Top 5 Workshop Tips: Execution

My top 5 tips for workshop instructors involving execution...

1)Preparation: Being prepared is equally important on the day of the workshop as it is in the planning stages before. You will be more successful if you pack your supplies in advance, arrive early, set up your worktable in a manner logical for the workshop, and have the class day well planned out. It is also good to prepare yourself for having students at a variety of experience levels and with differing expectations of the class.

2)Flexibility: Things happen. The instructor who expects this and reacts with flexibility will handle the situation better and create a better experience for the entire class. It is always good to have a Plan B.

3)Focus: The more successful workshop will be the one where the instructor focuses on two things: the workshop project and the attendees. Even if your students are self-proclaimed groupies, they are not paying to hear you talk only about yourself.

4)Generosity: Students are choosing to spend money to learn from their instructor. Be generous in terms of information, assistance, support, guidance, feedback and the like. Don't let the fear that a student will take your workshop and then teach it themselves create an atmosphere where you resist sharing.

5)Positivity: The successful instructor enters the workshop with positive expectations. She/he assumes that the class will go well, the students will learn, the room will be filled with creative energy, and the works will be balanced with some fun. The successful instructor also realizes that she/he is responsible to make all this come true.


This is an except from my article and interview published in the current digital Mixed Media Art Magazine Issue 10.

Top 5 Workshop Tips: Planning

My top 5 tips for workshop instructors involving planning...

1)Preparation: A prepared instructor will be a better instructor. A lack of time and effort put into the behind-the-scenes planning of a workshop will be evident to all on the day of the workshop.

2)Workshop Content: There are a lot of workshops being offered these days. Successful workshops will be the ones that are unique, well developed, and truly reflective of the instructor's style as an artist.

3)Venue Selection: Choosing the right workshop for the right venue is an art in and of itself. And instructor will attract more students if she/he tries to match the type of venue being considered to the theme of the workshop.

4)Timing: They say it is all in the timing and that is true for a successful workshop as well. Avoid scheduling on major holidays, at the same time as another artist is teaching in the same area, and in the period just before, during, or just after a major art retreat. Weekends are almost always better than weekdays.

5)Professionalism: Word travels fast in our small community. Always communicate with your contacts at the venue in a professional, personable and timely manner. Actually, make this a matter of course with everybody!

This is an except from my article and interview published in the current digital Mixed Media Art Magazine Issue 10.

Mixed Media Art Magazine

In the past year, 10 issues of The Mixed Media Art Magazine have been released and each one is filled cover to cover with creative inspiration. Though published out of Portland, Oregon, this digital magazine is international with regard to both the editorial team and the artists it spotlights.

In any issue you might find artist profiles, step-out tutorials, book reviews, product introductions, artistic tips, city guides, inspirational articles, and much more.

I am so pleased to be on the pages of the current release, issue #10. On these pages, you will find step-by-step instructions and photos so that you can follow along as I create The Key...

In addition, you can read my interview where I share "the keys" to running an art workshop and talk about my top 10 considerations for organization and execution which can be the difference between a workshop that works and one that doesn't.

You will also find an artist profile on Luthien Thye, a tutorial on how to anneal and patina metal, a city guide to Kuala Lumpur for the artist, thoughts from Martha Marshall on how to let intuition guide your creative process, a window into Tara Pappas' use of her handmade stencils in her artwork, a lesson using Golden's new Liquid Acrylics from Nancy Smith Klos, a profile on the work of German collage artist Marko Koppe, and more.

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You can find more information on the Mixed Media Art Magazine on their website or Facebook page.   Or head directly to iTunes where you can purchase a subscription and download the issues.