About Makings & Musings
Kate
Really enjoyed Irene's charcoal drawing class. Irene made charcoal drawing techniques clear and easy to follow for someone with no prior experience. She was very attentive and gave time to each person at the class to give them tips.
Owen
Very inspiring and got me creating pictures I never knew I had in me - I hadn't touched a paintbrush since I was a child but in no time at all was blending colours and creating a masterpiece!
A.
I would definitely recommend to anyone looking to enjoy some down time or looking to rediscover their artistic side.
Hi, My name is Irene.
I create, illustrate and help people find their
creative flow!
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My motto is: "Everyone is creative!"
Beginners art classes
With Makings & Musings I run online art classes for adults who think they cannot draw.
I believe everyone is creative and anyone can draw and in my classes and workshops I teach you step by step how to create beautiful paintings and drawings from scratch.
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More than anything I want build a creative community where people feel free to learn, connect, experiment and find inspiration in one another.
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I founded Makings and Musings with the mission to help busy people find their creative flow through mindfulness and creative workshops. My monthly newsletter is super full of creative tips, behind the scenes of Makings & Musings and updates on new courses.Â
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If you have any questions about any of these subjects, I am always happy to have a chat.Â
I love to talk about all things creative,
My email address is contact@makingsandmusings.com.Â
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I look forward to  getting to know you! ​
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Warm wishes, ​​
IreneÂ
The Makings & Musings Creative Community
The Makings & Musings Creative Community is a place to connect with other creatives. We are all at different stages of our creative journey but we have one thing in common. We love to be creative.
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Painting, drawing, sketch-booking, journalling. Colour pencils, markers, paint or charcoal, all crafts and materials are welcome here.
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As a Makings & Musings Creative you have access to tons of previous art classes and you can connect to others in the Creative Community Group.
Community Members can share the art they made, receive feedback, join one of my one-to-one creative mentoring sessions, learn about different materials and connect with creatives from around the globe. ​​There are monthly art themes, art templates to use and regular life sessions to join into.
The Makings & Musings Community is for all creatives. Fresh starters or seasoned artists, everyone is welcome here.
I came to it as a total beginner but can imagine that someone with more experience would also have plenty to take away and enjoy. Anya
Virtual Creative workshopsÂ
I can run all of my workshops virtual, using my own zoom account of logging in to yours.
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Since the start of the pandemic I have hosted over 500 art classes online. I use two cameras during each class, one so participants can see me and one on my artwork. This way everyone can follow my tutorials step by step and even absolute beginners can paint or draw a beautiful artwork this way.
Mindful Creativity,
Personal Art Classes
Visual events
My mission is to help busy people find their creative flow though mindfulness and art.
About
makings & Musings
With Makings and Musings I offer creative workshops in London.
My classes include painting classes and drawing classes over Zoom or in-person.
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I truly believe that after staring at a screen for most of the day, the best way to get out of the numbers and into a more holistic mindset is making something with your hands. Painting for me is the perfect stress relief and by focusing on what you are making in the moment you can forget to worry about everything else that you may have going on for a while.
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I found however, that many people do not use their creativity because they believe they are 'not creative'. Part of my mission is to prove to these people that everyone is creative! Children are naturally drawn to making things and the only reason we lose our creativity as adults is because we tell ourselves that we have.
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We are currently running all our workshops online over live stream or to watch back as recordings.
All online classes will be freely available to all as part of the Makings and Musings gift economy.
You are invited to make a voluntary donation if the class was of value to you.
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If you would like to know more about why I decided to run classes on a gifting basis - head over to this blogpost where I explain why a gift economy feels right for Makings and Musings at the moment.
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About Irene Ruby
Before I worked as an illustrator, I studied law and I had an career in the City of London, working in Insurance. Although there were many things I loved about working in the big city, I always knew that my real passion is art . I finally made the decision to quit my job and start my own business. I am so happy to be busy pursuing my passion and although the journey is scary and full of new challenges I love every minute of it.
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I love being involved in lots of different activities and I thrive when I am creative.
I illustrate live at events, run workshops for groups, I illustrate for magazines, website and sustainable businesses, I run creative sessions with people who are starting their creative journey and I made Makings & Musings a place where you can connect with others and share your art.
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Growing up I was always making and creating. From drawing a daily mermaid when I was six years old to adding flares on my jeans in high school, my room was always full with various projects that I had on the go.
The school I went to was an Steiner/Waldorf school. This means that next to the usual classes I learned to knit, felt, do woodwork, painted and we even learned how to blacksmith once a year!
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My Illustration style is a mix between colourful fantasy worlds and darker ink drawings. All my illustrations have a magical touch to them.
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Go to my portfolio to see my most recent illustrations.
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Why I started
Makings and Musings
I started Makings and Musings wanted to follow my passion and I really love showing people their own creativity.
Being creative has brought me so much joy and I want to proof to people that you do not need to be 'good' at drawing to feel how relaxing and rewarding it is to create something.
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If you go the the blog page on this website you can read more about why I started Makings and Musings . I taIk about starting a creative business, about topics related to making art and being creative and about lots of other things that inspire me such as minimalism, the environment, how to find your passion, how to stay motivated and many more.
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If you would like to have a conversation about commissioning a piece of art, please email me or fill out the contact form here.
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hope to meet you soon in one of my workshops,
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Love,
Irene
