Art Smart ​Fresh Start

creativity + mindfulness for all

reduce stress + restore calm at home
​with four self-paced, adaptable, inclusive art lessons
​that you can do,
anywhere, anytime,
​with your family, friends, partner or self
What's included:

* all four classes in the Art Smart
Fresh Start class pack
Mixed Media Watercolor Techniques
Mixing and Monoprints
Self-Portraits for Everyone
Forest for the Trees
(mixed media painting)

Every class comes with:

* video, pdf + audio lessons
- stop and go as you please - it's self-paced!
- use over and over and over again
- every lesson is scalable to different abilities and interests
- different modules for diverse learning styles
- tried and true process-based curriculum from twenty years of teaching

* class specific supply list
 - all supplies specific to class
- supplies overlap in the four classes
- all supplies are learning-level and easy to use at home

* environmental set up guide
- all lessons can be done at a kitchen table or solo desk top
- no need for fancy space, lighting, or materials
- you don't need much space and...
you won't make a huge mess!

* mindfulness + creativity prompts
- connect your self expression with your humanity
- learn about the connection between creativity and stress
- learn lifelong confidence and decision making skills

*follow up lessons and suggestions
- take the techniques and materials in each class to other art making
- extra methods and ongoing ways to work with lessons

build a set of actual creative skills, not just product-based steps!

* additional resources including:
- a welcome video and guide
- before and after mindfulness workbook
- Fresh Start pack supply guide
- Fresh Start pack playlist

restore calm

reduce anxiety

regulate uncertainty

learn how to use art making
to reduce anxiety + restore calm,
​wherever you are.

purchase Art Smart Fresh Start
​$47

student gallery

feeling a little frazzled?

did you know that you can use art making to reduce stress for yourself and your family?

are you tired of the never ending overwhelm and fatigue of life over the past two years, wanting to reduce the stress and anxiety in your household while staying on top of enrichment and self development during challenging times?

do you feel languished and creatively drained?
are you and your kids overcome by anxiety and stress on a daily basis?

are you looking for new outlets for your built up stress, that you can do alone, or with a group?

are you just so tired of stress and anxiety overwhelming your day to day life?

do you and your loved ones just need a good break?

I understand. As a parent, educator, business owner, and human...I'm with you.

I also know how the calm can come easily, and can be built into your regular daily life.

you see, artists understand a way around all this.

​and most of us, don't really think of ourselves as artists
​or able to navigate our lives using....art marking.
what if it didn't have to be that way - what if creativity and mindfulness didn't feel scary?

it is possible to live with less stress and anxiety ...it's exactly why I created Art Smart Fresh Start, because I want to help you reduce stress and restore calm through art making, individually or together

alleviate anxiety and restore calm with easy to do art lessons - designed for any skill level. to do together or create independently

Art Smart Fresh Start will help you and your family reduce stress + restore calm at home with four easy to do art lessons by showing you:

- how mindfulness and creativity work together to regulate anxiety and stress

- how making art slows down our nervous system and allows us to reset overwhelm

- how to navigate real world challenges and uncertainty by working through process-based art making

It’s not uncommon to be feeling some form of stressed out, anxious, worn out, depleted, and a little more than uncertain about the future.
It can be hard to focus when those thoughts are overwhelming. It's natural for all of us to feel anxiety and uncertainty, and those feelings can make us really tired and overwhelmed. And then, we end up burnt out.

restoration, calm, patience, focus, peace and clarity can be found.

in Art Smart Fresh Start, we take all of those feelings of overwhelm and work them out,
step by step, through process-based art lessons.
Every lesson is designed to be done by people of any age, any skill level.
Lessons are self-paced, and made for typical at home art supplies.

Art Smart Fresh Start helps you reduce stress by:
- addressing overwhelm - preparation to take it step by step, in small strides,
with attainable goals, creating self confidence at any stage of life
- reducing anxiety - learn how mindfulness + creativity work together to reduce anxiety, how art making is an outlet for anxiety + stress, a coping mechanism to help regulate
- navigating uncertainty - work through being in the process of the moment when outcomes are uncertain, preparing us for real world decision making and creative challenges

imagine a home with reduced stress, restored calm, and balanced energy.

with Art Smart Fresh Start, we want you to do something fresh and feel good together.
Crank up your creativity skills that you haven't flexed in awhile — or maybe didn't even know that you have!
Time is precious and you don't want to miss out on time with your kids, together, to calm down and turn on your wholebrain thinking
...all while brushing up on and creating creative skills!

and don't worry...you don't have to have
any art making skills 
or fancy art supplies
to make this happen.

student gallery

So...why take art class this way?

