Apartment

On the morning that I hosted Thanksgiving dinner in my old apartment, I moved into my new apartment. I changed house primarily because it was too difficult (and dangerous!!!!) to walk the dog where I used to live. And now I have a small park right outside my front door and a whole island full of large sidewalks and grassy areas. Plus, I am now along the riverfront, which is really nice! It’s gorgeous to watch the sky change color throughout the day over the river. And Beanie likes to watch the boats go by from the giant window next to my bed, occasionally barking if one is going too slow. 

My new apartment is very nice, but it feels like a hotel. I’ve hung up some things here and there, but it’s def a hotel vibe. The bed is incredible, though! I don’t think I have slept this well in years! The comforter is slightly weighted and the curtains are black-outs. It’s just amazing. Honestly! A good night’s sleep makes everything worthwhile!

I’m about a 4-minute walk to school and Beanie stays home most days (only going to House of Hounds for sleepaway camp when I am out of town.) I think he misses being picked up in the mornings, so we may start back to his daycare for a few days a week beginning in February. 

It only took two remork loads to move – that’s a feat, I tell you! A feat!

Toddle

As of November, I have been collecting and organizing arts-based units for Toddle. Toddle is one of my most favorite ed tech companies and teaching apps. I found them by attending one of their online Toddle TIES conferences back in 2020, when I was locked down in my apartment in Nantong, China. And the conference was so engaging and wonderfully organized and presented, that I had to figure out a way to connect up with them again. 

From Toddle’s website: “Toddle is a collaboration platform for IB PYP and MYP teachers, designed by IB teachers. Toddle seamlessly integrates curriculum planning, evidence collection, student portfolios, reporting, and parent communication – all from one beautiful interface – and helps teachers focus on the important things.”

I am really excited about this project and working with Toddle to create these resources for art teachers worldwide. I will post links of my Toddle collections once they are complete and made public. 

Coconut Park

All of the art classes and workshops I was developing to teach where I used to live will now be available at Coconut Park, beginning in January. I am in the process of developing outlines and supply lists for each class, couple with descriptors and flyers. Coconut Park is just down the street from where I live, so this is really the perfect solution! Plus, it’s a gorgeous space with a restaurant and a playground and a pool! I am super excited to have the opportunity to share my love of artmaking with the students at Cocount Park!

From Coconut Park’s Facebook page: “Coconut Park is a large recreation and entertainment park for families, friends and kids of all ages. Whether you will be enjoying pizza or sushi at Penh at Coconut Park, or relaxing with a spa treatment at Jouvence Spa by Dara, your children will be enjoying our splash pad water park, the outdoor playgrounds and our lush garden spaces. For adventure, try out our mountain bike trails, or roller skate in the air-conditioned CIS Roller Dome. To complete your day, don’t forget to checkout the Ceramik Art Studio and the Makerspace to build our LEGO kits and other fun art activities. There is something for everyone at Coconut Park!”

Links to classes and how to sign up COMING SOON!

Canadian International School of Phnom Penh’s 10th Anniversary Art Show

This past weekend the Canadian International School celebrated its 10th anniversary. There was a circus on campus and lots of food and ice cream, science experiments in the makerspace, musical performances, and a giant art show. Our kindergarten through grade 12 students showed art work in the downstairs gallery and on the 3rd floor, near the art rooms.

There were paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures on display. While the downstairs space took a while to come together, it looked amazing on Family Day. There were lots and lots of wonderful comments from parents and administration along with some happy tears! There were times when the space felt a bit overwhelming because so many people were inside and enjoying themselves, looking at artwork and talking about the variety of pieces being shown.

I think this may have been my most favorite show my students have taken part in, from any school I’ve worked at. (A close second coming in from my year at Brookwood, back in Georgia.) I think what helped make this show so special was the way that we divided up the space and hung things in unique and specialized ways: some things were mid-air from a wire, while other things were mounted on rolling gallery walls, some things were on tabletops or video screens or stapled directly (yes, stapled) into areas of the walls. It all made for such a nice and varied show. It’s still up now and will be for the remainder of the week.  

Schitt’s Creek

For the past several years, people have been telling me to watch Schitt’s Creek. A couple of times I started it, but the pilot seemed vacuous and I couldn’t get into it. Why do I care about these rich people who lose all of their money? Then I had dinner with a friend during my recent trip to Nashville, and she said to me: “You have to watch it. You will love it. It goes places.”

