Learn English with Art | Everyone is Beautiful

Resources for English Learners

This page is a serious and light-hearted look at Scottish culture, part of our Deep Travel series.

We’re looking at Strathearn’s snowmen (and women) and discussing ‘why everyone is beautiful’.

For L2 English users, there’s a practice English exercise at the end,
Read the useful language tip toolbox on using gender pronouns.
Don’t miss your free download ‘Wonky English’
Watch the ‘Word Drop’ video conversation between Jennie Reed and me about spontaneous action.

Follow this blog as a story, and imagine you are in the conversation.

A Warm (Cold) Welcome to Perthshire

There’s a quiet kind of adventure in learning a language through experience — not textbooks, but stories, experiences with people, places, and moments you never quite saw coming.

This post offers a glimpse into that deeper travel: how art becomes a doorway, how spontaneity can help you build language skills, how a friendly community like ours in Crieff can gently hold your confidence while you try, and how language reveals not just new words but new ways of seeing.

At Blue Noon, you’re never just a visitor; you are (temporarily) part of our community.

You’re part of a conversation stretching across local history, creativity, and culture.

We believe that in those left-field moments — when you speak before you’ve “perfected” the phrase — your voice begins to find its own path.
That’s what we hope you’ll feel as you read on.

How Impulsive are You?

Wednesday evening saw a thick, beautiful layer of snowfall quickly down on the town of Crieff and its region, Strathearn.

Many rushed straight out into the night to have their snow fun (us), others wagered that it would last until the next day, and spent a happy Thursday attacking the snow.

Are you impulsive like this?

Being Spontaneous Can Help You Learn English!

Research in positive psychology shows that moments of spontaneity often generate the highest levels of joy, connection, and personal growth. The same is true for language learning. When you allow yourself to respond in the moment — without overthinking, without rehearsing — you create authentic interactions.

These are the moments your brain encodes most strongly, because they are charged with emotion and meaning.

Spontaneity in English isn’t recklessness. It’s freedom. It’s trusting that what you already know is enough to carry you forward — and letting each conversation become an opportunity to stretch, adapt, and discover your voice.

Celebrating wonky English

The Wonky English PDF

Download The Wonky English Resource now (no sign-up).

It will change how you feel about your English!

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learn English with art Strathearn Snowmen everyone is beautiful

What Can We Learn From Strathearn’s Snowmen?

As an artist, I frequently hear people say they can’t draw or aren’t creative – and then a thick flurry of snowfalls and suddenly everyone’s making snow sculptures without inhibition. Yes, of course, they’re a tradition, but they are also a rare opportunity to get physical with material, creating something from the resources you’ve got and innovating as you go – and feeling that sense of transcendence you only get from being in a creative zone.

While I know snowman building is an activity to do with the kids, I’m saying it’s not only that. I bet most adult helpers got a wee kick from seeing the results of their efforts, felt a bit more relaxed and happy after being in the mindset where nothing much matters beyond working out how to keep the head on, or finding that perfect branch for an arm (and how much do we need that right now!)

Comparing the snowmen you see different styles, marks, intent and innovation and it makes my art teacher self all happy: same brief, same materials, same tradition – but look how varied the results – I do think every one beautiful in its own way.

Here’s a collection from our local community. Thank you to everyone who shared their photos on the Crieff & Strathearn Friendships Facebook page!

Learn English with art - all the different styles of Crieff snowmen

Everyone is Beautiful

I’d like to end with a quote (and exhibition title) by artist (a self-described ‘visual activist’) Zanele Muholi:

‘In My World, Every Human is Beautiful.’

Their* work (Zanele Muholi) is remarkable: striking black and white photographs that draw on fashion photography norms but feature people often persecuted for their looks. This includes black, transgender and gay people. As a photographer, they finding beauty in the very reasons they’re not a beauty norm.

This is a tradition in the history of photography that also began in black and white with photographers Diane Arbus and Robert Mapplethorpe, who dared “to show the diversity of identity and their struggle to exist on their own terms.” 1

And in case you are thinking that it takes an art education to pin gender and race identity politics on a snowman, think again.

Here’s our effort – myself and Young Blue (aged 6).

Young Blue and I built a girl goalie snowwoman.

Building Our Own Snow Girl!

It started snowing around 5 pm, and by 7 we had this beauty made and ready to defend!

I asked Young Blue if it was a man or woman ‘snowman’ goalkeeper we were building.

She replied, ‘we’re both girls, why would we build a boy?’

Exactly my love.

1 Quoted from:

Artist Rooms: Self Evidence – Photographs by Woodman, Arbus and Mapplethorpe

Scottish National Portrait Gallery,

Find out more about the amazing Zanele Muholi

Crieff & Strathearn Friendships Facebook page

English notes: gender pronouns

* Pronouns can be clunky when written, but it’s a highly charged subject and important to get right. While most trans people will use the common pronouns, ‘he’ and ‘she‘, to refer to themselves, some also chose to use the gender-neutral pronouns ‘they‘ and ‘their‘ in the singular sense. It’s this pronoun that is widely adopted in art criticism and throughout Western art galleries when writing about an LGBT+ artist (again unless otherwise specified by the artist).

About Our Scottish Language School

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into how English and art weave together — and into the spirit of our friendly Crieff community.

Our blogs wander widely (just like good journeys do): sometimes lighthearted, sometimes diving deep into culture, community and history.

If this one spoke to you, you might like to wander further with another of our snowy tales:

Learn English in Perthshire | Ways of Seeing | Snow & Menhir

Your English Language Challenge is:

Tell us about something mundane but beautiful!

What is it and what makes it beautiful to you?

“Tell us about something mundane but beautiful!“

Watch this video about being Unscripted & Spontaneous

English Holidays Exploring Scotland

English blue noun style graphic with roller skater

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