Writing Courses at ACI: A Personal Reflection ✍️🎨

One of the things that’s made this whole whirlwind of course creation possible is something I didn’t fully realize the value of until now: I kept nearly all of my notes from student teaching, grad school, and working with interns. Pages and pages of lesson plans, exercises, feedback notes, and reflections that at the time felt like “just part of the process” have turned out to be a treasure trove.

Looking back, it makes sense. I went into Art Education and Illustration as my dual majors (though technically I started with Art Education and Painting & Printmaking before shifting). Those years trained me to think like both an educator and an artist: always keeping notes, planning lessons, refining processes, and finding ways to share art in a way that feels approachable. I didn’t know it then, but that habit of documentation would become the backbone of what I’m doing now.

Because of that, I’ve been able to write courses at breakneck speed~ not because I’m cutting corners, but because the foundation was already there. Every time I sit down to draft a new lesson, I find myself pulling from years of teaching experience, reshaping old exercises, and weaving in the things that worked best with real students. It feels less like starting from scratch and more like refining something that’s been in the making for a long time.

And yes, I’ll be very honest~ I am tired. But it’s the kind of tired that feels good. It’s not the drained, crawling-to-the-finish-line exhaustion. It’s more like a post-workout tired: my mind and body are sore, but I know I’m building strength with every repetition. Course writing has become its own kind of training, and every finished lesson feels like another rep completed.

At the end of the day, I care deeply about this work. Art education matters, and having the chance to shape it in a way that feels accessible, supportive, and inspiring makes all the long hours worth it. Knowing that these courses will help someone else find their footing in art gives me the energy to keep pushing forward~ even when I’ve already hit the wall.

This process has reminded me that teaching is an art in itself. And just like any creative practice, the more you show up, the more it grows.

And really, this is why I’ve poured so much into building Art Collective International’s Skool platform the way I have. It’s not just about sharing knowledge~ it’s about creating a space where anyone, at any stage of their journey, can access meaningful art education. That’s the heart of what I’ve always wanted to do, and now I finally get to bring it to life. While it is a lot of groundwork and foundational work all at the same time, the experience has been so much fun for me.