New Home, Same Great Content

As you know, here at the New York Institute of Art and Design we're going through some exciting changes.

Just a few weeks ago we changed our name from the Sheffield School to the New York Institute of Art and Design. At the same time we added two new courses in Professional Blogging and Fiction and Memoir Writing. And when we did that, we launched a brand new, fully-redesigned website at www.nyiad.edu!

Well, we wanted to let you know about another change that we're making today...

While the content already here and the blog are not going anywhere, we will no longer be updating the blog with new posts. But before you get too upset, the reason for doing this is simply that we're moving all of our new content to the new website!

Part of the reason we created the new site was so that we could feature more outstanding student work and success stories, and develop new and exciting articles that will inspire and teach people interested in the fields that we teach.

Starting next week, all new content will be posted to this page. You can make sure never to miss it by signing up for our Free Monthly Newsletter, or subscribing to the new RSS feed.

Just to reiterate, this blog is going to stay put. But this will be the last post.

Thanks for your interest in the New York Institute of Art and Design! And we hope you continue to enjoy all the free content that we produce.

Announcing: The New York Institute of Art and Design

We’ve changed our name!  Sheffield School is now the New York Institute of Art and Design. The school has also merged with its sister school, the New York Institute of Career Development, adding two home-study courses in Professional Blogging and Fiction and Memoir Writing.

Our blog’s new name is the NYIAD Blog and will include additional topics on blogging and writing. All together the New York Institute of Art and Design will offer six home-study creative courses, including Interior Design, Jewelry Design: Beading and Wire-Working, Wedding and Event Planning, Feng Shui, Blogging, and Fiction and Memoir Writing. 

The name change signifies a new focus for the school, which has provided home-study courses in the creative arts since 1985. “The New York Institute of Art and Design better captures who we are and what we offer to the thousands of students around the world that are enrolled with us,” says Sandra Darien, the School’s Registrar.  We have big plans for the future of the New York Institute of Art and Design and we will share them with you as they come! 

New Year's Resolution: Read More Good Books (Maybe Even Write Some!)

Editor Thessaly Le Force and illustrator Jane Mount have created a fantastic book for holiday gift giving, and any writer or booklover would be tickled to receive it. In My Ideal Bookshelf, literary figures have contributed their favorite book titles to the project, and their spines have been lovingly illustrated by Mount.
 

James Franco's ideal books

These are books that are "love to read" and life-changing titles as well as those that contributors have chosen to display in their homes. You'll even get some peeks at the bookshelves of book-loving celebrities, too (like foodie Mark Bittman and rocker Patti Smith). 
 

Want to learn more about fiction and memoir writing, and how you can improve your writing and delve into traditional and self-publishing options for your work? Explore The Complete Course in Fiction & Memoir Writing from NYICD, Sheffield's sister school.

Sheffield School Interior Design Course Now Includes All New Audio

The Sheffield School has introduced brand new audio lessons into its Complete Course in Interior Design. The new audio replaces existing audio CD’s in the course for all new and existing students, and helps to bring the interior design course up to date in the fast pace world of design trends.

The audio segments feature, Janet Ramin, the Sheffield School’s lead student advisor, and Jay Johnson, the school’s curriculum developer. Janet is a professional interior designer and has worked with interior design students for many years to help them achieve success. Jay heads the successful interior design blog Design2Share.com and is a featured blogger on the Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace blog, providing advice for interior designers.

Janet and Jay guide students through each lesson and project in the course, and they bring in guest instructors Joie Anderson and Lee Hegi for additional advice on furniture styles and the business of interior design. Jay has added special advice segments for interior designers, like recommended design blogs, interior design advice from design icon Dorothy Draper, and how to handle difficult clients.

A key part of interior design education is learning to discuss good design when you see it. New this year for the course is a completely updated Room Reference Guide, featuring the amazing work of some of the top interior designers in the United States. Janet and Jay go through many of the rooms in the new guide and talk about the features they admire the most; they also discuss the key decisions that the designers made to solve challenges in entry halls, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and baths. 

About the Sheffield School

For over 25 years, the Sheffield School has trained successful designers and wedding planners.  Founded in 1985 as an Interior Design school, it has since added courses in Feng Shui Interior Design, Wedding & Event Planning, and Jewelry Design.  All of the Sheffield School’s programs are distance education courses and serve students all over the world. The Sheffield School is owned and operated by Distance Education Co., LLC, with two sister schools also located in Manhattan, the New York Institute of Photography and the New York Institute of Career Development.

Sheffield School Graduate Shelly Stone Enjoys Success as a Professional Event Planner

When Shelly Stone enrolled in the Complete Course in Wedding & Event Planning, a home-study course offered by the Sheffield School, she was already working to establish herself in the field. Signature Events by Shelly, her wedding and event planning business, is now three years old. And for Shelly, it’s been something that she’s been working towards most of her life.

“My previous experience in event planning mostly regarded my family and friends,” Shelly said.  “I like to entertain – and take it seriously – so I knew that I had the organization skills to create a menu, decorate, and keep things on task.”

Shelly got into the business of wedding planning because she enjoys making people happy. She sees it as an opportunity to allow those involved in the wedding, namely the bride and groom, with a relaxing and memorable experience. The Sheffield School’s home-study wedding planning course allowed Shelly, a working mother, to learn more about the field and how to earn money from the comfort of her own home.

“When I enrolled in the Wedding and Event Planning program I really wanted to make sure I knew how to handle every situation that might come up” Shelly says.  “I wanted to give myself that extra boost of confidence to be able to call myself a Professional Wedding Planner.  Even though I’ve done a good number of weddings and events, when I finished my last unit and received my grades I finally felt like a REAL Professional.”

Based in Wisconsin, Signature Events by Shelly is still growing. With fifteen weddings, and a dozen other events under her belt, Shelly is preparing to expand into new fields.

To request information about the Complete Course in Wedding & Event Planning, visit www.sheffield.edu or call 1-800-445-7279.

About the Sheffield School

For over 25 years, the Sheffield School has trained successful designers and wedding planners.  Founded in 1985 as an Interior Design school, it has since added courses in Feng Shui Interior Design, Wedding & Event Planning, and Jewelry Design.  All of the Sheffield School’s programs are distance education courses and serve students all over the world. The Sheffield School is owned and operated by Distance Education Co., LLC, with two sister schools also located in Manhattan, the New York Institute of Photography and the New York Institute of Career Development.