TEACHING CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
IN PERSON AND ONLINE
Patricia van den Akker
Foreword
Throughout my life I have had the privilege of not only learning a craft, but also of teaching one, either directly or indirectly, encouraging and influencing people to work with clay as a natural material, and showing what it can truly offer us
In my capacity as a judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down television show, I am in a unique position to observe human behaviour through the lens of the creative process As the potters enter the television studio and start working with clay, we and the audience witness over the weeks how their relationship with clay develops and how their skills and confidence grow as makers Of course, due to the nature of circumstance their development is more intense, but regardless all creatives need to overcome challenges and boundaries within ourselves as makers and ultimately humans
Integral to the creative process is failing, rediscovering, and learning through problemsolving, then hopefully achieving the desired goal So often in modern life we are told that failure is negative, something to be frowned upon This, in my view, is nonsense because being creative gives you the opportunity to be completely responsible for your own endeavours, and to learn from your own unique mistakes This then gives the maker the very thing that takes away the fear of failure, and to see it as a process to achieve higher personal conscientiousness Taking part or learning creative skills has many positives that give us the opportunity to expand our imagination, articulate our thoughts and communicate in ways that otherwise may not be available to us
I often describe my own dyslexia as a superpower, turning what could generally be perceived in society as a hindrance into a real positive It is through creative endeavours that we can learn many important lessons about ourselves, but also change the narrative to work for us This, I firmly believe comes from the ability to work and think creatively – in an art studio, and taken beyond
I discovered my calling that fortunate day I walked into the art room at school, aged 11 Learning a creative subject led me to have more confidence in myself and gave me the ability to push forward in life that I didn’t think was possible at the time It opened up a world of possibilities the very second I touched clay Clay has been a companion throughout my life, and to this day I am still learning
In this book Patricia will inspire you to continue to learn to become an even more unique and creative teacher She will help you offer focus and diversity in your teaching to create a welcoming learning environment for your students, at whatever level they want to explore and expand their own creativity, stories and humanity
I often think of my art teacher who introduced me to clay, and thank my lucky stars that he had the insight to communicate his teaching and to bolster my learning in this way I hope you will become somebody’s favourite creative teacher too
Keith Brymer Jones
Master potter, design expert and TV judge for The Great Pottery Throw Down since 2015
1
Part One: Why, what, who, how and where to teach?
CHAPTER 1
Why teach?
‘ There’s something timeless about people sitting in a circle together, making and talking. It’s essentially human.’
Ruby Taylor, artist/maker
‘Why teach?’ is a very big question with which to kickstart our journey In this chapter we will focus on what motivates you to teach, placing your unique purpose at the heart of your teaching
Creative professionals teach for a variety of reasons:
● To share the skills and passion for their craft with people who are genuinely interested, and to help or inspire others to become more creative Teaching is a very meaningful way to use creative skills while making money within the boundaries of existing creative practice
● To become a better artist. As the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger said, ‘While we teach, we learn’ Your students’ questions, mistakes and results will inspire you to become a better teacher, and often impact on your own creative work
● To make money. Teaching has become a very popular and reliable income stream for many creative business owners For seasonal businesses, it can provide an income in quieter selling periods
● Creative workshops are social and fun. Connecting with other makers, regardless of previous experience, is good for everybody’s well-being – being a sole trader can be lonely
● To improve visibility and credibility. Creatives who teach have another way to tell their story; students often become customers, and will share their positive experience with others
● To showcase skills and expertise, and educate their audience. Many people want to know more about the creative process This works well if your work is considered high-end – educating potential clients about what goes into it is often the best marketing tool
● To sell related products such as books, patterns, equipment or craft kits Adding free online training videos can really increase the value of these products
Part One: Why, what, who, how and where to teach?
Linda Bloomfield
Creative Case Study
After training as a scientist and starting a family, Linda began making porcelain tableware. She is a ceramic glaze expert who has written various books on the topic. For the last 10 years she has taught at West Dean College, Forest Row School of Ceramics and at pottery studios around the UK and Europe.
Her books include: Colour in Glazes (2012), Science for Potters (2017), Special Effect Glazes (2020) and Design and Create Contemporary Tableware (2023), which was co-authored with Sue Pryke.
She sells her porcelain tableware online and through shops, galleries and exhibitions.
You can find more about Linda at lindabloomfield.co.uk
What and who do you teach?
I am really good at teaching the chemistry of glazes. A lot of people come to ceramics from the art side, so they don’t really understand chemistry – I specialise in teaching that. People have told me that when they hear me teach or watch the free YouTube videos, it’s not so intimidating.
I don’t teach people how to make a beautiful object. It’s a chemistry lesson, and students end up with a set of glazes that they can use. It’s always an experiment. Sometimes when it fails, you learn more, because you learn what not to do.
