Workshops Weekend!
What a whirlwind of a weekend: three workshops, super creative participants, tons of laughs and clay for days! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience on my first polymer clay workshop weekend. Here’s a little recap to give you an idea of what a Yellow House Workshop looks like!
As per the uje I didn’t take nearly enough photos and I definitely didn’t get any photos of myself at work but I can assure I had a grin plastered to my face the entire time.
Here’s a photo from my first ever polymer clay workshop during a wonderful artist retreat. I was nervous, but it was so so so fun!
The Space
This first round of workshops were hosted at Amberhill Gallery nestled in The Okalita creative space in the Donovan. It was the perfect location for my style of workshop where I wanted to keep it intimate but still make sure everyone had enough space to spread out their creativity. I also wanted a spot where it was close to some great local shops & food, which are in abundance in that perfect little end of Kathleen street! I had Tuco’s for lunch with a tasty Beards latte lunch and then checked out a lovely little vintage shop next door called Lillico Vintage between workshops. A dream!
The People
Normally, I work alone, in my basement craft dungeon, so spending this much time creating with actual real people was the very best part! It was such a pleasant change because I had been hardcore working on holiday prep which meant a lot of time alone hunched over my desk madly creating stock for shops, markets and online sales. It was chaos!
The hours spent working away with all of these folks totally reenergized my extroverted self! It was also such a treat to get to know some of the folks who I’m only Instagram pals with. Most of the time I only know someones username or profile image that generally doesn’t reveal anything about who they are let alone their actual name. (Side note: if someone has a private profile I’m way too shy to ask for permission to follow them, so 75% of the time I have no idea who I’m talking to even if it’s been years…because by that point its just awkward to admit I don’t follow them. Social media, sheesh!)
Anyway, sharing my love of clay with new people was a total flippin blast and experiencing them creating in real time with tools and guidance felt incredible. I need to take more photos of their finished work because dang did they ever make some cool shit!
A little mini collection from a lovely maker student! I want to add pearls to everything these days!
I wish I took a photo of this finished product because dang they were my faves!
I’ve learned so much over this process of prepping for workshops, then actually teaching them to real live people. It’s been a massive growth experience and the feedback I’ve received so far has been incredible and constructive. I’m always tweaking and adjusting things to improve the experience and ensure everyone goes home with something lovely to show off.
A few words from this rounds participants!
What’s next for Yellow House Workshops?
I have a ton of fun plans in store for my next round of workshops. Lots of new brass pieces, fabulous hardware, resin (?!) and so much more! I don’t want to give it all away yet but stay tuned on socials for sneak peeks and be sure to register early so you don’t miss out on the fun. More info on that below!