The Inner Heroine
Embark on a journey exploring your Inner Hero(ine) through art
This class is the frame in which to set your story. Your complicated, messy, true story. We use the Heroine’s Journey to build a narrative structure to tell this story. All of our stories are valid and important, no matter how insignificant we may think they are. Your story is worth telling.
Move past the inner critic
Using the Heroine’s Journey as a storytelling trope helps us bypass any self-censorship by creating a narrative distance. It also helps us go beyond the inner critic and to go ahead and get those emotions out there and into the journal.
Process big feelings
Collectively, we are going through some very intense and uncomfortable moments of growth and fear. The Inner Heroine class can help in processing some of those big feelings and giving them a home – an altered book – to live in. Using collage also supports this: cutting and pasting is a great way to keep your hands busy and your mind quiet. The techniques in this class are rooted in collage. We will be borrowing some techniques from pop-up books and making our own stamps and using our favorite hoarded ephemera for this class.
This class will not only help you document one journey that your heroine has undertaken, it will empower you to use these techniques again and again when you need them.
Finish this crazy year off strong. Come back to yourself, look within yourself, dig deep into your creativity, and finally reveal your inner hero/ine.
The Inner Heroine is open to all womxn, including those who indentify as women or who are non binary.
The Heroine’s Journey is a storytelling trope developed by Maureen Murdock as a female counterpart to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. We are using this storytelling trope because it allows us to “fictionalise” our story so we can approach it without fear, in an honest way.
This class gives you what you need to alter and complete an entire art journal, housed in a vintage book
There are 42 lessons in this journey, with the opportunity for you to create 50 (FIFTY!) double art journal spreads. Vanessa is a teacher who brings out depth in her students.
Your guide
Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd
Vanessa is an art witch who delves into archetypes, symbols and art that digs deep. She loves to show us how to make sense of our world through creating meaningful and healing art. The Inner Heroine is the fruit of over a year’s work and study of the Heroine’s Journey as well as having been enriched by her own life experiences.
Lesson Plan
This class is PACKED. It includes 42 lessons with 50 videos, resulting in 50 double paged spreads, and a FULL altered book.
To get an idea of Vanessa’s teaching style, and to stretch your creativity, check out the free lesson.
Covid Pricing
This course is years in the making. Originally due to launch in April, we postponed due to Vanessa being in China at the start of the pandemic. We are mindful that this is a big course and that COVID has affected many people’s options. Here is what we are doing to combat this:
Free lesson
If you’d like to create art in this way but are on a budget, Vanessa created an entire lesson that is freely available.
Scholarship
All scholarship positions are currently filled. If you’re in the position and would like to sponsor a student, please email directly.
Lower Pricing
We have chosen to price the class lower than what it would usually be sold for. As always, Get Messians receive a discount on Premium Classes. Early bird pricing is also at a major discount.
We have put these measures in place and used them, along with our hearts, as a guiding force in our pricing decisions. However, if you cannot afford this class, please do not buy it. There are a lot of free options offered by both Get Messy and other amazing online art schools. Your creativity does not need the class.
Allyship
For those who are not financially affected by COVID, but rather emotionally, Vanessa is offering a group mentorship to guide you through the class. Scroll down for details.
Ubuntu and giving back
As part of Get Messy’s values, part of your enrolment fee will be given to a charity devoted to helping those affected by COVID. We believe that change doesn’t come by chance, but with a commitment to caring for everyone in our global community – artists and non-artists alike. Which is why we donate 10% of all our GM income before profit to charitable causes.
The Allyship: Currently closed
Share your journey with Vanessa and a small group of Allies
Even though the Heroine’s Journey is a personal one, our heroine is never truly alone. She has allies that support her along the way. If you would like to create these allies for yourself, and be an ally to others, we invite you to join a small group for The Inner Heroine.
Allyship is a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability. We will be meeting 8 times in order to build connections that will last way past that. As an additional bonus, for two hours each week, you will have direct, live access to Vanessa, an experienced guide and heart-driven artist. She will be there to answer any questions, to gently push you to dig deeper into yourself, and to facilitate the creationtion of this allyship.
