My First Watercolor Workshop
On Saturday, February 1st, I taught my first watercolor workshop ever! It was a joint effort with my friends Kirsten and Jesse. A couple of months ago, I had been talking with Kirsten about how I had a dream of doing a watercolor workshop, but I just wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. Since workshops are kind of her bread and butter with her essential oils business, she offered to help me make my dream a reality. We decided we would do a joint essential oils-watercolor extravaganza. Her friend Jesse joined us and we started planning.
Before I knew it, we were making our plans and locking down all of the details. Suddenly, what had been just a crazy idea was becoming a reality. I was going to teach a watercolor workshop! I worked over the next few weeks to get a project together, get all of the supplies, and practice teaching.
At one point I started to freak out. I was like “oh my goodness, what was I thinking?! I can’t do this!” A lot of prayers and a lot of encouraging messages from my friends later, I was excited and ready to do it! I realized that I had done the work. I had a great project and a great group to teach. There was nothing left at that point but to just walk on the path I had already laid out for myself. “Nothin’ to it but to do it!”
I was so, so, crazy nervous right before the event. But as soon as we got going, my nerves were gone and actually, teaching watercolor felt just right.
It was amazing to watch my project come to life on each person’s paper. All of the participants did SUCH A GOOD JOB. I gave them a very complex project, and we moved at a quick pace, but each person absorbed the instructions and painted a beautiful bouquet. One of the coolest things was to see how each painting came out just a little bit different! The personality of the painter shined through each piece. Next time I do a workshop, I will most likely slow down a bit and give the participants more time to just play! Watercolor is so beautiful and vibrant and I want everyone to get to experience that at a luxurious pace. I got a lot of great feedback from my first group of participants, and I’m already planning how to implement all of the helpful suggestions at my next workshop.
One unexpected aspect of the experience was how much the support of my friends and family played into the whole event. Friends helped me practice my lesson, set up my workshop, take photos, host the workshop and reflect on the event afterward. My family supported me with encouraging words and by being there at the event! It was such a wonderful experience.
I learned so much from putting on my first workshop and I am excited to see what the future holds. I am looking forward to more workshops and more watercolor. Thank you again for supporting me in my art business!
Until next time,
Joanna