Stay nimble, aware and listen to your heart!

I have created over twenty workshops since I started teaching online seven years ago. Of all the things I do, and I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before,  putting my workshops together is the thing I’m most passionate about!

Everything else that I do such as writing books, designing art supplies and keeping up with all my social media is supports my online workshops and makes them more visible. I feel my workshops are where I can make the most positive difference in another person’s skill set and creative life.

Normally I plan my workshops when I am on vacation because space let’s ideas bubbles through to the surface. I create the look and feel of the workshop and then go in on a few details when I get home. I launch the workshop to the public and then do the bulk of actually creating the workshop as it is running. The energy of participants fuels me through the intense process of making upteen videos and editing them all. It’s the process that works brilliantly for me.

When I started writing ‘Fabulous Figures’ the book, I knew I would create a workshop to run alongside it and had a loose idea of what would be in it. My life has been in such a fast-paced zone for the past 18 months that I really haven’t had a spare moment and decisions needed to be made ‘on-the-fly’ rather than my usual way of  planning my workshops. Everything seemed fine, and I was on a roll!

Last week, after releasing the workshop news, I realised I wasn’t really hitting the mark for myself. Something was missing for me on how the workshop ‘felt’ and how I was going to create it.  So I  gave myself a mini-break and re-started the process!

In the quiet time, I thought deeply about what it is I want to teach on this workshop, and what people will find useful to learn. Lately I have noticed how often people comment on my ‘loose’ and ‘free-flowing’ style and how it inspires them to create and find that feeling in their own art.

I  looked at my ideas book ( I use an insert for my Butterfly Journal with crinkly Tomoe River paper!), and saw a workshop inspiration I had jotted down, triggered by a sign in a shop window in Tokyo. Folkloric.

Next I researched my idea and ideas and inspiration and excitement really started whirling! look at this collection of (mostly) yummy, creative words

And a google images search of ‘Folkloric’ is EYE-PARADISE -CANDY-VILLE.

Folklore exists across all cultures around the world. It treasures tradition and the heartbeat of people. It is full of stories, myths, nourishing inspiration and cultural appreciation for an artist. A rich vein in which to celebrate color, movement, costume and glorious life!

In essence, the skills I will be teaching won’t be changing from my original concept, but the structure and theme is now bouyed by a festival of beauty and whirling excitment! It feels more purposeful and fun to me now.

As a I worked on the graphics for the workshop,  I realised that  the Bohemian beauty from the cover of my book could be twinned to form a love heart! A very important motif for this workshop as we are using the method I created for figure drawing.

So, now to tell everyone that the workshop just got MORE EXCITING and flavourful. I am tingling with delight and joy over it.

I hope you join me on the adventure!

xoxox

Jane