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Firstlight Art Academy

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Workshops, Classes, & Retreats

For Teen and/or Adult Students

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Creative & Restorative Retreats

Coming Soon:

Encaustic Workshops
Paper Series Workshops
Artists Creative groups

CREATIVE GROUPS

JAN-APRIL

 

January 7 – April 1

WORKING ARTIST INITIATIVE

Wednesday

6:30-8:00

Columbia, TN

near downtown

 

Jan 14 – March 25 

OnO Society Creative

Wednesday

6:30-8:30

Columbia, TN

near downtown

 

Learn More / Join A Group

Hand Stitched Coptic Bookmaking

Spend a lovely day at our studio learning how to make your very own hardbound Journal. The Coptic method uses hand-stitching, with an open binding that looks great, and shows off your handiwork.

During this workshop, you’ll use beautiful materials to create your custom journal. The paper used for the book block (internal pages) is mixed media, which allows you to be creative within the pages, using different designs.

You don’t need to know anything! Jennie will walk you through creating the covers, end papers, book block and adding your own custom signature, from start to finish. You’ll take home a beautiful, blank journal ready to use – or to give to someone special.

Location at Firstlight Art Academy, Brentwood (Cool Springs)
Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios

Please bring a sack lunch or eat before you arrive.

All Bookmaking Supplies Included.

A variety of hot teas will be available during the workshop.

 

5-Hour Workshop

ADULTS & Teens

Saturday, January 17, 2026

12 pm to 5 pm 

 

Bookmaking Workshop

$125 – includes all supplies and materials.

Register Now

Please note that the link above will take you to the Fly Forward Studio Website for registration.

Art Journaling

Do you enjoy journaling?  Ready to add imagery and visual artistry to your text?  The beauty of art journaling is that it is a safe place to freely explore and discover new things.  We blend the love for aesthetics and order and bring it into a living space.  Learn techniques, such as organizing a calendar into beautiful pages, to collage processes, to painting, drawing and expressing emotion through color and texture. Record your ideas in a book for your next painting or larger artwork. This is part 3 of 3 paper themed summer classes. Each class is a stand alone, or can be paired in the series.
 
 

Location at Firstlight Art Academy, Brentwood (Cool Springs)
Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios

Please bring a sack lunch or eat before you arrive.

All Supplies Included.

A variety of hot teas will be available during the workshop.

 

5-Hour Workshop

ADULTS & Teens

Saturday, August 9

12 pm to 5 pm 

 

Journaling Workshop

$125 – includes all supplies and materials.

March 13-15

creative
Restorative
retreat

In Silver Point, TN,

about an hour north of Nashville

The Lodge

at Center Hill Lake

 

Silent directed creative retreat

MARCH 13-15

THE LODGE AT CENTER HILL LAKE

SILVER POINT, TN

STILL SPOTS LEFT

 

 

Join us for a weekend of creative inspiration and meditative silence as we create space to connect with self, God and nature. We will begin our retreat Friday evening and conclude on Sunday before lunch time. Please dress comfortably on Saturday. We will be doing creative projects and the grounds are open and available to explore, so please dress accordingly. You will meet with Jennie for Spiritual Direction twice during the weekend. Please note: We need the names, street addresses and email addresses of 3 people who champion you creatively and will commit to supporting you while you are on retreat. I will contact them listing specific ways they can lock arms with you.  Please ask them first before filling the registration form out. Please have their information in front of you when you register. 

Presented by and in partnership with: Fly Forward Studios

Learn More & Register

Please note that the link above will take you to the Fly Forward Studio Website for registration.

Jennie Schut, instructor

Jennie Schut is an award-winning artist, author of Waking Up Grey: An Exploration of Creative Awakening and certified Enneagram Applications Professional. She is the founder of Fly Forward, an organization that aids creative and spiritual exploration, awakening and flourishing through educational materials, small groups, retreats, workshops, individual art instruction, creative direction and leadership training. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Middle Tennessee State University and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Selah Center for Spiritual Formation. She is currently working on certification in the Somatic Enneagram.  She works primarily with oils and encaustic, a wax-based medium.

Jennie has been an instructor at Firstlight for several years.