Hi, I'm Karly Mortensen!
I'm a practicing artist, educator, and Denver-based business owner, and I've worked with thousands of students, helping them discover, understand, and implement greater flow and ease in their lives through creative self study.

I began my teaching practice in 2002, developing process-based art making lessons centered on intentional outcome and mindfulness practices. I have twenty years of extensive experience guiding people of all ages through art making and self discovery.
I have taught in art studios, workshops, event spaces, all varieties of schools, holistic spaces, community centers, churches, specialty groups and clubs, private and small group lessons, team and corporate events, families and private parties, from as few as a single student to as large as hundreds of corporate employees.
​And of course - virtually.

My very first student - and so, so many since - had neurodivergent skill sets that finally found a space to flourish in art, showing me the spark of creativity that exists beyond language, and on a spectrum of abilities and skills.
It is with a heart of service that I created Art Smart Creative to inclusively and accessibly support all people on their quest for creative self discovery.

I created Art Smart Fresh Start to help you:
- reduce stress and overwhelm with process-based, accessible art lessons and self-paced, attainable mindfulness prompts
- restore calm and regulate anxiety by exploring how mindfulness and creativity work together
- address uncertainty by working through step by step processes designed to work through the challenges of an open outcome

I want to use what I know about creativity to help you:
- practice mindfulness and positive self awareness
- express true self with natural fluidity
- practice peace in your self and your environment
- give a gift to the world that wasn’t there before, that’s only yours to give

"there is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”

martha graham, dancer

ok...but what is going on with Art Smart Fresh Start??

Art Smart Fresh Start is a four pack of art lessons focused on building creative skill sets while teaching mindfulness skills to combat stress and anxiety. Lessons are self-paced and self-implemented, making it easy to integrate Art Smart into your lifestyle.
​You can use a basic set of at-home art supplies - even if you have small space or your home is your AirBnb for the weekend.

Use the videos, pdfs, audio, supply lists,
and more in each lesson to create at your own pace, with who you want, anytime, anywhere.
Every Art Smart Fresh Start lesson covers a specific topic. Every topic is process-based with intentional outcome, demonstrating a variety of techniques and materials used together to explore our natural inclination for experimentation, innovation, and free-flowing implementation. Not only are we gaining technical know-how, we are building creative thinking skills along the way.

Along with every lesson comes a set of mindfulness prompts developed over twenty years of experience guiding others in their own creativity. These prompts guide us in reflecting on our mindfulness and creativity, connecting our wellness with our creative action.
When you purchase Art Smart Fresh Start you will be sent a registration link to access the class. Get started with the first lesson right away.*
Art Smart is accessible, self-paced, and easy to implement.
You will use your own supplies - and trust me, it's flexible, not messy, and easily implemented at home or wherever you're creating together. ​We use the unique approach of learning virtually to explore in ways we would not be able to do all together in person - and, best of all, any age artist of any ability can do this!

​*see availability for presale - full access Feb 14

what does Art Smart Fresh Start come with?

multiple formats to learn from so there's no anxiety
​
video
pdf
audio
stop and go flexibility so there's no overwhelm
​
do as you can in small steps
do on your time
​use these lessons over and over and over ​
accessible, tried and true process based material

almost any age individual
at any skill set
no need to be uncertain about if you (or your partner or your kids) can do this
opportunity to slow down and truly spend time together

use your creative skills to calm anxiety together
without a reason or deadline or pressure
learn to keep calm and make calm

mindfulness with Art Smart Fresh Start


- How to use creative decision making skills and trust emergent ideas
- How to explore new materials and techniques through process-based experimentation
- How to use familiar and introductory materials to develop fine motor skills
- How to establish the process of ideation, creation and completion
- How the insights and choices of learning artists are valued in the creative process
- How to keep the expectation away from the end result
- How to allow for the discovery of individual creative self agency
- How to make decisions and executions from a place of established confidence

...Complete with all the easy to use lessons and resources you need to make this enriching and easy for you!

with each Art Smart Fresh Start lesson, you get:

Supply List ($9 value)
includes approx budget and recommendations

Environment Set Up ($9 value)
- ways to prepare your work space for the materials in the lesson