My ideal students are quite serious ceramicists. They are usually thinking about having their own studio or getting a kiln, and want to make their own glazes.
Above Linda Bloomfield showing at COLLECT craft fair.
Why did you choose ceramic glazes as your topic?
Ever since I was at school, I’ve been fascinated by both art and science. The career advice I got was to be a colour technologist, and that’s kind of what I am. I mix my own glaze colours using raw materials, and I’m still completely fascinated by that. I won’t buy a ready-made ceramic pigment.
My first book was on colour in glazes, after which West Dean College asked me to teach a course. Then I started teaching courses at different studios around the UK, and with my friend at Forest Row School of Ceramics. I now get asked to teach internationally too. My in-person courses and online talks are all based on my books.
How do you teach?
My workshops are often over two days. On the first day we do loads of testing. It’s a bit like cooking – following a recipe, mixing powders and water together – and that gets put onto test pieces. That’s one whole day. Then we fire overnight.
On the morning of the second day, we discuss the results and what went wrong, asking questions like, ‘How could you make it better?’, ‘What’s your next step?’, ‘What do you want to develop?’ It’s all about understanding the chemistry and analysing the results. That’s when we delve into the theory.
If the kiln is still too hot, I can do a talk. If the venue doesn’t have an electric kiln, then we need to go elsewhere and add a third day for the firing. We use that day in the middle to have a break; sometimes we go to a museum.
How has your teaching evolved?
The first time I did a workshop, I did the theory first, but people did not know what I was talking about. Some people hadn’t handled the materials. So, I decided it was much better if I did the practical first, then they can see what these materials are, and touch them. They’re all just powdered rocks, but if you’ve handled them, it’s easier to remember their names!
Usually, I have about 12 students per workshop. Each makes five colours and combines them to make another 10 colour combinations. They apply them to tiny little rectangular ceramic test pieces, so it’s a full kiln!
I used to do a three- or four-day workshop, but people would run out of steam, so I now run this as a two-day course. It all came about from trial and error, seeing what worked best.
Below Linda Bloomfield’s lava glaze tests at London Potters’ glaze workshop.
Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall is an artist specialising in drawing and printmaking. Her work tells stories about her life, travels, garden and miniature dachshund, Miss Marple.
She runs live online workshops, provides creative coaching and teaches at The Royal Drawing School. After 20 years in London, she relocated to rural Northamptonshire to focus on her own artwork.
She works from two beautifully organised and colourful studios in her garden. Living in the middle of the countryside provides all the inspiration she needs. Her book, Linocut: A Creative Guide to Making Beautiful Prints, was published in 2023.
You can find out more about Sam at www.sammarshallart.com
80 Part One: Why, what, who, how and where to teach?
When did you start teaching?
I started teaching after I left The Royal Drawing School in my mid-30s. The School organised after-school clubs for kids who were interested in art, and I really got into that. I took a PGCE for artists, and went on to teach part-time at The BRIT School in Croydon, and at The Foundation Year, run by The Royal Drawing School, and fitted my own work around that.
Why do you teach?
When I was young, I had a friend who struggled to get things and I remember really enjoying helping her understand. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, I’m quite good at this’, so when I had the opportunity to teach, I jumped at it.
Creative Case Study
Above and opposite Printmaker Sam Marshall at work.
For me, there’s always been a bit of guilt around making, because art is sometimes so insular. I love to share my passion and inspire people. Seeing that light in their eyes and helping them overcome their obstacles is what it is about for me.
What do you really teach?
I offer a variety of live online workshops on linocut and drawing. I like going back to basics, back to pencil and paper, and seeing what happens. That’s where it all begins. I always encourage my students to draw – no tracing anybody else’s work! It’s about trying to find your true unique creative voice through drawing.
If you don’t think you can draw, I don’t care, go out and try because you will create marks that are unique to you. That’s how I teach – find your style by doing the work and trusting yourself to create an image that you can then transfer to linocut, rather than copying somebody else’s work. My students come to me to get a confidence boost. I am absolutely not going to tell them exactly what to do. I suggest that they do things and that they’re able to do it by themselves.
There are so many people who think they aren’t creative, and have been told they aren’t creative. It’s my passion to make people believe that everybody’s got something that they can create. It’s not about the end result, it’s about the actual process.
How do you plan and structure your teaching?
I run workshops in spring, autumn and winter, roughly every other weekend, depending on how much time I have. I run the same sessions every quarter or every other quarter. The titles and content come naturally to me because they are based on specific techniques.
I run my creative coaching sessions in the morning and towards the end of the day, so I have the rest of the day for me and my work. I do online teaching mostly on weekends. It’s very organic, and it changes from week to week.
Sam Marshall