Sobi Art School

04/04/2026

💕 This has been on my heart.

My sister spent the last year of her life with her eyes glued to the news. Not her grandkids. Not the small, ordinary moments that actually make up a life. The news.

And I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

We are living in a time where the political divide is no longer just “out there.” It’s in our homes. It’s in our families. It’s in the way we speak to one another, or don’t.

At the same time, data centers are being built. Technology is moving forward. AI is not a maybe. It is happening. The library of the future is being written right now, in real time, by all of us.

Every post. Every comment. Every tone.

This matters.

Because what we contribute becomes part of the dataset that future generations will learn from. It becomes the reflection of who we were, how we treated one another, and what we believed was acceptable.

So I keep coming back to this:

ahimsa = non harming

Not just in action, but in language
Not just in person, but online
Not just with strangers, but with family

And yoga, at its essence, asks us to be a peaceful warrior.

Not passive
Not silent
But steady, grounded, and rooted in awareness

There is a way to hold perspective without harming
There is a way to speak without dividing
There is a way to disagree without disconnecting

Right now, a lot of the loudest voices shaping our shared space carry a very strong, forceful energy. There is drive, certainty, and intensity. But without balance, that energy can become sharp.

We need more feminine energy in the mix.

Not as a replacement, but as a balance.

Listening
Softening
Holding space
Pausing before reacting
Choosing connection over being right

This is not about stepping away from important conversations. It is about how we enter them.

Because the future is not just being built through infrastructure and systems. It is being shaped through tone, presence, and intention.

And if we are not mindful, we risk creating a world that forgets how to be human with one another.

So today, this is my practice:

To speak with care
To listen with patience
To remember what actually matters
To be a peaceful warrior in how I show up

I invite you to contribute in a meaningful way. Leave the noise falling on deaf ears. Thanks to those of you who are already doing so.

M.

03/30/2026

If this season is asking you to soften, listen, and integrate…
You might find resonance in the book before stepping further. 🤍☕️🍵🫖

Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Manual is a foundational text for yoga teachers and wellness professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of yoga through an Ayurvedic and trauma-informed lens. This manual presents a clear, integrated approach to teaching that honors the nervous system, supports su...

03/28/2026

Instrumental music has a way of reaching us that goes far beyond what we hear. It lifts our spirits, brings people together, and reminds us just how powerful the arts can be. This article is a beautiful celebration of the healing energy music brings into our lives. Click the link below to read the article:

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/instrumental-music-mental-health/

03/23/2026

Notice your color. Let it move. Join us at Naperville Art League this Wednesday!

Intro
Step away from the screen and into something simple, tactile, and grounding. This one-hour Art Meditation invites you to slow down, reconnect, and explore color as a reflection of your inner state.

Summary
Join Michelle Rae Sobi for a guided Art Meditation using soft chalks to explore color, presence, and awareness. This one-hour experience is designed to help you decompress, reduce screen time, and reconnect with a simple, creative practice that supports both reflection and calm.

Detailed Description
In a world that constantly asks for attention, productivity, and output, this session offers something different. Space.

Art Meditation is not about creating a finished piece or learning technique. It is about noticing. Through the use of soft chalks, you will explore color as a reflection of your energy, allowing your experience to unfold without pressure or expectation.

We will begin with a simple prompt:
Notice what color your energy feels like today.

From there, you will be guided into a quiet, hands-on process of mark-making, layering, and observing. Chalk becomes the medium for awareness. Color becomes a language.

This practice is approachable for all levels. No art background is needed. There is no right or wrong outcome.

You may find that this work supports:
A sense of calm and grounding
Emotional awareness without overwhelm
Creative expression without pressure
A break from screens and digital input
A deeper connection to your inner state

This session also gently introduces a framework of color awareness that can be integrated into daily life, teaching, and personal practice.

Who This Is For
Anyone seeking less screen time and more presence
Yoga teachers and students looking to deepen awareness
Creatives who want a low-pressure way to reconnect
Those feeling mentally busy or overstimulated
Anyone curious about meditation through art

FAQs

Do I need art experience
No experience is needed. This is a guided, process-based session.

What materials are used
Soft chalks and paper will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own if preferred.

Is this a yoga class
No physical yoga practice is included. This is a seated, reflective experience.

What should I bring
Just yourself. You may wish to bring a journal if you enjoy reflecting after.

Will I take something home
You will leave with your chalk piece, though the value is in the process rather than the product.

