Happy holidays! If you're still on the hunt for holiday gifts, Brainery gift certificates are great for all your last-minute needs! They can be emailed over immediately or on the date of your choosing, never expire, and are available in a wide range of denominations. Grab one here!
Coming Up Soon
Friday Overcoming Scarcity Mindset -
how to create healthy habits for nurturing your creative practice and working from a place of 'abundance' vs. 'lack' Prospect Heights
Saturday Introduction to Embroidery: Tote Bags -
embroider your own monogrammed tote Park Slope
Saturday Recovering Your Creativity -
identify and reflect on creative blocks and gain tools for working through these obstacles in a sustainable way Prospect Heights
December 22 Shibori: Block and Bind Dye Techniques with Indigo -
learn the traditional art of shibori dyeing with natural indigo dye Prospect Heights
December 22 Build Your Journaling Practice -
explore different methods of journal writing and drawing to find the best practice to fit what you need Park Slope
December 23 Embroidery in 90 Minutes: Mini Floral Monogram -
learn useful stitches to create a quick gift Park Slope
December 23 Glass Etching -
design a stencil of your choice and etch it on a pair of wine glasses Prospect Heights
Dec 30 + Jan 2 Improv For Essential Workplace Conversations - how to give feedback, pushback and follow-up Prospect Heights
January 4 Classic Charcoal Drawing: Anatomy -
improve your technique with tips from the Old Masters Prospect Heights
January 4 Creating a New Money Mindset -
learn strategies for improving your personal finances to have money for the things in life that matter most to them Prospect Heights
New This Week
January 6 Brand Strategy Bootcamp -
dig in with four hands-on exercises to help set your business up for success Park Slope
January 10 Project Management 101 -
explore everything from project planning, project management methodologies (Agile and Waterfall), to the �soft skills� needed to successfully facilitate a project Park Slope
January 12 Tarot Card Basics -
unpack the mysteries and intuitive insights available through Tarot Park Slope
January 20 How to Write a Cookbook Proposal -
the ins and outs of creating a killer cookbook proposal for traditional publishers Park Slope
January 21 Macrame Wall Hangings -
master simple macrame knots while creating your own custom wall hanging Prospect Heights
January 22 Usage Tips for Writers - myths, mistakes, and little-known rules Prospect Heights
January 23 The Archaeology of Cats and Dogs -
how did cats and dogs evolve from wild predators into pampered pets? Prospect Heights
starts January 24 Let's Make Croissant-Doughnuts! -
learn a multitude of cooking skills while whipping up a delicious treat Prospect Heights
January 27 Improv for Professionals - step up your communication skills, even if you're not planning on stepping on a stage Park Slope
January 28 Fundamentals of Astrology -
explore signs, planets, houses and aspects Prospect Heights
January 29 Writing Great Dialogue - everyone knows dialogue can make or break a story, but how do you write good dialogue? Park Slope
February 2 Tapestry Weaving for Beginners - dress the loom, start the weaving, add a pattern or two, and tie it off Park Slope
February 2 Let's Make Cream Puffs - conquer your fears of choux pastry Prospect Heights
February 5 The History of Chocolate - explore the history of chocolate from its roots as an ancient Meso-American beverage to its current world-championship status Prospect Heights
Almost Sold Out
starts January 6 American Sign Language: Level 1 -
a four-week introduction to the language Prospect Heights
January 11 Introduction to Sushi-Making -
construct five different rolls (and eat your creations!) Prospect Heights
starts Jan 14 Photography 101 -
the knowledge behind serious picture-taking Park Slope
January 16 Presentation Skills -
give more confident presentations Park Slope
Lectures & History Talks
January 6 The Pope DOES Wear a Funny Hat: Symbolism in Medieval and Renaissance Art -
learn the history behind well-known symbols in western Medieval and Renaissance art Prospect Heights
January 9 Legal Literacy 101: Courts -
get an overview of the court systems in the United States, including what kinds of cases go to what kinds of courts, and how a case can end up at the United States Supreme Court Prospect Heights
January 13 How to Buy an Engagement Ring (or any other kind of ring) -
from historic styles to terminology, trends and more Park Slope
January 16 Ecomusic and the Sounds of Climate Change -
