Everyone is born creative. I am here just to help them bring it out, said Lauren Becker-Downey, owner and director of Bravo School of Art, located on the second floor of Barracks 19 in the NTC Arts & Culture District of Liberty Station, 2690 Historic Decatur Road, Studio 206. “In almost every one of my classes, there is someone who is worried about not being good enough, talented enough or creative enough. I say, “Just relax into it. You will get better with practice. After all, you don’t make it to Carnegie Hall the first time you sit down at a piano.’” The focus at Bravo is on providing a safe and supportive environment for learning to do art. “I never criticize my students,” said Becker-Downey. ” I am always positive and encouraging. The aim is to provide a nurturing and fun place to awaken our natural creativity.” Becker-Downey heads a team of hand-picked teachers who offer more than 50 different art courses, including painting, drawing, mixed-media, fibers, jewelry, photography, book arts, decorative art, mosaic, children’s art and “the artist way,” which opens up to creativity. One of her most interesting classes is “Paint Your Sneakers,” where people paint their canvas sneakers in wild colors and patterns. Becker-Downey also creates custom-built classes to fit anyone’s schedule, like “Mom’s Night Out,” “Girl’s Night Out” and “No-Talent Diva.” Some of Becker-Downey’s more popular instructors include Carol Lang, who teaches pine-needle basketry; Patricia Hyman (drawing) and Jill Hall (artist’s way), both the latter of whom are residents of Point Loma. Becker-Downey opened her school at Liberty Station two and a half years ago. She was invited on the developer’s first tour of Barracks 19, which was refurbished with an aim of creating an arts district. She bought into the concept right away. “I just loved the light and the feeling of Barracks 19,” she said. “I had looked at other locations for a school, like in North Park, but everywhere seemed isolated and lonely, and required too much fixing up. Here, all I had to do was unlock the door and it was ready to go. And it’s never lonely here, because there are 40 other people involved in the arts near by.” Becker-Downey’s growing school has students of all ages, shapes and sizes, but she said the lion’s share of her students are women between the ages of 40 and 60, who finally have the time and opportunity to explore their creative side. Many come from as far away as Bonsal, Murrieta and Temecula to her attend her classes. Becker-Downey grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburg. Her father worked in the research division of Westinghouse and painted in his spare time. Her mother was a high school nurse. “I think that I was born an artist,” Becker-Downey said. “I have been doing art for as far back as I can remember.” She went on to attend Tyler College of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she earned a Bachel of Fine Arts in textiles and weaving. While in Los Angeles working for Paper Moon Graphics, Becker-Downey saw an advertisement in a magazine at the library, placed by someone who was looking for a co-owner of an art gallery. She jumped at the opportunity and moved to San Diego to help run Bravo Art Gallery in the Gaslamp District. After the gallery closed, she began to give art workshops at the Ratner Art Center in the East Village. From there it was on to Liberty Station. Becker-Downey thinks that it is a shame that many of the public schools have cut art and music classes because of the budget crisis. “Creativity is important in everyone’s life,” she said. “It’s relaxing and helps to reduce stress and it teaches you how to think in ways that help you better deal with today’s rapidly changing world.” For more information, call (619) 223-0058, email [email protected], or visit www.bravoschoolofart.com.