The Brainwaves School
of
Creative Arts
of
Creative Arts
was founded in 2004 by Karen Zila Hayes. A passionate teacher of music, visual arts and crafts, with fifteen years of experience helping both children and adults, Hayes began knitting almost by accident and fell
instantly in love with it. She spent three years studying techniques from around the world and added knitting to the long list of subjects she taught.
As an artistic person, Hayes had always understood the value of creative expression, but it was only when she started teaching knitting that she began to see a different type of transformation occurring in her students. Intrigued by these amazing results, she began researching the many cognitive, emotional, physical and social benefits that the act of knitting produces. Fascinated by the ever-mounting body of evidence supporting knitting's amazing therapeutic benefits and by the results she saw in her own students, Hayes was inspired to create a new division of The Brainwaves School and in 2006, launched Knit Magic: Creative Healing, devoted to therapeutic knitting.
Hayes is a self-proclaimed motivational knitter whose new mission in life is to teach the world to knit. "I teach vocals as well and tried to teach the world to sing (in perfect harmony, no less) but I'm recruiting far more converts this way! The important thing is that human beings, young and old, find a way to connect with, manifest and release their creative energy."
When she is not teaching knitting, singing, guitar or beading, Hayes is a singer/songwriter who performs in Toronto. She also creates custom-made jewelry for her company ZILA HAYES DESIGNS and is currently working on her first collection of knit-wear designs.