how music and sound studies can change the way we think about our environment and be used as a tool for advocacy Prospect Heights
Endangered Eating Lectures
Join us for a semi-secret preview of Sarah Lohman�s upcoming food history book
January 30 Endangered Eating: Coachella Valley Dates
January 30 Endangered Eating: Hawai�in Sugar Cane
February 6 Endangered Eating: Navajo Churro Sheep
February 6 Endangered Eating: Salish Sea Reefnet Fishing
Artsy & Crafty
January 7 Block Printing on Textiles -
learn to carve and print repeated designs on fabric Park Slope
starts January 8 Three-Week Creative Wellness Series: Paper Marbling, Bookbinding + Journaling -
use art and mindfulness practices to help you become more focused and centered Park Slope
January 9 + 23 Intro to Watercolor -
learn techniques, materials, and how to set up a composition Park Slope
January 12 Faux Aging Techniques for Artwork -
learn to crackle paint, create "rust" and weather your surface in a believable way Prospect Heights
January 18 Classic Charcoal Drawing: Faces -
capture emotive faces with simple techniques and skills Prospect Heights
Work & Life Skills
January 7 WTF is Agile and Scrum? -
trace Agile�s origins in software development and its growing influence in other fields, such as marketing and advertising Prospect Heights
January 14 Become a Better Proofreader -
different strategies for finding errors in writing before they wind up in print Prospect Heights
January 20 Buying Your First Home in NYC -
from open houses to the closing table Prospect Heights
January 26 Writing Recipes -
dive into recipe composition Park Slope
January 26 Intro to Food Writing -
expand your vocabulary and tighten your writing to make your pieces come alive, along with the more practical aspects of writing Park Slope
Cats, cats, and more cats
The Brainery has a small cat rescue we run as a side project: Cat Republic! We spay and neuter street cats (no more sad, homeless kittens!), and take the friendly ones in to socialize and get adopted to nice warm homes.
Since it's the end of the year, I thiiiink we're socially obligated to channel our inner street cat and beg a little for donations. Adoption fees only cover a small percentage of the cost of getting a cat a home, so we rely on donations from cat-loving folks to keep things going. We've also a registered 501c3 non-profit, so any donation is tax-deductible, and if your employer kindly does matching gifts we'll be eligible!
Donate today!
If you prefer your presents gift-wrapped, we also have an Amazon wishlist.
And now, the cats!
Right now we're hosting four younger cats/kittens and three adult cats! The youngest ones aren't ready for adoption yet, but let's see the roster:
SPELT is a super-friendly 3-year-old lady with a goofy ear who has probably tripled her weight since she's gotten off of the streets. She loves playing and is an ultra-sized kitten, both in appearance and attitude! See Spelt's Petfinder profile
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PARTYMIX is Spelt's same-aged housemate and complete opposite: a lazy layabout who politely waits for meals but somehow never packs on the pounds. His hilariously serious face is a great match for his total sweetheart personality. See Partymix's Petfinder profile
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TEDDY is a giant tomcat who is as friendly as his teddy-bear namesake (even if this picture looks like he's very disappointed in us). See Teddy's Petfinder profile
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KIRBY is a handsome teen we rescued from a broken window in an abandoned basement. He can be wary of strangers but love love loves other cats - if your cat is looking for a playmate, Kirby's your guy! See Kirby's Petfinder profile
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The babies of the bunch: TEFF and AMARANTH are probably Spelt's kids! They're still being socialized, but eventually they'll be ready for adoption. FOX is the newest of the crew, a little kitten rescued from under a truck-bed last week. Wish him luck at the vet!
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All Cat Republic cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and vetted, and most are also microchipped. If you aren't ready for a full-time cat commitment, we also love fosters! All of the joys of a cat at home, but just on a temporary basis. Check out our foster application here.
See more photos on our Instagram page (although we probably make most of our posts as stories!), and if you're fallen in love but just can't take a cat, you can always support them like worried parents with kids in college.