I moved to Cambodia about 10 days prior to orientation at my school. So I decided I could try again with Schitt’s Creek and see what happens. This time it stuck. I have never been more moved by a television show in my life. And as I was watching through the various seasons, particularly seasons 3 and 4, I started making a list on my phone. I realized that I was not only invested in this show’s storyline, I was invested in the character’s lives. I was invested in the goodness this show portrayed. I was invested emotionally. The list from my phone reads:

Goodness begets goodness.

Value in the everyday.

Empathy, resilience, love and caring.

Joy.

Inclusivity.

Hearts of gold. 

Envisioning a better world for everyone.

Simply the best.

Hilarious.

A safe space.

A positive light.

From about the middle to late part of season 2 until the very end of season 6, I cried tears of joy for this family, this community. The way the writers have snuck in these very intentional and thoughtful moments between each of the characters is remarkable. Each person in this show is completely authentic in their reactions to daily life, yet each one is not immune to change and growth. Their love and commitment to one another feels so real and unlike anything I have ever seen on television. 

Even now, days after I have finished the last season – for the 4th time – my eyes still well up when I think of particular scenes between Stevie and Moira or Patrick and David or Alexis and Ted or Johnny and Roland. How does someone write something that resonates so wonderfully with an audience? To me, this show feels like it is personal to my life and my experience. But, I am not alone in this. So, how do you make a show/a piece of art that relates to and completely transforms the audience?

I think about this show every day. It’s infectious and progressive and beautiful.

Patreon and Memberships

Exciting news!! I have started an arts-and-teaching-based membership program over on Patreon! Lots of fun giveaways and art experiences to be had and six different levels of participation available. So head on over to Patreon and have a look!!! It’s the very best combination of global community building and art experiences that I could ever possibly imagine! So exciting!!!

And, while most of my felt orders are done via email, I have an Etsy shop (see below) where you can order most anything out of felt that I can hand sew. I started my Etsy shop while I was in Singapore and it just keeps on going! So if you are in need of a banner or some bunting or some fun ornaments, have a look! Everything is coming up colorful, y’all! YAY!

>> And if you missed my feature on Trey Mitchell’s podcast, you can check it out here! I talk about teaching and living overseas and all different kinds of things! It was so fun to reconnect with Trey and talk about all of the things I love!

The holidays ARE coming!!! Let’s celebrate!

A lot of people inquired about the butterfly project I did with my Grade 3 students, so I thought I would write up this quick post!

At my new school we have the most beautiful butterfly sanctuary! It’s an enclosed space where one of the operations people raises butterflies for study. There is a special place for the caterpillars as they chew and eat leaves for growth and then there is this little closet space where they make their cocoons. And finally, there are hundreds of beautiful plants for the butterflies to hang out on once they emerge from their cocoons. It’s a beautiful little space with a fun beaded curtain to walk through. I go there sometimes during lunch or after school just to marvel at the butterflies and to contemplate things.

I decided to do butterflies with my Grade 3 students because I was inspired by our butterfly sanctuary, but I also thought it might be a good project to assess them with since we were just starting the school year. For assessments, I like to choose simple projects that include directions and steps. The most important thing for me is listening skills. Can my students listen and follow directions? If the answer is yes, then my students will be able to make anything!

For this project we used two colors of A3 paper (2 classes used black, 2 classes used white), oil pastels, chalk pastels, and tempera paint in black and white (classes with black paper used white paint and classes with white paper used black paint). I made two examples on my own first, so I could understand the process. And then I demoed the entire project for the students. We used one day for folding and printing and the second day for chalk and oil pastel application. It’s good to give two days for this project so that the butterflies are good and dry before adding the chalk and oil pastel decoration.

To start out, students need a piece of A3 paper and a pencil. I use a heavier weight paper like construction paper, but not as heavy as card stock paper. I don’t suggest using printer paper because it’s a bit flimsy. But, for the most part, this project will work with any kind of paper you have at school or around your house.

I have the students fold the paper in half (hamburger style) and make sure all of their corners touch and their fold is creased and sharp. Once the students do this, they can open back up their folded paper and lay it out in front of them, landscape. On the right-hand side of the A3 paper, starting at the center fold line, I have the students draw out their butterfly design. Remind the students that they are only doing one side of their butterfly during this step and to keep it simple! (When we get to the printing part of this, the paint can get cumbersome if there are too many tiny drawings and designs to trace.)