Video Lesson ($33 value)
- overlay
-see techniques hands on and close up

Pdf Lesson ($19 value)
- written and pictorial
- conceptualize entire process

Audio Only Lesson ($19 value)
- especially helpful for staying off screen
- use to for ongoing lesson practice

Mindfulness + Creativity Prompts ($19 value)
- guidance for how the art making procss is workign to reduce stress and restore calm

Follow Up Lessons + Suggestions ($9 value)
- use as skills grow

$117 x 4 = $468 and we are doing it for just $47?!

isn't that kind of a lot for $47?? Yes, yes it is. But it’s there because I think you deserve it. Art education is a basic right, and we all deserve accessible, high quality art enrichment for ourselves and our families so we can become a better world. We all really need ways to relax, reduce our stress and uncertainty, and build stamina within ourselves. Self expression is a tool for a better wold, and that starts with high quality art enrichment being accessible for all.

what does each Art Smart Fresh Start lesson cover?

​
Art Smart Fresh Start is a digital class that is self-paced, with easy-to-implement videos, pdfs, and audio recordings so that you have multiple ways to connect with art making and mindfulness.

I made it super simple for you. I want you to be able to use Art Smart right away, and over and over again.

All projects involve a simple set of at-home-friendly art supplies. Every lesson comes with a supply list so you know what you want to have on hand, and all four lessons in this pack overlap supplies.

Best of all, you have access to all video and audio recordings of the lessons, along with additional study pages and bonus materials for self-paced learning.

These are tools you can use over and over and over for yourself and family.

student gallery

My goal with Art Smart Fresh Start is simple:

I don't want your life to feel consumed by overwhelming anxiety and stress.

I want you to restore calm and reduce overwhelm using practices
I've developed over twenty years of teaching art making and self discovery

I don't want you to feel anxiety so I made multiple formats to learn in

I don't want this to be overwhelming for you so I designed it with stop and go flexibility

I want you to feel you can navigate uncertainty so I used my favorite
tried-and-true, process-based material that anyone can do 

I want you to slow down and create together so you have built-in calm in your life
It is possible for you to have a new daily way to:
 - reduce stress and overwhelm
- restore calm
- regulate anxiety
- address uncertainty

...all while building creative skills together
art making is a way to:
- practice mindfulness
- express yourself
- give gift to world that's just yours

FAQ about Art Smart Fresh Start

​what is Art Smart Creative?

Art Smart Creative is the homebase for the online teaching practice and studio of artist Karly Mortensen. Art Smart offers packs of lessons and membership to learn about how mindfulness and creativity come together to reduce stress and restore calm in art making. Plus make some beautiful art, together. It is inclusive, accessible, for anyone, anywhere. Access to high quality art enrichment at an affordable price is a basic right for all, and Art Smart Creative is here to serve. 

what if I'm not tech savvy?

No problem! Everything in this program is self paced! Everything is easily accessible by logging into our website. You will receive an instructional email within 24 hours of purchase explaining every detail and each step of the way.

When you log onto the class page on the website, you will be able to access each lesson and use a combination of ways to learn. Each class has a video, a pdf, and an audio lesson explaining how to do the different aspects of the art making. Voila, no matter how you like to utilize different learning styles, I made it as adaptable as possible for you to do!

So don't worry about this one. We would hate for tech issues to take away from your learning!

what if we don't have fancy art supplies?

Whew, definitely don't sweat this one. Art Smart Fresh Start is meant to be done at home with learning supplies. You can use the supply lists and shopping recommendations that come with each lesson, and your presale BONUS Art Supply How to Buy video walking you through the different levels of learning art supply  qualities and materials. We work with a variety of spaces and environments, adaptable strategies for variable supply, access, alternates, recommendations - and at end of the day, the lessons are about the work itself, with materials being a tool for completion of the process of imagination.

​We are already too busy and I don't have time for more things. I don't know about art or whatever this is... when would I fit this in?

The beautiful thing about Art Smart Fresh Start is that it is self paced so you can stop and go as you please. The lessons even have built in stopping points to help guide you along, so you can do these stress reduction and calm restoration exercises yourself, with your family...you can do this where you want, when you want, with who you want. It's yours.  

I don't know the first thing about art. what if I can't draw a straight line? like....  is this even for me? And aren't my kids getting enough art enrichment at school?

