
One of my students — a retired teacher — sat down at her kitchen table with a sketchbook she'd had for years and barely touched. She drew a gargoyle, over and over, until it started to look like something.
She didn't have a plan, and certainly didn't know that was the beginning of a daily practice. Now she draws every single day. She gifts paintings to people she loves. And recently, her doctor told her she's one of the sharpest patients she has.
She's in her 60s and she says this is the best chapter of her life.

“I am dedicated to my artistry. I will keep striving to be as good as my skill will take me.” — Beverly M., New Page Academy
If you already know you want this same thing for yourself, you don't need to wait to hear more. Consider this your invitation!
If part of you is thinking “I'm just not ready yet” — that's not really what this is about. That's the exact feeling almost everyone in today's workshop has felt at some point. It doesn't go away on its own. It goes away when someone is in your corner, helping you push through it.
And if you're thinking "I don't have the time" — I hear that a lot, but what I've built was never meant to run on a fixed meeting time or hard deadlines. You move through it at whatever pace your life allows. Some weeks it may be most days. Some weeks it's one sketch on a Sunday. There's no clock running against you, and no falling behind.

If you've never done one of these before: it's twenty minutes, just the two of us. You tell me where you are and what you're hoping for, and I tell you honestly whether this is the right fit. No script, no pitch — just a conversation. Bring your work if you'd like, or don't. Either way, you'll leave with more clarity than you came with.
If this feels right, I'd love to talk with you for twenty minutes. No pressure — just a conversation to see if it's a good fit for both of us.
If it's not the right time, that's completely fine —
I hope you'll come back to a future Soirée!
Copyright 2026, Sharon McNeil, All Rights Reserved
Contact: Sharon@newpageacademy.com