Next I help to trace with paint the pencil lines of the one side of their butterflies. I use tempera in squeezy bottles with a tiny opening so I can better control the paint. I helped my students do this step, but with Grade 4 and above students, they could do the paint tracing part on their own. Once the right-hand side of their butterfly is traced, I have the students fold the empty side of their paper onto the paint side and press down, rubbing their folded paper gently while whispering, “squishy, squishy, juicy, juicy.” This makes them laugh, which helps them to stay focused. After about 10 seconds of rubbing their folded paper, they open up their A3 paper to reveal their finished butterfly print.

Once the butterflies have dried overnight, the students can start working with oil and chalk pastels to add color to their butterflies. I set out all of our oil and chalk pastels on the table and give the students tiny trays. They can start out with 3 of each (oil and chalk) and then come back to the center table as often as they need to in order to switch out their colors. For the chalk pastels, I have them fill in the negative spaces on their paper. For the oil pastels, they can draw designs on the painted (or positive) areas of their butterfly. Remind the students that the goal is not to completely cover their painted space, but more enhance it with color. They can also add antennae with oil pastels whilst decorating their butterflies.

You can clearly see the positive and negative spaces in the above examples, prior to me adding color with chalk and oil pastels.

I love this project because each student makes something completely unique. No two butterflies are ever the same!

I made this project for the first time when I was little, maybe 6. I have never done this project again since then, thinking it might be too simple for my elementary students. But, they LOVED it! They had a blast making these butterflies. We will be hanging them up for all the school to see in the entryway to the cafeteria. I can’t wait to share with you how the finished display looks!

Please reach out with any questions and stay tuned for more fun projects and info coming soon!

I am burnt. One of my strengths as a human has always been getting things done. And these last couple of years, I have felt less excited to do things, let alone get anything done. I’m not sure where this burned out feeling stems from, but my guess is it is a combination of three things: residuals from the pandemic, the huge disappointment that was the 2021/2022 teaching year, and having no resources.

The pandemic caused an influx of prices and it ended up costing me close to $17,000 to move back to the United States in late June of 2021. That price only increased when I was forced to get a car and the Subaru dealership in the area where I was living had no used cars on the lot and only a handful of new ones (also pandemic related). The car I purchased, a Subaru Forester, was sold to me on the slip of a paper, promised a month down the line because it was just coming in through Rhode Island. The insurance and monthly payment for this car was half of my small monthly pay at the school where I was working. I won’t go into details about why my 2021/2022 teaching year was such a disappointment (that would only make the school and me look bad), but it was a huge mistake that I hope to never-ever-ever make again. That leaves my resources. My resources are depleted mostly because I made the decision to move back to the United States: move costs + new car + monthly pay at a Connecticut boarding school = massive setback. All of the money I saved during my three years in China is now gone. And, I am still paying on the car I purchased even though I have no ability to drive it from Cambodia, and might not see it again for another year or two. (Anyone interested in buying it? Or at the very least, renting to own it? I’ll give you a hell of a deal!)

But, alas, I somehow made it back overseas with both of my pets in tow. Hugely thankful, in part, to a number of donations I received from friends all over the world helping to insure my pets arrived in Cambodia safely. 

Cambodia is wonderful! I find it charming to zoom around the city in tuk tuks for less than 90 cents, most trips. It’s nice to be able to use the American dollar wherever I go. And, I have a beautiful apartment that is close to a number of cool places (thank you Amanda and Tobin!!). But, Phnom Penh is by no means a dog-friendly city. Because land is so expensive, it is hard to find any grassy areas that have not been developed. And, anything that looks to be a park, usually has No Dog signs attached to it. Nearly daily I manage to take Beanie by tuk tuk back and forth from my apartment to Diamond Island, where my school is located because there is a lot more grass and larger sidewalks. To help with this, I enrolled Beanie in day school while I am at work.  And, after a painful first week, he is now enjoying it (mostly). It’s a small price to pay for having him here in Cambodia with me, so I’ll take it. In other news, Cat Rigby is having a blast! He enjoys sunning near the windows and loves to chase rogue lizards that occasionally come in through the terrace doors. We are slowly, but surely, settling in.

