Frequently Asked Questions (wtFAQ)

If you still have questions about what to expect in GM, start a conversation with us.

  • You, probably. But specifically:

    • You want to make art, and you don't. The wanting is there, the doing keeps not happening.

    • You used to be creative, and somewhere between the job and the laundry and everyone else's needs, it went quiet.

    • You're a recovering perfectionist and you're tired of it. You'd like to make something without immediately deciding it's rubbish.

    • You've got fifteen minutes, not three free hours. Nobody here is after your whole Saturday.

    • You need a prompt, because a blank page and a blank brain at the same time is too much for anybody.

    • You make art alone and you're a little lonely about it.

    • You've said "I can't draw" out loud in the past year. Especially you.

    Every level is welcome here, from never-held-a-paintbrush to twenty years deep. Where you're starting isn't the point. Whether you keep going is.

  • Get Messy probably isn't your place if:

    • You want technical mastery. This isn't where you'll learn to render a convincing hand. There are excellent schools for that, and we're not one of them.

    • You want critique. Nobody here will tell you what's wrong with your composition. That's deliberate.

    • You want to go deep on one medium. We have our faves, but we’re jacks of all trades, magpies about materials, hoes of all hobbies. Find a dedicated course in the thing you love. It'll be worth more to you than we will.

    • You want to work entirely alone. You absolutely can, and you'd be paying for about half of what's here.

    • You're looking for therapy. Art journaling is therapeutic, but not therapy. There's real emotional work in our Depth membership and we take it seriously. Get Messy isn't clinical care and it isn't a replacement for it.

    • You want to buy the library and never open it. The classes aren't the product. The practice is.

    Still not sure where you land? Come and see. You can leave whenever you like.

  • Yes. Genuinely, properly yes. Art journaling isn't drawing, it's making marks in a book: paint, paper, glue, scraps, words, whatever's within reach. Plenty of Messians have never drawn anything more ambitious than a stick figure and they make pages they love.

    Caylee will tell you herself that she isn't the best artist in the room, and she built the place.

  • No. The Core Library runs from absolute-beginner to well beyond, with over 200 teachers bringing wildly different approaches, and Depth exists specifically for people who want to go further inward rather than further into technique. Long-time artists tend to come here for the company and the accountability as much as the classes.

  • There are no “right” supplies. A notebook and a pen is a legitimate art journaling kit.

    Get Messy is not a technique-based art school. We encourage creative thinking. We always endeavour to suggest alternatives to supplies, and we believe that every single lesson can be done using supplies not used in the lesson.

    Except bookbinding.

    You’ll probably want to follow the exact steps to French Stitch if you want a French Stitch. 

  • Never. Share everything, share nothing, share one page in three years. Plenty of Messians read and make and never post, and they're every bit as much part of this. Be as noisy or as quiet as suits you.

  • Never. Share everything, share nothing, share one page in three years. Plenty of Messians read and make and never post, and they're every bit as much part of this. Be as noisy or as quiet as suits you.

    Do I have to be on camera?

    I don't have much time. Is it still worth it?Is this only for women?Is Depth therapy?

    what you get

    What you get

    What is art journaling?What's the difference between Community, Core and Depth?What's included in each tier?Are the classes live or recorded?How often is new content added?Who teaches the classes?What are Artist Dates and the Open Art Studio?Do I keep access to a class once I've started it?What happens to the library if I leave?

    money + admin

    Money and admin

    How much does it cost?Can I cancel any time?Do you offer refunds?Can I pause my membership?Can I switch between tiers?Is there a free trial, or anything free?Do you offer scholarships or reduced rates?What currency am I charged in?What payment methods do you take?

    practical

    Practical

    What timezone are the hangouts in? Will any of them suit me?

    Do I need Zoom, or an app?

    Are the classes captioned?I have accessibility needs. Will this work for me?I was a member before. Can I come back?How do I get in touch?

    Use the contact form and a real human will get back to you within a few days. We read every single one.

    get messy · draft faq · 36 questions · 14 awaiting confirmation

  • Yes, cameras stay on at our live hangouts. You don't have to say a word, though. Plenty of Messians join, wave, then turn to their journal and make art in companionable quiet for the whole hour.

    The cameras are what make body doubling work, and they keep the space known and safe. Talking is entirely optional. With cameras on, we'll leave the pants question to your own judgement.

