I Think I’m Building an Art Club

(And I’m Trying Not to Overthink It)

I’ve been going back and forth on this idea for a while now, mostly because I didn’t want it to turn into something gimmicky or overly polished or… salesy. I don’t want to build a “club” just to say I built a club. But the more I’ve been painting these small studies, the more I keep coming back to the same thought: this is how I grow.

Not from giant canvases.
Not from perfectly edited tutorials.

From small, repeatable studies where I can try something, adjust it, and try again without feeling like I just ruined an entire afternoon.

So the idea started forming around that.

What if instead of just posting the finished painting and moving on, I built something around the process of it? Not a print subscription. Not a collector’s club. But a monthly study — something where you see the original piece, understand how I approached it, and then create your own version.

Because that’s how I’ve learned.

I watch.
I paint.
I adjust.
Sometimes I paint over it completely.

And I repeat that cycle until something finally clicks.

I know I can’t be the only one who learns that way.

The structure I’ve been working on is fairly simple. Each month there will be a small study built around one of my paintings. The physical version of the club will include a printed 4×6 art card of the original piece, along with a second card that walks you through the study and gives you options for creating your own version of that painting.

The goal isn’t to copy it perfectly. The goal is to study it — to see how color, shape, and small decisions come together on paper.

What keeps pulling me toward this idea is the analog part of it. We are surrounded by digital everything. I post digitally. I edit digitally. I teach digitally. But learning how to paint is still physical. It’s paper in your hands. It’s water behaving differently than you expected. It’s realizing mid-brushstroke that you probably should have waited thirty more seconds for something to dry.

That part of the process can’t be downloaded.

And I think there’s real value in receiving something tangible in the mail that isn’t just decorative, but instructional. Something you actually use. Something that slowly builds a quiet stack of practice over time.

I’m planning to launch the Art Club on April 1. I know that’s coming up quickly, but I’ve actually been working on the structure, materials, and lessons for the past month. Right now I’m testing paper, print quality, and making sure the tutorials are clear and useful before everything goes live.

This isn’t about building something massive. It’s about building something steady.

If you’re someone who has wanted to paint but keeps waiting until you feel “good enough,” or if you have supplies sitting on a shelf but no real structure to follow, this might be something you’d enjoy. It won’t be about perfection, and it won’t be about copying my work exactly. It will be about studying, experimenting, and getting more comfortable with the process month after month.

I’m still refining the details and working through the logistics, but the idea is finally starting to take shape.

If this sounds like something you’d want to be part of — especially as one of the first members while it’s still growing — I’d love to hear from you.

I’m building it slowly, on purpose.

And that already feels better than rushing it just to say it exists.

— Joy