My school is huge, which I love. I teach 28 classes of 4 grades each week; Grades 3 – 6, with my Grade 6’s rotating time slots every other week. I think I gravitate towards big schools because I believe in big fish/big pond situations. I went to a high school where my graduating class was just over 2000 students. I went to a huge university for undergrad. I love big cities like New York and Shanghai. Big schools allow for lots of diversity in student population and activities. I enjoy knowing that at any moment, any time of day, I could find something interesting going on. I also like that I can hang back in the crowd and isolate, if need be. My colleagues at the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh are incredibly nice and welcoming and laid back. They are professionals who really strive for the best in our school. It’s amazing how helpful and friendly everyone has been since my arrival. 

However, it’s my students who really take the cake! I teach a diverse group of students from over 30 countries. They are kind and funny and they like to try new things. They listen to fun music and truly care about the things we do in art class. It’s so delightful to have taught the first two weeks already and not feel the least bit exhausted. Instead, I feel fulfilled, enlightened, and ready for the school year. It’s exciting to me to have a Visual Arts Team of three teachers to work alongside with and an even larger team of nearly 9 that includes the Performing Arts. I have limited supplies at the moment. But, orders are being placed and everyone knows that lacking things can sometimes bring out the greatest creativity! Each week I have 15 hours of planning time allotted for in my schedule and only 2 duties (both on Mondays). Oh! And I have the most wonderful TA! The support I have at this school is truly seen, felt, and appreciated. Only good things can come out of this! And, I am looking forward to it!

Now, back to what I started this post off with: feeling burned out. I can only imagine that with time, this feeling of malaise will lift. I have started private yoga classes and I have been focused on furthering my education – something I always lean into when I am feeling lost. In the coming school year, I am looking forward to writing more and making small watercolors. I’ve joined a book club, started plans to open a teaching workshop in the rooftop space above my house, and I’m joining a small theatre group. I think if I can just stay focused on the future, this seemingly huge setback I experienced over the past couple of years will become something of the past. It is not normal for me to vent about disappointments or stress, but *in light of the good things to come* I thought it was important to mention. Thank you again for your support as I continue to navigate international life!

Make sure to sign up for my newsletter at the right side of this post >> My newsletter will be sent out monthly and include everything from links to my recent blog posts, pictures from Cambodia, thoughts from my classroom, images of my new paintings, book recommendations, and more! Have a wonderful week ahead!

Hello, everyone! As many of you know, I am in the process of moving to Cambodia. This is a new and exciting experience for me and my little family of pets. I will be teaching ART for Grades 3 – 6 at the Canadian International School in Phnom Penh.

Over the past several weeks, I have been working hard to make this move a reality. And, while most things are ready to go and in place, I am about $2200 short of where things need to be. Part of this is because there were some complications at the vet. My previously Chinese-microchipped dog had to be re-microchipped (which included an X-ray and a variety of other medical things). Part of this monetary shortage is due to my flight needing to be one long continuous flight with one *pet-accepting* airline instead of being a broken-up flight (Delta + Korean Air, which is way cheaper). I had to cancel and re-book at least 3 times! And, lastly, part of this setback is because I was planning to sell my car and it has not sold. 😕 The 2021/2022 school year was really tough, followed by these few setbacks this summer. But, I am still hopeful we can all get to Phnom Penh safely and efficiently! My flight leaves on August 1st from Atlanta, Georgia at noon.

There are two ways below that you might be able to help make up this small *but mighty* deficit!

One way that I am working hard to make up this $2200 shortage is by hosting three (only 3!!!!) paint parties with Camilla Spadafino at her art studio in Nashville where the infamous Paint The Town by Numbers paint kits are conceived, designed, assembled, and shipped out! If you are in the Nashville area, you can find out more about these exciting social painting experiences here. It’s an awesome way to support an East Nashville business and supplement my initial move costs.

100% of the ticket sales go to getting my pets overseas with me!

“Pop-up paint night with Lindsey Bailey and paint by number producer Camilla Spadafino. This weekend only at East Nashville’s original Paint the Town by Numbers studio! Gather your friends for an easy and fun social painting experience! Painting by numbers is like working a coloring book or a puzzle with paint: a creative and relaxing good time!”

