In an era dominated by digital devices, it can often feel like handwriting is getting totally lost in the sauce. However, a growing body of research suggests that the act of writing by hand has significant cognitive benefits, particularly for memory and learning. In this blog post I’m going to explain why writing with our hand is good for us, and then I will offer you some suggestions on how to add this activity into your art practice!

Teachable, the platform that hosts Willa Workshops, has an iOS app where you can see all the classes you've enrolled in, browse the same course content as on your computer, and have a convenient way to watch lesson videos at your crafting station or on the go, or even offline--great when traveling with spotty WiFi situations!

Carrie Smith specializes in hand-painting each and every piece in her collages, using vibrant colors, patterns, and floral aspects to create one-of-a-kind statement pieces for any living space. Before diving into collage art, she spent many years traveling the world and then teaching around-the-world art classes to children in her community, a lifelong passion that fuels her artistic journey.

Stephanie Lee creates luminous art that invites others to explore the corners of their own creative impulses and honor their own desire to create. She can show you how to improve your metalsmithing skills in her signature “homesteader” style, how to create original sculpted forms with plaster and found objects, and how to combine plaster, paint, and encaustic medium in two-dimensional work.

You’ll usually find Tracey Wozniak out on creative adventures expressing her connection with the natural world through her love of colors and textures on hand-painted collage papers, altered fabrics, and imaginative watercolor illustrations. She has a keen eye for beautiful small wonders and is drawn to all things weathered, worn, hinted with history, journey, whimsy, and most of all, a story.

Amanda Trought is a London-Born Mixed Media Artist who believes in the positive impact that art and creativity can have on health and well-being. She discovered the restorative and transformational power of art through being a caretaker for her mother with Alzheimer's, and running Art and Creativity workshops at a dementia care center.

Willa Wanders presents the second collaboration with the ArtFoamies foam stamp brand! Artist Yetunde Rodriguez designed this new collection inspired by (and for use in!) her Fodder School 3 class. Check out these incredible geometric tribal ArtFoamies stamps today!

Megan Quinlan has been a bookbinder and mixed media artist for over 25 years. She has taught several courses with Willa Workshops, and is known for her use of vibrant colors combined with paper portraiture, whether that be doll illustrations or photo cutouts, to make junk journals in her iconic style.

Angela Kennedy has been a designer for Penny Black Inc, since 2002 and has been into arts and crafts for as long as she can remember. When she discovered mixed media in 2007, she started practicing everyday and taking classes; by 2010, she was teaching art online! Angela loves all kinds of mediums, but Watercolor is her one true love.

Willa Wanders presents a first-ever collaboration with the ArtFoamies foam stamp brand! Artist Susanne Randers designed this premiere collection inspired by (and for use in!) her Fodder School 3 class. Check out these insanely adorable floral ArtFoamies stamps today!

Leaca Young is an artist fueled by a lifelong love for creativity and who finds joy in capturing her thoughts and doodles through the boundless freedom of mixed media art. Inspired by botanicals, birds, and vintage charm, her creations reflect a passion for the natural world. Leaca is surrounded by stunning landscapes and vibrant communities, providing endless inspiration for her work.

Self-taught Book Artist and Published Author Liz Constable, from Book Art Studios, brings her passion for handmade books to Fodder School 4. Author of five books including Dyed & Gone to Heaven, this New Zealand based creator is highly experimental and loves to explore, “What happens if...”. Liz makes learning fun and invites students to explore creative paths with her, simply to see where they lead.

Sally Hirst is an artist based in Norwich, UK, who works with printmaking, collage and mixed-media paintings.nformed by the textures, colours, and structures of the urban environment, she is drawn to palettes of grungy browns, concrete greys, rusty reds and oranges, and a smidge of woody ochres. Of the city, she notes: "Shadows provide rich blacks, whites give breathing space. Pops of colour come from graffiti.”

Rebecca Chapman is a mixed media artist and teacher living on the south coast of the UK. Recently, Rebecca has embarked upon a mission to help us all to make more of the photos we have sitting on our phones and get them into our mixed media projects. She enjoys incorporating photos into her collages to explore different ways of working with them, and loves sharing her techniques to help you feel more confident about merging your photography and your art!

Jack Ravi is a collage and assemblage artist who creates with found objects sourced from the past and from nature. Particularly drawn to old black and white photos, Jack likes to add a sense of memory and identity to forgotten faces.

Join Wendy Solganik, Tiffany Sharpe and Megan Quinlan in making three quick handmade mixed media book projects using the Zine book structure.

Sarah Gardner @juicy.s.art has a free tutorial on how to Accumulate, Curate and Store Magazine Images for Use in Your Art Journals and Collage Art on the Willa Workshops. Her new course, Love Your Imperfect Art Journal is available now!

The why and how of flow state for mixed media artists.

It’s time to hear who the Fodder School 3 teachers are and to register for The FREE Fodder Challenge.

Part 11 in my series of how a lifelong passion for arts and crafts became multiple successful businesses.