How Wild at Art KIDS began: My Journey to Opening an Art Studio in Taylors Lakes
My name is Di, founder and director of Wild at Art KIDS — an art studio in Taylors Lakes offering classes for kids, teens and adults.
We started as a small studio just for kids, but as our community grew, I wanted to be able to offer classes to more of our community – art really is for everyone. So now we run classes for all ages — because creativity doesn’t stop when childhood ends.
From Classroom Teacher to
Art Studio Owner
If you’d asked me 10 years ago (or even four!) if I’d ever open an art studio, I would’ve laughed and said, “I can’t imagine that!”
I didn’t really have art in primary school, and in high school I clearly remember a few memorable projects — a gridded sketch of Johnny Depp, a green monochromatic still life of a vase of flowers, a strawberry-shaped pillow and a clay monster.
I trained as a primary school teacher, and can you believe I majored in Maths, Science, Technology? As well as Early Childhood Education. I was terrible at art at university – I remember this surrealist work we had to do and I just pasted pictures of cars cut out of a magazine flying in the sky. It was really meh. But we all start somewhere, huh?
So how did I end up here, running an art studio?
Discovering a Love for Teaching Art
When my youngest child was little, I didn’t want to return to full-time teaching, so I took on some relief (CRT) work. Over about 18 months, I found myself in a lot of art rooms, filling in for teachers on leave — and that’s where I discovered a love of teaching art.
I absolutely loved it.
I loved teaching new skills, introducing different materials, brainstorming creative ideas with students, and then watching them take those ideas in their own direction. Seeing 25 completely unique artworks come to life from the same brief was fascinating.
Watching kids create — each with their own interpretation, their own developing style — was deeply rewarding. And I loved that in art, everyone’s work was “right”.
There’s no single answer in art. Sure, there are “rules” or Principles of Art, but there are so many ways to apply them. That freedom to explore, imagine and experiment was something I wanted to nurture more of.
As a classroom teacher, I always tried to encourage creativity and choice, but in the art room, I could take it to a whole new level.
Following the Signs
That relief work led to more opportunities — a classroom position that included teaching art, a move back home to Melbourne, and eventually a permanent role teaching art to Years 1–6. It was the perfect mix of structure and creativity.
Then, a few years later, life opened a new door. I joined some mentoring programs that encouraged us to think bigger — to explore what we really wanted to do, not just what felt safe or familiar.
Opening an art studio was part of that dream.
And once I made the decision, things started falling into place. Conversations, connections, opportunities — everything I needed seemed to appear right when I needed it.
Looking back, I can see that my love of art was quietly growing long before I realised it. I just needed the right experiences to bring it forward.
Wild at Art KIDS Today
Today, Wild at Art KIDS runs classes six days a week — daytime, after school, evenings and weekends — plus school holiday workshops.
We offer:
Kids Art Classes (ages 5+)
Teen Art Classes
Adult Art Classes
Daytime Art Classes
School Holiday Workshops
We’re proud to be part of the Taylors Lakes community, helping local families slow down, unplug and connect through creativity.
Join Us
If you’d love to explore your creativity — or give your child or teen the opportunity to explore their creativity and grow their confidence through art — come and join us at Wild at Art KIDS in Taylors Lakes.
You can find out more about our classes here: