Process Over Product

In today’s fast-paced, overscheduled culture, it’s easy to chase to-do lists and instant gratification. Scribble Art Workshop, an innovative art program in Boulder, is designed to create a much-needed pause. Based on the idea that connecting with creative flow is as essential to well-being as good nutrition and regular exercise, the program fosters not only a love of art but also a deeper appreciation for the artistic exploration—and it’s shifting how Boulder residents engage with creativity.

Founded in 2011 by New York City sculptor and public school teacher Sasha Schwartz, Scribble grew out of a gap she saw in traditional art education. “I felt like a lot of the classes for kids were very much focused on what they were making, as opposed to actually taking them through an artistic process with quality materials,” she says. What began as a single studio in New York City expanded to a second location in Westchester before Sasha relocated to Boulder in 2024, opening a centrally located Pearl Street creative space.

Today, Scribble operates in both New York and Boulder, with the studios built around the same ideologies. The program combines in-studio classes with school partnerships that bring instructors into local classrooms. In Boulder, the additional space and different community needs have opened the door to expanded offerings, including artist residencies, more family-centered workshops, and a growing number of adult-focused classes. 

Scribble’s philosophy centers on what Sasha describes as an intuitive, process-driven approach to art-making. “Instead of the traditional business model of paint nights where you’re all painting the same painting, we’re going to give you the best materials, some guidance, some inspiration, and then let you go,” she says.

That approach shapes every class. Offerings begin as early as 18 months, with parent-and-child sessions designed as short, exploratory introductions to the supplies. Preschoolers attend longer drop-off classes, while school-age students participate in after-school programs that emphasize sustained engagement. Adults can choose from single-session workshops or multiweek series in areas like illustration, printmaking, or sculpture, and family classes invite multiple generations to create side by side.

Across all ages, sessions begin with a brief introduction to tools or techniques before transitioning to open-ended exploration. The goal, Sasha says, is not mastery of a specific outcome but deeper engagement. “What we really want to see is someone engaging with materials for an extended period of time. There are a lot of things stifling creativity today, and it’s my goal to get people into the studio using their hands and feeling good about the process and what they’ve made,” she says.

While Scribble leans away from being product-driven, it doesn’t discount the outcome. “You wouldn’t compose a piece of music and not listen to it,” Sasha says. “You have to look at the thing and decide what you’re going to do next to inform your process. That’s what we’re teaching, but just in a more experimental, student-led way.”

That balance between process and product extends beyond the classroom. Scribble regularly hosts exhibitions of student work, often offering pieces for sale—a model that both celebrates creativity and introduces young artists to the professional side of the field. “Showing them the commercial and commerce aspect of this is new in a place like Boulder, but you can see how kids change their perspective of themselves when they see their artwork on the wall for sale,” Sasha says.

The Boulder workshop has also introduced rotating artist residencies. Each season, a visiting artist works on-site, exhibits in the studio, and teaches select classes. The result is an immersive environment where participants are surrounded by working artists and evolving ideas, creating an influence that manifests in subtle ways. Sasha recalls a recent class where a fifth grader recognized a weaving technique from a previous artist-in-residence—evidence, she says, of how deeply students absorb their surroundings.

As Scribble continues to grow, its impact is becoming increasingly visible. Family workshops regularly fill, adult classes draw college students looking for alternatives to nightlife, and partnerships with local schools are beginning to take shape. 

For Sasha, the long-term impact is already clear. “In New York, we have students who now work for us who started as toddlers,” she says. “As teachers, they have this innate sense of our philosophy. We don’t have to teach them because they’ve experienced it themselves.”

That continuity, along with a mission-driven team across all locations, is what sustains the program. “We are all doing this because we believe that this is the way for art education to exist in the world.”

Visit Scribble Art Workshop at 2299 Pearl St. or scribbleartworkshop.com/boulder