Art's way of becoming

Why do we so often live by values, fears, and expectations we never fully chose?

Artonomy grew from this question. It explores how making art can help us work with the forces that shape what feels natural, necessary, or possible. In making art, these forces can become part of what unfolds between the person, the materials, the image and the choices being made. A mark can be repeated, covered or interrupted; an image can resist what we intended; something can become important that was not there at the beginning. Art creates a space where familiar ways of responding can be repeated, encountered, unsettled or taken somewhere unexpected.

This is where art meets autonomy. Artonomy is about using art to explore how we become who we are — and how we might begin to take part in that becoming.

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OUR SERVICES

Child creating artwork during an art therapy session

Art Class

Small-group creative experiences that support exploration, reflection, connection and personal growth through art-making.

Child creating a colourful artwork at an art table

Art-based Personal Development

Art-based sessions for exploring identity, values, self-understanding and life direction for young children

Children creating nature-inspired art with leaves and art materials

Art-based mindfulness workshop

Mindfulness and art-making combined to support present-moment awareness, stress reduction and reflective self-awareness.

Child drawing and painting at an art table

Art therapy

A therapeutic approach using art-making and conversation to explore emotions, experiences and psychological wellbeing.

About Artonomy House

Artonomy House was founded by Faye, a Registered Art Therapist (AThR), art educator, doctoral researcher in art and education at Western Sydney University, and trained mindfulness teacher. Her approach brings together art-making, reflection and mindfulness across therapeutic, developmental and creative settings.

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Kids' Art Class in Chatswood

Small-group art classes for children aged 6–13, with a maximum of four children per class. Children develop their own ideas and creative voice, with individual guidance and art skills introduced as they need them.

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When Being Told the Right Way Gets in the Way of Learning——Learning Tai Chi, Teaching Art

A few months ago, my Tai Chi teacher noticed a problem with the way I was practising. What interested me later was that he chose not to correct it. I had learnt much of the traditional Yang-style 85 form from a video before I began studying with Sam, so almost every movement needed work. I wanted as much correction as I could get. Whenever Sam corrected something in my practice, I felt I had come away with treasure. I would go over his corrections in my mind again and again,

Faye Z

4 min read

What Art Education Can Learn from the concept of Yin and Yang

Language and art have both served as tools for communication. As human society advanced, language became a type of art—as in "the art of communication." Yet, in some schools and the majority of community art centres, art has been reduced to little more than skill, losing much of its communicative power. Children are taught the same set of skills and knowledge and are instructed to produce the same or very similar output. Art should really be a heartfelt expression of who we a

Faye Z

2 min read

What Can Art Teach Children Beyond Art Skills?

Growing up in China, I came across many different ideas about why children should learn art. Some common ones went something like this: “Most artists spend their lives in poverty and only become famous after they die. Some even go mad and cut off their ears. Still, art can be useful—it might help a child get into a better university if their academic results aren't quite good enough.” “I've never really thought much about art, but everyone else’s kids are learning it. Mine ca

Faye Z

6 min read

When Children's Art Becomes Imitation

Picasso famously said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." Yet the sad reality is that lots of art teachers spend their time teaching kids how to draw like adults. One especially notorious practice—widely criticised by art educators is the so-called "stick-figure drawing" method. In Chinese, there's a distinct name for it "简笔画”(Jian Bi Hua), which simply means simplified drawing. It's quick and easy as ABC, and was developed to

Faye Z

4 min read

Why Picasso and Matisse Looked to Children and Eastern Art

Speaking about Picasso, most people think about his famous paintings, such as Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Guernica, or The Weeping Woman. Hardly anyone would connect the Cubist master with Chinese ink painting. In fact, Picasso held Eastern art—especially Chinese brushwork and calligraphy—in very high regard. He once said, “If I had been born in China, I might have become a calligrapher instead of a painter.” Pablo Picasso and traditional Chinese painter Zhang Daqian (right)

Faye Z

3 min read

Does Your Child Really Lack Imagination?

They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.-Frida Kahlo A while back, a parent told me she was worried about her daughter's artistic abilities. "I think she lacks imagination," she said. This parent is not the only parent that is concerned about their children's imagination. Even some art educators seem to have the same judgment on what should imagination look like in children's art. To me, a child's imagination isn't neces

Faye Z

3 min read

When Life Took a Turn, Art Led the Way

"Life really does begin at 40. Up until then, you are just doing research."— Carl Jung I'm Faye. I'm a mother of two children, and someone who has spent much of her life searching for what truly gives life meaning. I was born and raised in China, and since 2008, Australia has been my home. Cozy Study Session with Roxy, Sapphire, and a Pile of Books, 2023 In 2019, I lost a dear family member. This traumatic experience made me rethink what truly matters in life. In search of

Faye Z

2 min read

When AI Can Create, Why Do We Still Make Art?

W.H. Auden called art a "rite of worship," something instinctive rather than learned. Maybe that is the reason why, in Aboriginal Australian languages, there's no direct equivalent for the word "art". To Aboriginal Australian people, art is a way of being and how they live their lives. It is woven into storytelling, traditions, and daily existence. The impulse to create is deeply human. Poets often describe writing as something that just happens—an unfiltered response to emo

Artonomy House

2 min read

From “What Should I Draw?”to“I Know What I Want to Draw”

One of the most common questions I get from parents is, "What course do you offer? Do you teach watercolour, oil painting, or sketching?" If I had to name the kind of art course I offer, I'd call it an art nurturing class. It's not structured around teaching specific skills, or a particular theme—instead, it's about providing inspiration, and allowing kids to explore their own interests, discover their preferred styles and materials, and develop organically. When they reach a

Artonomy House

4 min read

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CONTACT

artonomyhouse@gmail.com

0425511888

Artonomy House is an art education and art therapy studio in Chatswood, Sydney.

Home: Contact

Art's way of becoming

OUR SERVICES

Art Class

Art-based Personal Development

Art-based mindfulness workshop

Art therapy

About Artonomy House

BLOG​

When Being Told the Right Way Gets in the Way of Learning——Learning Tai Chi, Teaching Art

What Art Education Can Learn from the concept of Yin and Yang

What Can Art Teach Children Beyond Art Skills?

When Children's Art Becomes Imitation

Why Picasso and Matisse Looked to Children and Eastern Art

Does Your Child Really Lack Imagination?

When Life Took a Turn, Art Led the Way

When AI Can Create, Why Do We Still Make Art?

From “What Should I Draw?”to“I Know What I Want to Draw”

CONTACT

BLOG