The Vessel
Clear your creative channel · 1 January to 31 March 2027
Founding enrollment closes in
Like water, creativity stays clear by moving.
Begin the new year with a steady practice of making: weekly lessons, live sessions, and a small group making work alongside you.
You know the pattern
You start a sketchbook, and it goes well for a few weeks. Then life gets busy, the inner critic gets louder, and the work stops. Months later, you start again.
Maybe you’ve done The Artist’s Way, or something like it. Something opened up. But without a structure to hold it, the practice drifted.
The problem isn’t talent or time. It’s that creative practice needs a vessel: something to provide containment while still allowing flow.
Founding price until 15 November 2026. Begins 1 January 2027.
Founding enrollment closes in
A vessel is defined by what it can hold
The Vessel is a three-month practice for clearing your creative channel. You don’t clear the channel and then begin to make. You clear it by making.
Each week, you receive a lesson and a guided exercise. You explore drawing, painting, photography, and writing, or bring your own practice. You share your work with a small group, receive feedback, and keep going. Week by week, making becomes a habit, and the habit becomes a practice.
By March, you’ll have:
A steady, weekly creative practice
A body of experimental work across different mediums
A clearer sense of what you want to make, and how you work best
A community of people making alongside you
Access to your creative channel, and strategies and practices to clear it if it get’s stuck
What’s included
12 weekly lessons. Each lesson arrives with a guided exercise and clear direction. Work at your own pace, at whatever time of day suits you.
3 live Zoom sessions, one each month.
January: Opening. An introduction to The Vessel and to working experimentally.
February: Process. A discussion of the work in progress, with feedback and guidance.
March: Closing. A review of the work you’ve made over three months.
Sessions are recorded, so you can join live or watch in your own time.
A private space to share your work. Post your work on our private platform for feedback and accountability.
The Experimental Practice community. Join our WhatsApp community to follow each other’s progress and stay connected between sessions.
Who this is for
The Vessel is a good fit if:
✅ You want a steady, ongoing creative practice.
✅ You’ve done The Artist’s Way (or something like it), and want a practice that keeps going.
✅ You’re interested in art-making as a way of being, not only a set of skills.
✅ You’re drawn to reflection, experimentation, and play.
✅ You want to make work alongside others and find a creative community.
✅ You’re ready to commit to three months of getting in touch with your creativity.
The Vessel isn’t right for you if:
❌ You want a step-by-step technical art or drawing course.
❌ You’re looking for therapy. This is an educational creative program.
“Be wild; that is how to clear the river. The river does not flow in polluted, we manage that. The river does not dry up, we block it. If we want to allow it its freedom, we have to allow our ideational lives to be let loose, to stream, letting anything come, initially censoring nothing. That is a creative life. It is made up of divine paradox.”
—Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women who Run with the Wolves
About Francesca Sciandra
I’m Francesca Sciandra, an artist, guide, and educator. I trained in architecture at Cooper Union and graphic design at Parsons, and I’ve been teaching and facilitating in the arts since I was a teenager.
My approach draws on my professional and personal study of the arts, psychotherapy, and altered states. I teach art as a way of bringing what lies beneath the surface into visible form, and as a way of seeing and relating directly to the world around you.
In the studio, I bring curiosity and encouragement. You bring yourself, and whatever you’re ready to make.
Enroll in The Vessel
The Vessel
1 January to 31 March 2027
Founding Enrollment until 15 November 2026: £240 (about $320)
Standard Enrollment: £360 (about $480)
Prices are in British pounds. Your bank converts the amount at checkout.
Or join the full Experimental Year
The Vessel is the first of four modules in Experimental Year, a year-long program in creative practice.
Relate to art making as an experience of being and develop yourself through making.
Each module lasts three months and centers on a theme:
The Vessel (January to March): Clear your creative channel.
Inner Space (April to June): Dreamwork, creative imagination, and personal mythology.
Orbit (July to September): Honor the things that fascinate you.
Making Contact (October to December): The back-and-forth between your work and the world.
The full year also includes:
Studio Hours: monthly live sessions with feedback on your work
Deepening: guided active imagination sessions
Art as Psychological Process: an ongoing seminar on image-making as psychological inquiry
Four modules booked separately cost £1,200 at standard price. The full year starts at £640 for Founding Enrollment, available until 15 November 2026.
FAQs
Do I need art experience?
No. The exercises work at any level. This program intentionally invites those with a wide range of skills and experiences with a range of mediums. What matters is a willingness to show up and experiment. If you feel called, it’s for you.
When are the live sessions?
The dates and times for the live session will be shared soon.
What if I can’t attend the live sessions?
The monthly sessions are recorded, so you can watch in your own time.
What supplies do I need?
Simple, inexpensive materials, many of them already in your home. You’ll receive a materials list before we begin. The basics will do to get started: a sketchbook, a notebook or journal, large sheets of paper, graphite pencils, an eraser, ink, brushes, watercolours, soft charcoal sticks, and a camera phone. In many cases, you’ll choose your own materials, but guidance will be available.
Is this therapy?
No. The Vessel is an educational creative program. It explores the inner life through image-making, but it is not art therapy and does not replace clinical support. It’s taught by me in my capacity as an artist and educator.
How much time will I need?
Plan for at least 2 to 3 hours per week to engage with the material, plus one live 1 hour session per month. How much time you dedicate is up to you.
Do you offer scholarships or reduced fee places?
No. If the fee for this course feels uncomfortable, check out the 28-day short courses, Experimental Drawing and Experimental Photography as a place to start.
Do you offer payment plans?
No, I do not offer payment plans. You may pay for the program per module. Sign up to my newsletter to hear about early bird pricing and special offers.
What is the refund policy?
The program is non-refundable. The full refund policy is here. If you have any questions, please contact me before joining.
Have a question not answered here?
Please email me: hello@francescasciandra.com. I read and reply personally to all messages.
Begin your creative year
Clear the channel. Get the work flowing. Make room for what comes next.
Founding enrollment closes in