8x two hour Zoom meetings
Vanessa will be there to guide you and your group on the lessons per week. These live Zoom sessions will involve sharing, listening, and connecting. They are for hashing out ideas, fleshing out elements of the lesssons, and exploring archetypes. These sessions are not therapy, nor are they art critiques.
Dates for the meetings: weekly, between April and May. The day of the week, and the times will be determined in advance, before payment, based on the needs of the group.
* These will not be recorded . The purpose is connecting, and not teaching. We are chosing not to record so that you are able to be more open and vulnerable within the allyship, and to find the magic when that happens.
Build a group of allies
This class has its own private forum within Get Messy’s digital walls. The Allyship is an extra layer, a smaller group of people in which to share, and the main connection will happen in real time
Prospective allies are asked to fill in a form and the application is not automatically approved. You need to enroll in the class first, and then apply separately from this. Being an ally to another artist is a big honour and great responsibility. This application process is so that Vanessa can find a group of committed artists that will truly elevate each others practice.
This class is a premium class powered by Get Messy
This class is not part of the Get Messy membership. Lifetime access is not tied to a membership and will give you access for the lifetime of Get Messy. As long as this class is offered, you will have access. Get Messy members receive a discount for this class that you can find in your Class Dashboard.
⚠️✨ Members: find the discount in this forum thread.
Free Lesson
Try out the class for free- Try out a free lesson from the class for free with no strings attached
Full class
Lifetime access- full access to The Inner Heroine class
- 42 lessons with 50 videos
- 50 double page art journal spreads
- access to the Get Messy forums
- access to the private class forum to ask your teacher questions and interact and build community with other artists in the class
Class + Allyship
8 week mastermind- class enrollment is separate
- 8 week group mastermind led by Vanessa
- private forum and gallery just for the Allyship
What are my options for this class?
You can enjoy the free class here.
You can enroll in the full class for $247 (or $197 as a Get Messy member).
You can add on the Allyship for $400.
What format do I receive the class in?
This class is powered by Get Messy.
Upon purchase, you will be redirected to create a login for the private site. You can choose your own username and password.
If you already have a Get Messy account (yay), just make sure you’re already logged in and your details will already be there. All of your content is accessible to you under one username.
The class will be available through this private site for the lifetime of Get Messy. The lessons are a mixture of video and written instruction given in English with Vanessa’s fancy French Canadian accent. To get an idea for the lesson style and Vanessa’s teaching technique, check out the free lesson.
Do I have to start on a specific date?
No, this is a self-paced class. You start when you are ready and work according to your own rhythm. The Allyship mastermind group has a fixed start and end date, but you can access the class at any time.
What do I need for this class?
The supplies you will absolutely need for this class are:
- a book to alter with enough pages for about 50 double art spreads
- your favorite ephemera, magazine images and specialty papers
- scissors and glue
- an idea of a story about you that you want to tell
Do I need to be a writer?
You don’t need to be a writer to do this class. I (Vanessa) do not consider writing to be my strong suit at all. Which is why this is an art journaling class. Any words you use are there to support your visual journey but are not the main means of expression. Yes we are using a storytelling trope, the Heroine’s Journey, but we are using it as a framework to develop our story allowing us to transform it into healing art.
How long do I have access to this class?
For ever ever.*
* Disclaimer: Get Messy is not Ms. Jackson, and “lifetime access” means the lifetime of the company.
Can I contact the teacher if I have questions?
You have a dedicated private forum where Vanessa delights in answering any questions you have about the class content.
Can I share my work and what I learn in this class?
Due to the vulnerable nature of this course, we have created a private space inside of Get Messy for you to share your art and experiences. There is a dedicated gallery and discussion going on there. You are welcome to share on Instagram using #theinnerheroineclass and tag @getmessyartjournal and @dansmoncrane in your stories.
