Skip to main content

Why are workshops good for you?


workshop 19/1/14 
Today was my  first workshop for 2014 -  a stick art dolls workshop ... This was a repeat of a workshop offered  quite a few times recently , so I started thinking  why do creative people love workshops and why they  are good for you.  Here are 10  reasons I've thought of ... I am sure you may have others?  

1.  An inspiring  workshop tutor can motivate to improve your work, change the direction of your work or try something new and different.
 2. A workshop offers a supportive and encouraging environment where you can learn a new skill (s)  and/or  experience  different approach ( either from the tutor or fellow participants) 
workshop 19/1/14 
3.  Being with other artists assists you in finding solutions to problems as well as making new contacts and friends.
workshop 19/1/14
4. A workshop allows you to experiment and try  new/ different genres, media, products and equipment. .   
workshop 19/1/14 
5. During a workshop, you have the time to "think" about your own art and the "what, where, how and why" of your creative processes as well as how to apply new skills.
6. You will,  in most workshops,  have a completed creation/product to take home and admire.   
7 . A workshop is fun! 
8. In a workshop, you discover that you are able to offer advice as well as receive it. 
9. A workshop nurtures the "inner child" - appeals to curiosity, creative play and expression. 
10 .  The best reason for investing the time and money to a creative workshop is that you will feel great  - positive, inspired and motivated, having spent some time with like minded people.  
workshop creations 19/1/14  
Today's workshop , I hope,  fulfilled what each artist had hoped for. Congratulations to all - beautiful original  textile art works created!  If you couldn't attend this workshop, here is a 3 minute video  of the workshop samples to compensate 


and here are some links to some more  amazing workshops /creative retreats to be held in 2014. 
1. Timeless Textiles
2. Contemporary Craft Retreat
3. Sydney Jewellery School 
4. Anne's Glory Box

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lilly Pilly

Today is Australia Day. I chose a photo of some Lilly Pilly berries as a celebratory image for this national day. Lilly Pilly is  a common name for a plant, Syzygium smithii which grows mostly in Eastern Australia, from the northern  rain forests of Queensland, throughout NSW to the southern Wilson's Promontory in Victoria. In New Zealand it is called "monkey apple, but other names used in Australia, besides lilly pilly, are Eungella Gum and Coast Satinash. The largest Lilly Pilly recorded was found in Dingo Creek Flora Reserve, near Tenterfield where I once lived.  The tree now growing in my garden was once a small seedling which I was gifted when I left Woolgoolga, a small coastal town in northern NSW. Its name  is said to come from the Aboriginal word 'weelgoolga' describing the lilly pilly which grows in profusion there. It is probably no surprise that the lilly pilly berries are edible as bush tucker, and make a beautiful jam or jelly. I have even seen re...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Countdown to Christmas 15 - Diamonds Forever!

How much would you pay for a Christmas  fruitcake?  The world's most expensive fruit cake has been estimated at $1.65 million. Yesterday, I wrote about the less than positive term "Christmas cake as it is applied to unmarried women, so again it amazed me that  in Tokyo, this most exquisite and expensive Christmas cake was created. It took six months to design and another full month to construct. The beautiful cake is fully edible ... that is except for the 223  real diamonds  used as decoration. This cake was part of an exhibition called Diamonds: Nature's Miracle  and was one of 16 exhibits showcasing creative ways with diamonds . Apparently, the cake was auctioned, fetching $1.65 million US. While there have been other very expensive diamond encrusted cakes since this one in 2005 with estimated values of up to $75 million, this Japanese designed cake was the forerunner of the extravagant diamond studded wedding cakes in the higher price r...