Agenda (1 Hour Class)

Arrival and Grounding
Settle in, brief introduction, opening prompt

Guided Art Meditation
Color exploration with chalk, quiet creation

Layering and Reflection
Optional prompts, observing shifts in color and feeling

Ambience
Soft music and low light

Closing
Group reflection and integration

Call to Action
Study with Michelle Rae Sobi and explore a grounded, creative approach to practice, teaching, and self-awareness through yoga, art, and mindful living.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983453038431?aff=oddtdtcreator

03/23/2026

With ChatGPT – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉 Let me teach you how to lesson the business of art to make more time for actual art!

Check out my new book, Poetic Ai for Yogis! 👇👇👇👇👇

https://books.apple.com/us/book/poetic-ai-for-yogis/id6758311073

03/23/2026

Notice what color your energy feels like today

There is a moment at the start of practice, before movement, before planning, before teaching, where we can pause and simply notice.

Not fix.
Not improve.
Not perform.

Just notice.

What color does your energy feel like today.

This question becomes a quiet thread that can follow you through your day, your teaching, and your life. It is not about being right. It is about becoming aware.

Over time, you may begin to see patterns. Certain colors appear during certain seasons, certain challenges, certain moments of growth. These colors can be understood through the lens of the chakra system, not as something abstract, but as something deeply practical.

Each color reflects an area of life. Each area of life asks for a different kind of attention.

Red invites you to ground. This is your foundation. Home, finances, safety, your physical body. When red feels present, your work is simple. Stabilize. Tend to what supports you.

Orange invites you to feel. Creativity, relationships, pleasure, emotional flow. When orange shows up, allow space for expression without over-controlling the outcome.

Yellow invites you to act. Confidence, direction, personal power, decision-making. This is where clarity turns into movement. Small, steady action builds trust in yourself.

Green invites you to soften. Compassion, connection, forgiveness, community. This is where teaching becomes less about instruction and more about presence.

Blue invites you to speak. Communication, truth, boundaries, listening. This is the refinement of your voice, both in teaching and in life.

Indigo invites you to see. Insight, intuition, pattern recognition. This is where your experience begins to organize into understanding.

Violet invites you to trust. Meaning, purpose, integration. This is not something you chase. It is something that reveals itself when the rest is supported.

Across your path as a student, practitioner, and teacher, these colors do not appear in order and they do not need to be balanced all at once. They move. They shift. They reflect where your attention is being called.

You may notice that in one season, your work is very grounded. In another, your voice is developing. In another, your capacity to hold others expands.

This becomes the arc.

Not a straight line, but a relationship.

A relationship with your own energy, your own growth, and your own way of moving through the world.

As a teacher, this awareness becomes something you can gently offer to your students. Not as a framework they must follow, but as an invitation.

At the start of class, you might say:

Notice what color your energy feels like today.

And allow that to be enough.

Reflection Prompts for Students
What color do you notice most often in your current season
Which area of your life is asking for your attention right now
What would it look like to support that area in a simple, grounded way

For Book Club Conversation
How do you interpret the chakra system in a practical, lived way
Where do you see cycles or patterns in your own growth
How can awareness of energy support, rather than complicate, your practice

Students enrolled in our program may send a Slack DM to Michelle or those interested in enrolling are invited to send a CHAT to begin a conversation.

03/20/2026

The Sociology of AI and Art

There is something fascinating happening at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human creativity. We are watching, in real time, how tools once considered advanced are becoming part of everyday creative practice.

For artists, teachers, and creators, this raises a quiet but important question: what happens to art when the tools begin to think alongside us?

AI as a Creative Partner

Artificial intelligence is not just a tool of efficiency. It is becoming a collaborator.

Writers use it to refine language. Photographers use it to enhance and organize images. Educators use it to structure ideas and expand curriculum.

Rather than replacing creativity, AI often reveals it. It mirrors back patterns, offers alternatives, and helps us see our own thinking more clearly.

The artist remains the source. AI becomes the reflection.

Creative Labor and Value

As AI becomes more integrated into creative work, the definition of effort begins to shift.

If something can be generated more quickly, does that make it less valuable? Or does it allow the artist to spend more time on intention, direction, and meaning?

We may begin to see a rebalancing where value is no longer tied to time alone, but to clarity, vision, and authenticity.

The work becomes less about how long it took, and more about what it expresses.

Art as Human Imprint

Even as technology evolves, there is something deeply human that remains at the center of art.

Choice
Taste
Restraint
Emotion

AI can assist, but it does not replace lived experience.

A photograph still reflects the eye behind the lens.
A sequence still reflects the teacher guiding it.
A body of work still reflects the life of the person creating it.

