Nina Loeks is pretty confident she was put on this earth to teach art. The past few months have reaffirmed that.

“I have worked most of my life in education. I have taught art, but last spring I was teaching preschool and missed teaching art. So I put up a website and within a couple of weeks I had 300 things lined up! That was a much better response than I ever dreamed of. I was teaching art while still working another job. One day I just decided to go for it. I didn’t want to be 70 years old and still wonder if I could have done it. So here we are, six months later, and I have my own art studio,” explains Nina.

Nina teaches classes at her studio, Art from the Heart, in Bismarck. But she also takes her classes to preschools, daycares, art clubs, assisted living centers, and senior centers. She does home parties, too.

“People in Bismarck have been waiting for this. On a recent livability study, people said they want affordable housing; second on the list was more arts and entertainment options,” says Nina.

Nina teaches all mediums—water color, pastel, collage. She’s also getting a kiln and will soon add pottery classes. She’ll offer paint-and-go parties and glazing events. And every other Sunday, Nina offers what she calls “artsy afternoon” classes, a one hour class designed for families. The cost is just $5 per person.

“I’m not doing this to get rich. I’m trying to make art affordable so anyone can come and do it. I think everyone should be able to afford to create.”

To learn more, visit Nina’s Facebook page, Art from the Heart.