School of Mess
Introduction:
School of Mess is a 3-week creativity course designed to shake off perfectionism and reconnect you with the joy of making. Grounded in our philosophy of process over product, this course blends performative life drawing, playful, evocative and conceptual exercises to help you loosen up, take creative risks, and enjoy the mess. No experience necessary — just come as you are!
Whether you’re an artist, a beginner, or somewhere in between, this is a space to experiment, escape the pressure to “get it right,” and rediscover your creative instincts. Expect laughter, movement, connection, and a fresh relationship with your own artistic voice.
We’ll use simple, accessible art materials — no fancy tools required — and, like our shows, we’ll bring in music and theatrical effects to spark your imagination. There’ll be chances to model or perform if you’re up for it (no pressure) and small group activities to build connection and confidence. There may be nudity and thought provoking themes.
What to Bring
- Lunch, snacks and own refreshments
- Pen and paper, if you wish to take notes
- Own art materials
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The first hour of each class will explore life-drawing and experimental drawing and writing exercises evoking the senses and tapping into their own artistic landscape.
The second part of each workshop will focus on:
- Week 1: narrative development, getting out of your head and into your body
- Week 2: prop and costume design and making
- Week 3: movement and how to physically create a character, topped off with the opportunity for participants to perform what they have devised in the workshop for the rest of the class to draw. No pressure though!
The course is:
Designed to give people the freedom to experiment and create without the constraints of self-critic or the end-product. We would love our participants and aim for them to walk away from our workshops with their own little vignette of a character, narrative, and prop/costume ideas.
Important information
Once your enrolment is completed you will receive a confirmation email. This email will include your receipt and inform you of the dates, times and venue for your course. It will also let you know of anything you need to take to class with you.
Please make sure that you give us a valid email address and mobile number as any course changes will be communicated via sms or email.
Students are required to be 15 years old and above at the time of enrolment.
Click here to read our Refund Policy
With small class sizes for a better learning experience, our courses can fill up fast, but they also need a minimum number of enrolments to run, so avoid disappointment and enrol early!
Tutor Profile:
Hotmess is a multidisciplinary collaboration between Sophie May and Gabrielle Miller. They create surrealistic narratives and performative art offering audiences healthy escapism. Designed to ignite your creative fire, we immerse you in a fictional world, using costume, sound, lighting and stories. Their practice takes many forms from immersive life-drawing shows to online courses, festival performances, gallery exhibitions and art direction.
Sophie May is a Gamilaraay artist living and creating on Bundjalung Country. She works with ceramic sculpture, mixed media painting, and runs interactive, expressive art workshops for children and adults. She is inspired by her cultural background and using visual art as a powerful tool for self expression.
Gabrielle Miller is a director and performer bringing ingenuity to the stage and screen through music, dance, acting, puppetry and mask. A chimerical storyteller with a wide reaching practice, Gabrielle trained at the Atelier für Physisches Theater in Berlin and has toured worldwide with many of her self devised shows.
HOTMESS was created during the NNSW floods as an escape from the hardship, grief and exhaustion we were all experiencing.
IN THE FLESH:
Our signature show, In The Flesh, is a decadent life drawing experience designed to ignite your creative fire and release you from normality. Be prepared to be immersed in a fictional world of costume, sound, lighting and performance used to playfully nudge one to question the fabric of life through emotional experiences. We thrive on the edge exploring ideas that are cheeky, evocative and conceptual, creating a banquet of food for thought, a bit of heat in your seat and a smile on your dial. With meticulous art direction, we curate each show to create a dynamic space where participants can liberate their creativity.
Our goal is to transcend boundaries, fostering an environment where the audience actively engages, experiments, and discovers the diverse worlds we craft through performance.
Welcome to a new dimension of artistic expression with HOTMESS.
We have have performed at Splendour In the Grass, Return To Rio, Party In The Paddock, Cairns Festival Horizon Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Metro Arts, GUAM, HOTA and Byron Theatre