If it even exists at their school, consistently, they likely have an average of less than thirty minutes art guidance per week. In the current world, most art programs are overwhelmed and underfunded. In Art Smart Fresh Start, we really focus on organic creativity, that allows enough time for process before outcome, to stop and go with fluidity, and make choices for the process of imagination and creation. It is not product-based - it is outcome-intentional. Art Smart doesn't have to replace school art, or art camp, as it can easy be a supplement to school and other in person enrichment. Everything is self-paced and uses multiple formats to learn from - video, pdf, and audio - along with mindfulness prompts, making this unlike anything learned in most public or private schools.

I had a terrible time in art class and I think this will make me more anxious. how do I know I can do this or teach it to my kids? Making art gives me anxiety. Won't doing this give me more anxiety? I'm horrible at art and my work never looks like the teacher's. How do I know that my art looks right? 
​

I've been teaching this to people - individuals, children, adults, families - for twenty years and online since 2018. I know you can do this!!!

I'm the art teacher, not you, you're not supposed to know how to do this already! you're learning with your kids or your self or your family. you won't know how to do this because there is no right or wrong way... in art making, we build resiliency through uncertain outcome. This is part of how we use art making to create restoration and regulation in our daily lives. You don't have to know how to do this process before you start - that's why I made the classes for you.

We would rather go to art class in person. Is this really something we can do virtually?

One of the best aspects of learning art making for stress reduction virtually is that you can have a viewpoint of everything the instructor is doing, hands on, overhead, and see many parts of a process that you may not be able to see in-person. We are able to show multiple steps to everyone at once, meaning most of the time artists are working rather than waiting on someone else. Plus, when you use the video, the pdf, and the audio lessons together, you can stop and start again to learn at your own pace or spend extra time on a specific part of the lesson.
With overlays, no group distraction, or imaginative comparison, when able to see all steps clearly, many individuals learn much  better this way. This makes Art Smart Creative an adaptable, accessible way to regulate anxiety, restore calm, and reduce stress while learning art making skills. You can do it yourself or together, with whoever, wherever, and whenever you want! It's yours. 

Can I sign up, try this, and then ask for a refund?

Due to the digital nature of this course, and the fact that you can access all class materials indefinitely, no, we do not offer refunds on this virtual program.

In reality, these are tools and techniques that I've used as a teacher and artist for twenty years of studio and instructional practice. If you complete all of the exercises to your fullest capacity and feel dissatisfied with implementation of these lessons, you are welcome to contact us to discuss your process and we will do our best in this studio to accommodate a solution.

I'm tired of teaching on the screen and need this to be easy. What if I have multiple age children in my family?

Art Smart Fresh Start is for all ages, all skill levels by design. Since all lessons are process-based, we work on the technical skills in direct relation to where our motor skills are. I have taught classes that include all age families, school ages 3-12 in single group, parent and child, and various other modalities similar to this throughout my career, both in-person and virtually. I am confident this is one of the best and most accessible ways to learn creativity and wellness together. 

When does this start? How does this work? When do I get access to everything?

After you purchase Art Smart Fresh Start, you will receive an email within 24 hours asking you to register with our website. Once registered, you can log on and see all the details about each class on the Art Smart Fresh Start student dashboard. You will also get an email with all details and information about how to use Art Smart Fresh Start. Then you can log in to use the videos, pdfs, audio lessons, the playlists, the supply lists and videos, all of the mindfulness prompts, and so much more. It's easy to use these lessons and resources right away, and over and over again to practice creative thinking skills and build mindfulness in you and your family's daily lives!

How do i join Art Smart Fresh Start?

All you have to do is click here and you're on your way to reduced stress, restored calm and regulated anxiety, all by using art making to practice mindfulness and creativity in your day to day life. 

HERE'S HOW THIS WORKS...


Purchase the ART SMART FRESH START class pack here​
Check your inbox for your registration info so you can log onto the website and start making art right away! If you don't see your email within 24 hours please contact us
Get any supplies you need from the supply list, and get ready to reduce stress and restore calm for yourself and your family
Start with the first class, Mixed Media Watercolor Techniques. Use one a week for now, and then use over and over. All classes are self-paced, stop and go, scalable, and available forever!

purchase Art Smart Fresh Start
​for only $47

You don't need to have any artistic or creative skills or think you know anything about art - or mindfulness - in order to use art making to reduce stress, restore calm, and regulate uncertainty for yourself and your family, today.

You just show up and let me show you!
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