career out of what you love (this was in fact his example.  Check out his videos on my "Why unschooling?" page!).

Interestingly enough, as I was checking out and speaking with the studio's owner, I recounted the conversation I had heard.  She told me that when she graduated from a New York high school in the 80s that she told everyone she was going to go to college and be an artist.  The general response was steering her away from art, since you don't make a bunch of money doing that, and steering her toward Wall Street, since you did make a bunch of money doing that.  She shared that she had been a bond trader for 20 years and now she is finally doing her art -- and very profitably to boot!   

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Review of the Arts a Blaze Studio in Lakewood Ranch, Florida
Published April 20, 2010 by:J.S. Ryan

 A Great Experience for Kids and Parents!

My mother's birthday and my mother-in-law's birthday are one day apart and they both usually fall on Mother's Day weekend. We call it the quadruple whammy. Every year there is a lot of pressure to find the right gifts that can count as both birthday and mother's day so they don't feel like they got cheated out of one gift. Now that we have a 4 year old son, we also have to find gifts that he can give his grandmothers. When we recently found the Arts A Blaze Studio in Lakewood Ranch, we realized that we not only found the solution to the birthday/Mother's Day dilemma but we also probably found our Christmas gifts as well.

The Arts a Blaze Studio in Lakewood Ranch is a paint-it-yourself pottery, glass fusing, and clay shop. The shelves are lined with unpainted plates, cups, and knick-knacks such as coin banks, dragons, and fairies. After selecting an item, you can pick out the colors you will need to complete your masterpiece, sit down at a table and get to work. When you are done, you leave the item there to be fired in the kiln again and within a week you get a phone call to pick up your work of art. The price for each item is all inclusive and includes the item, the paint and the time in the kiln.

We stopped in this weekend to let my 4 year old son pick out something. The idea is that we can go back and pick out items for our mothers, but first we wanted a practice run. My son picked out a small elephant to paint for $14. He chose his colors of pink, purple, gray, and black. I have no idea why he chose those colors but I didn't want to stifle his creativity. His elephant ended up being quite colorful, if not realistic, and was completely painted in about 15 minutes. There were other children and their parents in the shop as well and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

The prices for painting a piece of pottery ranges from about $8 to $60. A glass fusing project can cost from $5 to $65 and a project in clay building can cost from $10 to $40. There are many brushes, stencils, and stamps that can be used and you can look through their collection book for ideas. In addition, if you get stuck or need a little help, a staff artist is there.

Besides something to do with children and for unique gifts for those hard to buy for people in your lives, Arts A Blaze Studio is a great place for something like a bridal shower, baby shower, or birthday party. Have you ever wanted a really unique and funky set of dinnerware? You can paint it yourself at Arts A Blaze!

We will definitely be going back to Arts A Blaze Studio in Lakewood Ranch. They are open 7 days a week and no appointment is necessary. You can check out their website formore information about their special events like their summer camp for kids.

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September 29, 2010
Vanessa R: I had so much fun with my son this morning at your shop! Everyone was so nice, I will be coming back to make some more things for sure! :)