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.

Recently, I launched the De Colores Arts Collective to celebrate Hispanic culture and art in rural spaces. We are in the process of obtaining our 501c3 status.

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.

I love to laugh at everything- irreverence is the name of the game. I also unapologetically cry at the drop of a hat. And while I handle my life and affairs as any normal adult, but after that it’s open season. 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

Concerts. Especially if I am photographing them.

Reading. If libraries have a fandom, I’m in it.

Photography. See above.

Nature. I love the planet. Not a fan of many bugs tho. I held the recycling record when I lived in Connecticut.

Video games. I love Mario Kart most of all and sometimes I will live stram on Twitch. I also love The Sims and Cities: Skylines. Also, board and card games.

Miami Dolphins. Orange and aqua til I die. Fins up!

Puzzles. The harder, the better. Like “give me a 1000 pcs, all black pieces” hard.

Sushi. I fucking love sushi. And thanks to my parents’ obsession with Japanese culture, I know how to make the best sushi rice.

Foreign films. Korean horror, Scandinavian Sci-fi, Norwegian disaster, Spanish comedies. Documentaries. Indie movies. Animated films. Cartoons. Scifi and Fantasy. The Marvel & DC cinematic universes.