Ashbourne designer opens up about her 'art anxiety'
A designer and illustrator from Ashbourne set up a unique teaching programme to not only foster a love of art but to instil the message that children should ‘create from the heart without the fear of failure.’
That is the message from Niamh Fitzsimons the founder of ‘Art for Kidz’, a range of supportive and innovative classes and camps designed for children interested in un tapping their creative talents.
Artistic block is something that Niamh is all too familiar with. Having built a successful business creating eclectic design-led patterns and prints to sell and license to retailers and manufacturers all over the world, the pressure to create on demand took its toll on the art teacher. She said:
“I always encourage the children to add in their own little spin, when you teach them in a way where they don’t have to follow exactly what you are doing and draw it exactly the same way it takes the fear out of them that it has to be perfect.
“I feel that fear hampers their creativity and their ideas and then they get what I call art anxiety. I used to have it myself and I know what it feels like and I never had any helping hand growing up with that so that’s why I am really passionate about working with children now.
“I’m 42 now and right up to my 30s having to design and illustrate for clients and studios in corporate companies the creative blocks I got were horrendous because you are forced to come up with ideas in a certain time frame and forced to draw things in a certain way.
“I teach them that when you create and draw, you draw from your heart.”
“My confidence has grown because I have preserved, I have never given up. At 42 I feel like I have finally arrived, I don’t have the heart palpitations or the fear of not being good enough.”
The next camp is set to take place on August 17th for children aged 6-12 and the children of Meath are being called upon to name two new fictional characters who are going to be the face of the camp according to the art teacher.
“There are only fifteen places in the camp, we have social distancing in place, each child has their own materials that are not shared and we sanitise regularly so parents need not worry.”
In exchange for their creative genius two lucky winners will be invited to attend a term* of classes for FREE.
Choose from afterschool classes in Navan or Ashbourne. Or if those options don’t suit, attend one of the seasonal camps.
You can take part by sending your suggestions to niamhdesign@gmail.com
You can visit her website www.niamhdesignstudio.com or call (085) 143 8844.