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Testimonials

Student Samples

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Featured Students
monique Perry, Dianne Ahrens, Callie Leeds, Sheryl Haupt, Jody Deweese, David Schneider

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Ricky’s Approach to Learning, Skill Improvement, and Artistic Creativity

Ricky’s approach to artistic growth is not just about learning techniques—it’s about igniting passion, exploring burning questions, and transforming practice into a deeply personal journey. He believes that creativity flourishes when fueled by curiosity, experimentation, and a relentless pursuit of personal meaning.

​1. The Power of Passion: Fueling the Creative Fire

At the core of Ricky’s approach is passion—the force that keeps artists engaged, motivated, and excited to push forward, even when challenges arise.

• Passion is what sustains long-term growth and keeps artists coming back to their work, day after day.
• Passion creates resilience, helping artists overcome obstacles, creative blocks, and frustrations.
• Passion is what makes learning joyful—when artists are deeply invested in their work, practice becomes play.

But passion alone is not enough. It must be channeled, explored, and shaped into something meaningful. That’s where burning questions come in.

2. Burning Questions: The Compass for Artistic Growth

2. Burning Questions: The Compass for Artistic Growth
Ricky believes that the most profound artistic breakthroughs come from asking better questions—questions that are deeply personal, open-ended, and challenging. These are what he calls burning questions—the questions that drive an artist’s curiosity, fuel their creative experiments, and shape their artistic voice.
How Burning Questions Shape Learning and Creativity

• They act as an internal compass, guiding artists toward meaningful exploration.
• They prevent stagnation by keeping artists engaged in a lifelong process of discovery.
• They connect technique to expression, ensuring that skills serve a personal vision rather than just being mastered for their own sake.

For Ricky, a burning question might be:

• How can I express movement in enamel?
• How can I create depth using layers of color?
• How does my personal history shape my artistic choices?

By following these questions, an artist transforms their practice into a quest—one that leads to unexpected discoveries and unique artistic breakthroughs.

3. The Explorer’s Mindset: Learning Through Curiosity, Not Performance

3. The Explorer’s Mindset: Learning Through Curiosity, Not Performance
Ricky teaches that learning is not about seeking the “right” way to do something—it’s about exploring possibilities. This means shifting from a performer mindset (focused on results and perfection) to an explorer mindset (focused on curiosity and discovery).

• Instead of asking, “What’s the correct technique?”, ask “What happens if I try this?”
• Instead of fearing mistakes, embrace them as part of the learning process.
• Instead of seeking certainty, lean into the unknown—because that’s where true creativity lives.

This approach liberates artists from the pressure of perfection and allows them to play, experiment, and develop their own unique language

4. Skill Development: The Inner and Outer Game of Mastery

4. Skill Development: The Inner and Outer Game of Mastery
The Outer Game: Technical Fluency
Ricky understands the importance of technical mastery, but he teaches skills in a way that encourages personal adaptation. His approach includes:

• Fluency in enameling techniques (wires, layering, firing, surface finishing, etc.).
• Breaking down complex skills into micro-practices that build confidence over time.
• Developing muscle memory through repetition and structured practice.

The Inner Game: Self-Guided Learning & Mindset Awareness
However, skill-building is more than just technique—it’s also about how you think and approach learning. Ricky helps artists strengthen their inner game by:

• Creating personal tutorials that encourage independent learning.
• Using metacognition (thinking about thinking) to refine understanding.
• Turning questions into experiments, rather than waiting for someone else to provide answers.

This dual focus on the inner and outer game helps artists develop both technical competence and creative independence, leading to a practice that is both skilled and deeply personal.

5. Creative Alchemy: Transforming Sparks into Artistic Gold

5. Creative Alchemy: Transforming Sparks into Artistic Gold
Ricky’s Creative Alchemy framework helps artists take an initial inspiration and develop it into a fully realized creative direction.

1. Collecting Sparks – Paying attention to ideas, images, emotions, or materials that spark curiosity.
2. Turning Sparks into Burning Questions – Asking deeper, more personal questions that guide exploration.
3. Turning Questions into Experiments – Designing small tests or exercises to uncover insights.
4. Turning Experiments into Action – Applying discoveries in a way that feels authentic and meaningful.

This process ensures that artists don’t just copy techniques—they engage with their work in a way that is alive, evolving, and uniquely their own.

6. Passion + Questions + Practice = Artistic Transformation

How Passion, Burning Questions, and Skill-Building Work Together

• Passion fuels the journey—it keeps artists engaged, inspired, and willing to push through difficulties.
• Burning questions provide direction—they guide exploration, helping artists find what truly matters to them.
• Skill-building (both inner and outer) ensures that artists can turn their passion and questions into tangible, meaningful work.

By integrating these elements, Ricky empowers artists to move beyond simply making art—to engaging in a lifelong creative quest that is deeply fulfilling, ever-evolving, and uniquely their own.

Conclusion: The Journey of a Lifelong Explorer

Ricky’s approach to learning, creativity, and skill development is not about following a set formula—it’s about cultivating passion, embracing better questions, and engaging in a process of continuous discovery.
For Ricky, the most meaningful artistic growth happens when artists:

• Follow their burning questions instead of chasing trends.
• Approach learning with curiosity rather than fear of failure.
• Commit to the process—knowing that transformation happens over time, through small, persistent steps.

In the end, Ricky doesn’t just teach technique—he invites artists on a journey. A journey fueled by passion, guided by questions, and enriched by a deep commitment to personal growth.