  • Fifteen minutes is a real art practice. Most of what we teach is built for people with lives, not for people with empty afternoons. A five-minute page done often beats a masterpiece you never start.

  • Get Messy is a safe and inclusive place for artists of all genders.

    Certain circles inside the community exist for anyone who identifies as femme or female, including trans and non-binary folks.

What You Actually Get

  • Making art in a journal, for the practice rather than the finished piece. Paint, collage, writing, scraps, mess. Nobody's marking it, it doesn't need to be framed, and the point is the doing.

  • Community, $9 a month. The people. Community spaces, art dates, and the Open Art Studio. Find your people in a safe, brave space.

    Core, $29 a month. Community plus the Core Library: thousands of lessons from over 200 teachers, covering classes, prompts and workshops. For making art that looks like you.

    Depth, $49 a month. Core plus the Depth Library: 30+ advanced classes and guided journeys led by Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd and Caylee Grey. For connecting more deeply with yourself through art.

    Each tier includes everything in the one below it.

  • Both.

    Community has live hangouts, workshops, and watch parties. Artist Dates and the Open Art Studio happen live.

    Replays live in Core + Depth.

    The Get Messy Library is available whenever you are, so you can start a class at 5am or at 11pm.

  • One class per month (on the 1st).

    An additional teacher-led workshop per month (right in the middle).

    Artist Dates every Monday.

  • Over 200 teachers from around the world, each bringing their own materials, approach and personality. Some you'll click with instantly, some you won't, and that's part of the design. Depth journeys are led by Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd and Caylee Grey.

  • Artist Dates are our weekly Monday lessons, plus a teacher-led workshop once a month.

    The Open Art Studio is a daily hangout on Zoom: casual, low-key, quiet if you want it to be. Mostly it's body doubling, which is the small miracle of making art at the same time as other people so that you actually make art.

  • Access ends when your membership does. The library isn't a purchase, it's a place you have a key to while you're a member. Your journals, obviously, are yours forever.

Money and Admin

  • Community is $9 a month, Core is $29 a month, and Depth is $49 a month.

  • Yes. No notice period, no phone call, no "are you sure" maze. Cancel in your account settings and your membership runs to the end of the period you've paid for.

  • If you join and it isn't for you, email us within 7 days and we'll refund you, no explanation needed.

  • Yes. Money shouldn't be the reason you don't make art.

    Get Messy exists to add seats to the table.

    Scholarships for Black, Indigenous and creatives of colour, and anyone on a low income.

    We have scholarship Messians in the community right now, making art alongside everyone else. New rounds open periodically and our mailing list hears first, so join it and you'll know when the next one opens.

    Free classes. We run them regularly and they're open to everyone, member or not. The mailing list is how you'll hear about those too.

    Messy May. A free, daily-ish art journaling challenge every May, for anyone who wants in. No membership, no payment, no catch.

    Currency discount. We’re an international community and offer regional pricing where the dollar price is genuinely out of proportion to local incomes. Reach out to us.

    Want to sponsor someone? Some Messians quietly cover a membership for an artist who can't. If that's you, just reach out. It's one of our favourite emails to get.

  • USD.

  • Payments run through Stripe.

Practicalities

  • One day we’ll create a time machine.

    Until then, we focus on the North American/South American, and Europe/Africa timezones.

    Asia/Australia is a bit tougher, but there are live meetings that happen during waking hours.

    For life and timezone reasons, replays exist.

  • Live hangouts run on Zoom, which is free and works in a browser if you'd rather not install anything. The library and community itself lives on Circle. It’s lovingly designed for both computer and devices. There's a mobile app if you'd like us in your pocket.

  • Tell us what you need and we'll tell you honestly what we can do. We'd much rather have the conversation before you join than after.

  • Always.

    The whole point of Get Messy is to take what you need, for the specific season of life you’re in. We’re here when you’re ready.

    We’ve had members who have been here since 2014, and we have members who have left for a few years, and have come back. Flexible, adaptive, designed for YOU. That’s how we like it.

    We love celebrating your arrival and re-arrival. We are SO into re-introductions. Sign up again with the same email and you'll land back in the community.

  • Use the contact form and a real human will get back to you within a few days. We read every single one.