Art Takes Time: How CGA Students Nurture Their Present to Paint Their Futures

“Art takes time — Monet grew his gardens before he painted them,”

writes the poet Atticus. 

Crimson Global Academy (CGA) is much like Monet’s “garden”. It is a place where students never have to choose between school and their creative pursuits, allowing them to develop their passions now so they can paint an even more extraordinary future. 

What exactly do these “gardens” look like at CGA?

Creativity in the Classroom

CGA’s creative playground starts in everyday virtual classrooms, where students refine existing crafts or discover new ones. In the US High School Diploma (USDP) track, alongside traditional art courses, students explore unique offerings tailored to specialised interests like Graphic Design. CGA also offers AP 2D Art and Design for students to gain an AP course credit in the subject they love. Tech electives also offer students the rare opportunity to learn Smart Cities (Technology and Applications), Wearable Technology, and alternatives for English, such as Photojournalism.

In the A-Level track, academic rigour meets creative freedom, like gathering household items and clothing to build a physical neuron model for a psychology assignment. 

Artistic Expression Beyond the Classroom

Extracurricular life flourishes through both teacher-led and student-led clubs, including the Creative Arts Magazine, Sync Sounds (yes, our online school band!), and Film Club.

Creativity shines brightest during weekly assemblies. Events like CGA’s Got Talent showcase everything from vocal performances and instrumental mastery to stand-up comedy and ballet. Guest speaker sessions also bring industry professionals, such as opera singers and film score composers, directly to our community. During these events, we get a glimpse of a career in the arts. 

Academic & Creative Autonomy 

The biggest advantage CGA offers? Flexibility. Post-IGCSEs, students can choose the path that best fits their goals, whether that is USDP or A-Levels. Because learning at CGA is based on ability rather than age, students can: 

• Mix curricula across different subject areas. 
• Accelerate in strengths while taking extra time where needed. 
• Choose between structured group classes or 1-on-1 Da Vinci sessions to fit around rehearsals, jamming sessions, and competitions. 
• Reclaim hours lost to daily commutes to and from school, giving creatives the time they actually need to hone their craft.

Our “Monets” in Action

Karen balanced her USDP studies with intensive musical pursuits, securing admission to every single institution she applied to, including the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music. She joined CGA in her senior year after moving from Canada to the US, looking forward to a seamless transition that would set her up for success during the university application process. 

Beyond her personal dedication and talent, CGA’s flexible model gave her the ultimate runway. The application journey for a music major is uniquely demanding, involving rounds of prescreening recordings and international travel for live auditions, all whilst maintaining high school coursework, physical, and emotional well-being. CGA helped her push through to the finish line. 

Studying at CGA has given me the time and space to focus on my growth as a musician, while also allowing me to explore other passions and different parts of my identity outside of being a musician and a student, such as creative writing and crafts.

Take Mia, younger in age, but just as creatively ambitious. At just 15 years old, Mia turned her crochet hobby into a thriving entrepreneurial business. She applied the hands-on knowledge gained from IGCSE Business Studies and CGA’s Founders Club, where teachers and classmates first encouraged her to design and launch her ideas: a custom crochet plushie of Winston, CGA’s beloved mascot. 

Alexandra balanced her USDP studies with content creation, building a growing online audience alongside her brother through dance, music, and (how can we forget?) her spot-on Kardashian impressions! 

The flexibility of CGA allows me to have more time for social media and focus on recording and editing.

Jade managed a demanding load of six A-Levels while maintaining her ballet practice, ultimately earning a spot at Princeton to study Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

CGA’s timetable meant that some days I didn’t have class until the afternoon, so I could sneak in extra studio time in the mornings! On occasion, if I had to miss a CGA class for ballet, I could easily catch up with lesson recordings.

Jade’s experience is common among student performers. Diana, a ballerina taking 1-on-1 Da Vinci classes at CGA, relies on this same academic flexibility to support her rigorous training regimen: 

In my weekly schedule, I train three times a week for 2.5 hours, twice a week for 5 hours, and once for 6 hours. In the afternoons and evenings, I complement my ballet training with stretching, pilates, and body conditioning to enhance my strength and flexibility.

Similarly, Naomi pairs top-tier academic goals of attending an Ivy League like Jade, or Juilliard like Karen, with high-level performance commitments. 

For the third consecutive year I’ll be performing in the professional production of Ballet, the Nutcracker. This event is held in the principal theater of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. In addition, I’ll have a solo piano recital on the Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami.

As for myself, my creative outlet was Myfit. 

Frustrated by outgrowing my favourite shoes, I created a bag-shoe: a drawstring bag attached to a sole that wrapped from ankle to toe. Myfit began as a pursuit of universalism: a shoe worn comfortably by all.

But during design workshops I led for kids at community centres, I witnessed something unexpected. Though everyone started with the same duct tape, each creation was wildly different: “The Gladiator,” “Black Nugget,” “SAnTA BooTs.” Shoes could fit all feet, but not all identities: personal flair, cultural preferences, fleeting moods.

Myfit matured with me: design’s the joy of personalising solutions. 

The goal isn’t just consensus but the realisation that there’s joy in finding my rather than our fit.

Guided by this realisation, I pivoted the project toward storytelling right around the time I joined CGA: Why do people wear the shoes they wear? What prevents them from stepping into their “dream shoe”? I took to the streets of Singapore to interview passersby, a project that eventually evolved into a full-length documentary film. 

CGA’s unique flexibility gave me the exact time and autonomy needed to produce this film while continuing to lead these workshops, turning footwear into a medium for self-discovery. 

Paint the Future with CGA  

Whether you are already deep into your creative journey, just beginning to water your garden, or looking for the space to plant your first seeds, CGA is where you take control of your education without stepping back from what you love. 

CGA is your brush; the world is your canvas.