About

Hi, I'm Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.

CURIOSITY is the key to CREATIVITY and it's the secret sauce behind everything I do.

Here's my personal story:

Balzer Designs became an official company in 2012.
At the time, I was a theatrical director in NYC, but I had an art hobby that I loved. I blogged casually under the guise of "Balzer Designs" and in 2012, I decided to ditch my theatrical career and try to become a full-time working artist.

I began to pursue opportunities.
- I started teaching art classes across the world. Traveling to new destinations became a passion.
- My book Carve Stamp Play was released by Interweave Press in December 2013.
- I committed to my blog and to this day I continue to post fresh content Monday-Friday!
- I started a podcast. You can listen to the "Adventures in Arting Podcast," which I host along with my Mother, Eileen Hsü-Balzer.
- I started licensing my artwork for art products such as stencils and stamps.
- I pursued TV and video opportunities, including hosting Make It Artsy on PBS and representing Brother products on HSN.

Life happened in between.
I got divorced. I worked on myself. I left NYC. I met someone amazing. He proposed - in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower - with a ring he made himself. We bought a falling down house. The water main broke. We spent a little more than a year renovating the house, including the most important part: my art studio! We had a beautiful baby boy. The pandemic happened. And like the rest of the world, I pivoted my business to primarily online.

Fast forward to today.
My students and personal coaching clients all say the same thing: Julie knows how to break down complicated topics and ideas into simple chunks that are easy to comprehend and learn from.

My business, Balzer Designs, was founded on five core beliefs:

QUESTION WITH PURPOSE - Curiosity and questions go hand-in-hand. But for curiosity to become creativity, you need to question with purpose. Ask questions of experts (i.e. learn from others). Ask questions of yourself by doing research, experimenting with your own hypotheses, and reflecting on the work you've created.
BE OPEN TO THE NEW - New discoveries, new media, new inspiration, new ideas, new people, new cultures, new technology, new experiences. When we stop being open to "the new" we are no longer in a creative space.
BEGIN WITH IMAGINATION - It's an idea or a notion without a plan. Your imagination is unencumbered by reality and your skill level. Imagination is the catalyst for creativity.
ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION - If you come to a class I'm teaching, you're going to have to talk. Discussing our work, our goals, our successes, and our struggles is a key part of the creative process. Through dialogue we gather new perspectives and fresh ideas. By naming problems we begin to solve them.
EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUE QUALITIES - Be bold and embrace your quirks and all the things that make you, YOU!

If my five core beliefs resonate for you, then let's make something together!

I offer numerous opportunities for learning -- free and paid. You can check out the different options on THIS PAGE.

Finally, I am the breadwinner for our family. So every workshop you attend, every work of art you purchase, every membership payment you make -- it matters to our little family. We are so grateful for your support. Thank you!