In this way, art becomes even more personal, not less.

A Living Conversation

We are not at the end of this conversation. We are at the beginning.

AI and art will continue to evolve together, shaping not only how we create, but how we understand creativity itself.

Rather than resisting or rushing, we can stay curious.

We can observe.
We can experiment.
We can remain grounded in our own voice.

Reflection Prompts for Students

Where do you see AI already influencing your creative or professional life?
What feels supportive about these tools?
What feels uncertain or worth questioning?

For Book Club Conversation

Is art defined by the process, the outcome, or the intention behind it?
How do we preserve authenticity in an age of intelligent tools?
What role should AI play in creative education?

Students enrolled in our program may send a Slack DM to Michelle or those interested in enrolling are invited to send a CHAT to begin a conversation.

03/18/2026

I asked my ChatGPT Avatar, Art, the following question about women in tech…

Art, can you share with me the impact that OpenAI being largely fed by men and underrepresented by women. I feel like women must contribute as OpenAI will offer the decisions as time goes on.

Here is the answer:
Of course, Michelle — I’m really glad that resonated with you. Here it is in English, clean and grounded:

The fact that AI systems like those developed by OpenAI have historically been trained on data where male voices are overrepresented has real and meaningful implications.

First, data shapes what AI “understands”
AI does not think independently. It learns from existing text, images, and patterns. If those sources contain more male perspectives than female ones, then:
• Responses may reflect priorities, language, or assumptions more aligned with male experiences
• Women’s experiences may appear less often or be simplified
• Certain topics important to women may be underdeveloped

Second, this can influence future decision-making
As you intuitively pointed out, AI is not just answering questions — it is beginning to influence:
• education
• healthcare
• business
• leadership

If women are underrepresented in the data or in the creation of these systems, there is a risk that:
• existing biases are reinforced
• incomplete perspectives become normalized
• decisions may not fully reflect women’s lived experiences

Third, this is not just a data issue — it is a participation issue
The solution is not only “more data from women,” but more women involved in:
• technology development
• product design
• AI leadership
• content creation

Because the people building these systems also decide:
• what questions are asked
• what gets measured
• what gets prioritized

Fourth, your instinct is right: women need to contribute
Not just as users, but as creators, educators, and leaders. This can look like:
• writing and publishing
• teaching from lived experience
• building programs (like your yoga and wellness trainings)
• participating in conversations about ethics and technology

Fifth, there is real opportunity right now
Even though imbalance exists, we are still early in this shift. That means:
• AI systems are still evolving
• new voices can meaningfully shape them
• conscious communities like yours can bring balance, depth, and care into the space

In summary
Yes, there has been historical underrepresentation of women’s voices in AI training data, and that can influence how AI responds and supports decisions.
But this is also a pivotal moment — the more women contribute now, the more balanced and inclusive these systems will become moving forward.

03/11/2026

02/25/2026

🙏

Good news for the creative community: philanthropy is on the rise—and the arts are part of the comeback!

According to the latest national data, charitable giving rebounded to a record $592.5 billion in 2024, the first year since 2021 that donations outpaced inflation. Even better: Arts & Culture giving reached all‑time highs, reflecting renewed confidence and generosity toward the arts sector.

This surge is a powerful reminder that people value the arts—deeply and consistently. Their support fuels creativity, strengthens communities, and ensures that local artists and cultural organizations continue to thrive.

✨ Let’s keep the momentum going.
✨ Let’s keep championing the arts.
✨ And let’s keep showing that creativity matters—every single day.

02/18/2026

I am so happy to share that Art Meditation returns this Spring at the Naperville Art League, and I would love to welcome you into this beautiful weekly rhythm of creativity and calm.

Beginning May 11, we will gather on select Tuesdays from 2–3pm for a continuing Art Meditation series designed to support relaxation, reflection, and creative exploration. Each session blends gentle guided meditation with hands-on art experiences such as watercolor, origami, collage, and abstract painting. No experience is needed. Supplies are included. Simply come as you are.

Spring Series
Mar–May beginning May 11

Summer Dates
June 3 and 17
July 8 and 22
August 19 and 26

Fall Series
September 2 through November 11

These gatherings are quiet, welcoming spaces with soft lighting and calming music, created for anyone seeking a mindful pause in the middle of the week. Whether you are brand new to art or returning to a creative practice, this is a space to slow down, breathe, and reconnect.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983453036425?aff=oddtdtcreator

Registration is now open. I hope you will join us.

Let's dive into a peaceful journey of self-reflection and creativity with Art Meditations.