Lifebook teaches me as well.

My lesson goes up for Lifebook in this coming week. I always feel part excited, part nervous at the time approaches before my lesson appears in a collaborative class.

Maybe this is because I know not everyone doing the class knows who I am, what I teach or how I teach. When people sign up to do my classes in my own school, they have usually seen me in action in one of my preview videos. So they know what to expect ( a little bit of giggling cray-cray, lots of art, lots of art supplies, lots of  colour, and the jungle noises… oh, and the occasional doglette appearances)  and they join in if they like what they see unfold.

In a collaborative class, this will be the first time some people ever see me in action (and in an event the size of Lifebook, that’s a lot of people!). So when I produce my lesson I try not to think about that. I shake off thoughts of  judgement and talk to my ‘peeps’ as usual. I picture some of my students-now-friends ( I have lots of those and its the coolest thing ever!) sitting there with me and talk to my camera as if they are there in the room.

Does pre-judging how people may judge you freeze you up? It certainly can if I let it. But I work to not let those inner voices and worries of not being perfect, not being good enough, not living up to expectation and other self-derailing whispers  get a hold of me. They serve no purpose. It’s just misery-making, irrational fears. … and ain’t nobody got time for that!

It’s ridiculous to try and ‘please all the people all the time’, right? So, rather than wait, chewing my nails for the reaction when my lesson appears, I choose to trust that the people that are in tune with me, and me with them, they will love my lesson.

And if that doesn’t include everyone, then that’s ok. It’s totally ok not to be infallible! As a teacher, all I need do is aim for being most helpful in an engaging and inspiring way. I know how to do that.

Drawing on the Inner World:
And I don’t mind telling you it is comprehensive and a whole lot of colour and fun!
Here’s to everyone who has been on the  Lifebook journey for a few years with me.
Here’s to everyone who joined for the first time this year.
Here’s to Tam for creating Lifebook!
Here’s to us all!

You can still join here: