Mama Likes…NuLu Homeroom

August is a tough month for parents. The summer is wending away, but it’s still hot as a firecracker dipped in rooster sauce. Camps are over after the first week of the month, but it’s not quite time to return to school. You can go to the pool. You can take the kids to a splash park, visit a museum, or see a matinee of “Spider-Man.” But what if you want to do something different? Something new, educational, creative, and yet affordable? Something that doesn’t require 2-6 weeks of commitment? My suggestion this month is to take a stroll down East Market Street, turn on South Shelby Street, and get your creativity on at NuLu Homeroom.

Courtney Snyder opened NuLu Homeroom in June and has slowly been adding creative offerings to her calendar. Snyder, a psychiatrist and self-trained artist, writer, and educator, moved into her studio on Shelby Street a year ago, but the idea to lead creativity workshops occurred to her just this past spring. With her airy whitewashed studio already outfitted with two long worktables and tall metal stools, and her art supplies organized in plastic tubs, Snyder only needed to create a name for her concept and then advertise.

But what is NuLu Homeroom? Snyder explains it as “a place for practical and creative arts” for elementary age children, teenagers, and adults. So far Snyder has offered workshops for all ages in collage, sewing, and improv, as well as creativity workshops for parents and teachers.

Snyder teaches the collage workshops and, judging by her large-scale collages hanging on the walls of her studio, she is well-equipped to lead these sessions. Snyder’s collages are vibrant and bold, focusing on repeated geometric shapes that create scenes or fit together as abstract designs. When teaching her workshops, Snyder focuses on colors, patterns, and themes, which she calls inspirations. Each workshop will have a different theme – something Snyder believes helps structure the design. She is quick to explain that this is not a skill-based class, but more of a design workshop led by the students’ own intuition. According to Snyder, kids are different than adults in that they know what colors and shapes they like.

“They are more intuitive,” said Snyder. “Adults struggle with this more.”

Sewing workshops are co-taught by Snyder and accomplished craft artist Renata DeWees. DeWees and Snyder design the workshop around a project that can be accomplished in two hours. Kids leave the class with hand and machine sewing skills, a finished project such as an appliquéd pouch bag, and practical skills that will help them create their own sewing projects at home.

Improv workshops for children and teenagers are led by professional actor Chris Anger, with assistance from Snyder. Anger is also the co-founder and artistic director of the Louisville Improvisors.

Snyder hopes that her summer workshops will not only be two hours of creativity for kids, but also instruction and inspiration which they can build on in their free time at home. Practical application is very important to her. She believes that children just need the resources and a little instruction to create; the rest is intuitive. Snyder sees her workshops as great alternatives for parents whose kids are not in camp and who are not interested in committing to a 6-week art class. This fall, she plans to market to homeschooling parents.

Snyder has spent a good deal of time considering the idea of nurturing creativity. Her goals are expansive, but she has done the scientific and aesthetic research to back them up. She referenced renowned educator, author, and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson and takes cues from Jonah Lehrer’s new book on creativity, “Imagine: How Creativity Works.” Her approach to teaching is less self-help and more information-sharing to jumpstart what kids, parents, and teachers can do on their own.

“I am more interested in the creative process and helping people find that information inside themselves,” said Snyder.

Snyder hosts three workshops for parents and teachers: “Cultivating Creativity,” “Cultivating Happiness,” and “Cultivating Simplicity.”

“[These workshops focus on] recognizing and fostering the unique strengths and interests in each child,” said Snyder. “Children are closer to themselves and their abilities. They are more creative and intuitive than we are as adults. How can we keep them from unlearning these and other abilities? These workshops are about cultivating what is already there. My hope is that parents and teachers leave not only with some new skills, but with a better understanding of their children and of themselves.”

Courtney Snyder’s NuLu Homeroom can be rearranged for the needs of different workshops.

 

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