I’m Claudia Heidelberger, and I am your hostess for the show and tell!

I’m an artist, educator, and recovering slacker based in Shelbyville, Indiana (just outside Indianapolis). For 35 years, I’ve worked at high managerial levels in marketing, communications, graphic design, and web development. Throughout all of it, I’ve never stopped creating. Now I teach others how to reconnect with their creativity through monoprinting, watercolor, mixed media, and photography because here’s what I know after 53 years: It’s never too late to make art and you sure as hell don’t need any special “talent.” You just need to believe your artistic vision can become a reality.

The Long Version (Because Context Matters)

Growing up in an era long before the Internet was a household commodity, my days were wasted away with tv, reading, and creativity. I have always been fascinated by puzzles and the act of taking things that otherwise look like nothing, and bringing them together to create something. As such, I have always worked well with my hands.

Over the course of my life, I’ve practiced art in every medium imaginable: leather, wood, ceramics, bookbinding, decoupage, silk screening, drawing, painting, jewelry design, polymer clay, cooking, photography, web development, sewing, and crocheting. I do not have any formal training in any of these mediums other than the encyclopedia and 4 years of art classes in high school. When I take an interest in something, I immerse myself fully into the experience and learn by doing. A lot of love and attention to detail goes into anything I make.

In 1994, when the Internet was in its infancy, I knew I wanted to be a part of it somehow. 4 years later I was learning HTML and eventually css. Naturally, I was drawn to the creative side of things and downloaded a bootleg copy of Photoshop and taught myself how to manipulate images and create digitally.

About the Rest of My Life

As for the rest of my life, well, it’s been hit or miss. The great parts have been great, the shitty parts sucked. Overall, it’s been a pretty good life.

In addition to teaching, I’m a notary and real estate agent. I love to laugh and I unapologetically cry at the drop of a hat. And while I handle my life and affairs as any normal adult, most of my waking hours are met with humor, sarcasm, and a LOT of irreverence. I have a huge heart, I wear it on my sleeve, I cry when I am overcome by emotion. That can happen from anything like the sound of children laughing that triggers a fond memory, or it could very well be a fart that makes me laugh uncontrollably. Tears are coming though!

Trivial factoids of no great importance