Today we’re sitting down with one of our favorite teachers, Lindsay Troutman. Lindsay is a mother of four and teaches both adult and children’s classes at Treehouse. Read on to learn more about how she incorporates the home into the classroom for her kids and students. Hi Lindsay, we’re so glad you had time to talk with us today! We love having you on board at Treehouse and wanted to know if you could tell us a little more about yourself? I was born in Japan and then raised in Florida. I went to the university of south Florida and majored in English literature. I have always been a crafter, maker and artist. In high school they didn’t offer anything in the art dept. except drawing and painting. One day I found these secret rooms off the main art hallway and peeked inside. I found a potters wheel and kiln in one, and a dark room in the other. I begged the art teacher to let me do an independent study and she gave me a pottery textbook and a black and white photography textbook. I completely taught myself from scratch, so diy is definitely my thing. Two of my photography pieces ended up in a juried student show a couple months later. The pottery, not so much! Hahaha! I am mostly a glass artist now, I have a business called “Copper & Torch” which has recently launched on the web. I make glass terrariums, jewelry and vases using traditional stained glass techniques. I started working with glass at age 17. Treehouse owner, Kristen Bach, took all of the beautiful photos on the website! I love how Athens artists help each other out and help promote and encourage each other. You had quite a journey! How did you come to work at Treehouse? I wandered into the store a couple of Marches ago and fell head over heels in love with the store and the people working in it. There were some needle felted hair accessories near the front counter that were adorable and I asked if they taught needle felting in the store. Kristen said she had been wanting to offer it at Treehouse and I told her that I was her girl! In April I was officially teaching the adult needle felting classes. Then in August, Hope (who taught several kids classes) went on to take a position in a gallery (Athica) , I took over her four classes during the week. In an average month, I create and organize up to 30 crafts to be done here at treehouse. I absolutely love every minute of the process. We absolutely love every minute too! We know you have four adorable kids. Do they love to craft? Not all of my children want to knit, or glue stuff, or get excited about washi tape. But they are all creative. If you can have an original thought or imagine something, you can make it happen, either with music, crafting, fine art, cooking, costumes, writing, spoken words etc..we often turn off the screens and say “go do something important.” A few hours later my children will put on a play or give us a fashion show they’ve put together, or bring me an original rap they recorded on their old school tape recorder. It’s not always about paint. How cute! Bet you love those raps. Is there anything you’ve incorporated into your classes that you’ve learned as a parent? Patience. When working with children, patience is the key to going with the flow and not getting overwhelmed. Some of my classes fill up really fast, like my baby sensory class on Wednesday mornings, but I just take a deep breathe and jump right in. It’s okay if there is a fussy moment, or tantrum, or a child who would rather play with scissors than finger paint. Just like at home, I try and just go with the natural whim of the class, while maintaining the bigger goal and plan for the day. That’s so true. It’s great you get to share those at-home lessons in your classes. Our kids love you so much and we’re so glad you took time to talk to us today. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next class!
