As artists, makers and creatives, it is easy to get bunkered down by your own studio practice – caught between the eddies of life and delivering work. So the thought of taking time to do a creative workshop is a distant one – often considered as an expensive luxury.
But professional practice workshops can offer a key to extending your work to another level, not to mention a great refresher on techniques and gleaning tips from colleagues.
ArtsHub takes a look at some of the advantages of creative workshops for artists.
In summary:
1. Refresher on techniques
Just because you may be represented by a gallery and show and sell your work regularly – or perhaps you may even have taught art classes – it doesn’t mean that you are beyond learning. There is such joy in discovering a new technique or skill that will open up your practice to fresh opportunities.
It’s much easier to just sit back on our laurels, and simply keep pumping out work. But your practice is doomed to stagnate or plateau. Everything in life keeps moving today, so you can’t afford not to stay on top of new thinking and techniques.
2. Discover new products and mediums
Like technology, equipment and materials are also constantly improving within the art sector. For example, there are many new materials coming onto the market that support a more sustainable or chemical-free studio practice. Keep an eye on classes that introduce you to these new applications.
3. Introduces new ways of making
Art-making involves looking and understanding form, or bodily and emotional connection. Whatever the foundations of your practice may be, it is not exclusive to your chosen routine. For example, if you are a still life painter, then taking a pottery class could offer a fresh insight into form; or if you are portrait photographer, then perhaps doing some life drawing classes could bring a different perspective.
You get the idea – look to the side and potentially pull new skills into your current practice. They are also often very enjoyable, because the usual pressure of your own work is removed.
4. Recalibrates your career goals
No matter where you are in your artistic journey, it is important to consider your goals, and to think through the pathways to get there. It is very easy to stagnate creatively when you are caught in the grind of delivering things. A workshop may be the trigger to starting that new body of work or tackling the next ambition.
5. Builds your network
One of the comments we most receive from our readers is that studio practice can be isolating. In a nutshell, professional workshops are attended by like-minded people. You gain an immediate injection of new colleagues to your support network … and that connection can have a knock-on impact to their circle of supporters.
Workshops are also a great place to connection with a potential mentor – whether it be mentoring up or down, workshops offer a relaxed circle of sharing information and tips.
Read: Should I offer workshops to help the cash flow?
6. Gets you out of the studio bunker
Think of a professional artist workshop as a bit of a ‘me retreat’ – to put aside life’s daily demands and those of the studio, and pause and reflect on what is driving your practice, and what is bringing you pleasure.
Even better, if you can break your normal routine and do a workshop that sends you out of town, this could force you to focus and have that mental wellness break. As artists we are so used to having to do it all for ourselves. Even just a short two-day workshop can have a huge impact. Think of it as an investment in your practice.
