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It’s been a journey of discovery between now and Open Studios back in September, my main point of learning has been that people want ‘experiences’. We hear this all the time and I’ve been rather flippant in my interpretation of it, thinking, yeah, hot air balloon rides, days out to see a West end show, that kind of big, expensive experience. I hadn’t really thought of it as something as accessible as a Lino cutting Workshop, but I filled the places on my November workshop with ease and a group of six delightful people came along, brought their creative natures with them and we enjoyed our day.
It’s interesting to analyse the workshop experience and I chased everyone who attended with a feedback form, they were all very kind and responded. My feedback form though, falls short of the real insight, the fantastically human aspects are harder to capture.
It’s my feeling that there are two key moments, worthy of more appreciation:
1: People feel the pressure when they have to decide on the image they are going to make, they worry and hesitate.
2: Everyone seems ‘lighter’ when they leave compared to how they seemed when they arrived.
The decisions around, ‘what image will I make’ always seem hardest, not for everyone of course, some people are completely self assured and just crack on, but if doubt is going to creep in, it’s at this point that it does. In my own practice I experience the same doubts and the question of ‘am I actually doing anything?’ will raise itself with regular monotony (easier to ignore some weeks than others, also very human). Actually, one of the best ways to overcome it is by having a cup of tea and a biscuit and then just getting going again, for future workshops I’ll be deploying a packet of chocolate digestives to ease the process.
Insight two is simple, the way people walk into the room is in beautiful contrast to the way they leave, they just seem ‘lifted’. The workshops enable a few hours of quiet concentration and a break from the norm and everyone produces something unique, it’s a great experience.
I’ve booked the space for my next workshop in February, it will be Valentine’s Day, so if you’re looking for something nice for your lovelies, why not gift them a spot.
