Studio System Lab: Build Your Own Creative System
Studio System Lab: Build Your Own Creative System
Witness, learn, and create in a mentorship that guides you to develop your own consistent creative practice.
If you have multiple interests but can’t quite explain how they connect, this program will help you build a system that brings them together. Over 8 weeks, you’ll explore drawing, painting from life, pulp, animation, photography and mixed media while building habits, reflecting on your work, and observing my evolving process in real time.
Limited to 2 participants per cohort
Location Toronto West End Studio (Trinity Bellwoods area)
Next session starts June 2026
Investment: CA$1800 (all-inclusive, payment plans available)
Schedule: 2 weekday sessions per week (scheduled in coordination with participants)
About the Mentorship
About the Mentorship
This mentorship is for motivated artists and makers—whether beginner or experienced—interested in developing a systematic approach to making, observing, and iterating work across drawing, painting from life, pulp, animation, and mixed media.
Over 8 weeks, we’ll explore:
Building your personal creative system
Hands-on exploration of pulp painting, animation, and mixed media techniques
Observational practices through plein air painting and life drawing sessions
Developing a conceptual framework for your work, including writing and documenting your process
Iterative practice that strengthens both skill and creative identity—making, reflecting, and refining so your habits, confidence, and artistic voice grow together
Seeing my systems in action as I work on my own projects, including experimental techniques like pulp-painted animation, which I’m actively developing
See the System in Action
As part of the mentorship, you won’t only develop your own system—you’ll also witness mine evolving in real time.
For example, in my March 2026 newsletter, I shared how I approached multiple bodies of work for my first museum solo exhibition at the McLaren Art Centre, Every Connected Fibre: A Theory of Everything:
“The Big Toe Series explores light, teaching methodology, self-improvement, and simplification. Each small plein air painting is a research study in perception, reducing complex scenes to essential gestures of light and form. Meanwhile, the L.O.L. Series explores material behavior, plant fibers, and amplification through simplification. Together, these practices create a system more complex than the sum of its parts.”
This mentorship is grounded in that same approach:
learning by doing, observing, and building your own system over time.
Pulp-Painted Animation (In Development)
As part of the mentorship, you’ll also encounter a technique I am currently developing:
Pulp-painted animation — an approach where the image and the surface are created simultaneously, allowing material and motion to emerge together.
This reflects the core of the mentorship:
process and outcome are interconnected
systems evolve through experimentation
making and thinking happen at the same time
Beyond the Studio
Depending on the flow of the cohort, sessions may also include:
Gallery visits and analysis
Conversations with practicing artists
Outdoor painting at dawn(6am-7am) or dusk
These experiences extend the mentorship beyond the studio and into real-world observation and context.
Your Learning Outcomes
By the end of the mentorship, you will:
Understand how to build a repeatable creative system
Gain confidence working across materials and mediums
Develop a body of work through consistent practice
Strengthen your ability to observe, reflect, and iterate
Build a framework for documenting and evolving your process
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
These books inform the approach you’ll experience in the Studio System Lab, offering insight into creative systems, deep practice, mindset, observation, and flow:
The Talent Code – Daniel Coyle
Explore how deep practice, ignition, and master coaching shape skill development.Range – David Epstein
Discover why diverse experiences and cross-disciplinary learning enhance creativity and problem-solving.Grit – Angela Duckworth
Learn the science of perseverance and passion in long-term creative pursuits.Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Understand the conditions for optimal experience and sustained engagement in making.The Art of Impossible – Steven Kotler
Practical strategies to leverage flow, motivation, and iterative learning for achieving high-level creative and professional goals.The Formula – Albert-László Barabási
Dive into the networks and patterns that influence success in creative fields.Catching the Big Fish – David Lynch
Gain perspective on meditation, intuition, and the creative process.Becoming an Artist – Ellen Langer
Investigate mindful observation and presence in the act of making.The Wave in the Mind – Ursula K. Le Guin
Reflect on imagination, observation, and the artist’s vision.Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir – Akwaeke Emezi
A meditation on self, intention, and embodying your creative voice.Alchemy – Rory Sutherland
Learn how unconventional thinking and behavioral insights influence decision-making and creativity.Paradigms – Joel Barker
Engage with futures frameworks and understanding complex patterns in art and practice.Thinking in Systems – Donella Meadows
A practical guide to understanding, analyzing, and designing systems—essential for creating a structured approach to making and observing work.
These readings are not mandatory—they act as a toolbox to deepen your understanding as you build your system.
FAQ
Do I need experience with drawing, painting, pulp, or animation?
No prior experience is required. This mentorship is about building your system through exploration. You can engage with each medium at your own pace.
What happens if I feel stuck?
You’ll receive ongoing guidance through discussion, observation, and iteration. The mentorship is designed to support you through uncertainty and experimentation.
Will I see how you work?
Yes. You’ll observe my own evolving practice—including pulp-painted animation—through real-time making and reflection.