** https://www.paintthetownbynumbers.com/book-online **

Dates (3 sessions only!!):

Friday, July 29th: 6:00 p.m – 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 30th: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. -OR- 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Tickets include:

• One paint by number kit; choose from over 20 paint kit designs! (Each paint kit includes acrylic paint, one paint brush, and one chipboard canvas.)

• Up to three hours of studio time; this time includes tricks, tips, and stories from the hosts.

• Shop for additional paint kits at an 18% discount! 🎉

• Southern snacks and sweet tea provided. BYOB.

*This experience is designed for adults, but ticket holding children, ages 10 years and up, may attend if they are accompanied by an adult.

Another way you might be interested in helping me to supplement my move costs is by donating to the cause . . . Anyone who donates any amount of money to this overseas move will receive a downloadable photo book containing 20 images from my first month in Cambodia. These images will be my “first looks” and might include my apartment that is next door to a Buddhist College or images of the embassy across the street. Maybe there might be photos of my new school, the tuk-tuks I will ride in daily for work, amazing Cambodian food, or images from my first visit to Angkor Wat. Any which way, people who donate to help with this trip overseas will receive a wonderful collection of photographs that can be downloaded, printed-off, or used as a backdrop on any device.

Any amount will help! You can see my Venmo QR code below or you can send donations via Zelle (). Thank you so much in advance for your help in getting this trip off the ground and running! These unexpected setbacks will not stop me from getting to my new job and sharing my love for art with my new students!

Please let me know what questions you might have about our Paint The Town by Numbers paint parties or straight donations. I am really very thankful for everyone who supports my drive to teach internationally and celebrate community!

I met Lisa Donovan when I moved back to Nashville for the second time. After finishing grad school, part 1: my MA in Community Arts at the Maryland Institute College of Art, I found Tennessee a helpful respite and transitional place before leaving the United States and making my life mostly overseas. I lived with my dad for a few months in Franklin and then settled into a little house near Shelby Park in East Nashville. I did everything under the sun to bring in money back then: working part time at The Turnip Truck, organizing and participating in art shows, teaching art classes at Cheekwood and USN, the Renaissance Art Center in Dickson and the Rescue Mission. My path crossed with Lisa when I collaborated with my friend Camilla Spadafino on a project with her then Grade 2 students at Lockeland Elementary School – Lisa was one of the few parents who came to our opening reception for this group project at the Nashville Metro Arts Commission. 

I watched Lisa’s life with food carefully, although she probably didn’t know this. I asked to be taken to Husk by my parents for my birthday one year because I knew her desserts were on the menu. I wanted so badly to attend one of her community dinners with Buttermilk Road Sunday Suppers, but I couldn’t afford it at the time. So, I read about these dinners instead and visualized what they were about and how they celebrated community. Our paths most likely crossed many years earlier, when I moved to Nashville for the first time, around 2001. I was at the grand opening of the Frist Center, the red carpet opening of the Country Music Hall of Fame, taught lots of classes at the Creative Fitness Center and the Green Hills YMCA, had a studio at The Fugitive (RIP), opened my own teaching studio out of my house, painted shoes at Kiss My Feet in Hillsboro Village, worked the after school program at USN with Emily Holt, babysat a lot (Hello Michelle and Dave Palmer!), and participated in every possible art show/happening I could find. Lisa is absolutely correct in her book when she remarks on that time in Nashville as being incredibly special. Now lost.

This memoir that Lisa has written is wonderful. It is transportive and mouthwatering, heartbreaking and inspiring. It champions women and hard work and food and stick-to-it-ness. As I listened to Lisa read the words of each page, I had to eat or find something similar to whatever she spoke about. Even so much as making my friend Tori drive out-of-town in central Kentucky, about an hour, late one Thursday night, to find some homemade pie (thank you, Elizabethtown!). Even as I taught art camp this past week in Danville, Kentucky, I found myself looking for juicy apricots, buttermilk, grits with sorghum, tortillas with butter and salt. I listened again to Dolly Parton and Hank Williams and thought about life in a way that I hadn’t in a long time, sad that I made the choice to leave Nashville in those early days.

I am so excited about this book. It sits in the same headspace that my other favorite book, To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins occupies. I will listen to Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger on repeat for years to come. Thank you, Lisa, for letting us in. You are wonderful. This book is magic.