In this Real Life blog post, we asked three experienced creatives who teach to share how they plan their creative teaching, for their in-person or online workshops and courses. From planning and launching a series of workshops to balancing their teaching time with making their own work, from running a class with faster and slower students to not running out of time … we get the low down.
As our director Patricia van den Akker’s book, ‘Teaching Creative Workshops In Person and Online‘, has just been published, we’re taking a deep dive into the working lives of creative teachers.
Ruby Taylor of Native Hands
Ruby Taylor co-founded Native Hands in 2011, her teaching platform for wild basketry and wild pottery in-person woodland courses in Sussex. Her own creative practice is large-scale, site-specific land art working with plants that grow on site. Her background includes working in a team of archaeologists and extended periods of contemplative practice in the natural world.
How do you plan your teaching in the longer term?
“My teaching is highly seasonal (April-Oct) because itโs outdoors and because itโs timed with the availability of the plants we use on the courses. I aim to get the whole of the teaching season planned and open for bookings by early December of the preceding year. I use a paper year planner for this, so I can get a good overview.
Quite a few courses are repeated each year, having become staples or signature courses. I take out ones which proved less popular and add new ones every year. I develop the new ones over the winter when Iโm not teaching.”
How do you manage to balance having time to teach AND make your own work?
“The seasonality of my teaching dictates this. Iโve evolved a yearly rhythm whereby at the end of the 6-month teaching season I do 4-6 weeks of intensive planning and other deskwork, then a decent break, then a 3-months period in the early part of the year for my own creative projects and R&D for teaching. These 3 months sometimes generate income but not always, so I have to earn enough through teaching to potentially carry me through.
Consequently the teaching season is very intensive and doesnโt allow for any other work. This rhythm wouldnโt appeal to everyone, but so far itโs suited me (despite its drawbacks),
I like having clearly defined periods of time without teaching.”
As you teach outside there is more unpredictability for your courses. How do you prepare for that?
“People who book on my courses know in advance that weโll go ahead more or less whatever the weather. I give them advice on clothing and footwear and have wet weather contingencies that include huge tarps, which my assistant and I put up if needed.
We always have a campfire with a kettle, and are attentive to peopleโs needs around warmth and food / hot drinks. I keep a close eye on the weather forecast and if there were high winds or torrential rain forecasted, Iโd re-schedule the course. There have only been a handful of times that Iโve had to do this, thankfully.
As the workshop provider, navigating the weather and being outdoors is a very demanding aspect. I rely on the support of my assistant with this side of things.”
How do you plan a new workshop or course?
“First, I get the inspiration, either from a material or from an object Iโve seen somewhere. I learn how to make it, making several attempts and plenty of mistakes until I feel I understand it really thoroughly.
I write down the stages of making as I go along, and work out how long it takes to make. I translate my making time into group making time, and then decide if it fits into a day or two days, taking into consideration the harvesting and processing of the material by the group.
Having taught for quite a few years, I have a feel for how a course would flow, but each course varies slightly depending on materials and processes involved. I work out what would need to be achieved by lunchtime, and then what would be done in the afternoon. I do this by writing out a plan of the stages and sequence of making, in the knowledge that any new course may need to be adapted slightly on the hoof. Thereโs always an element of trial and error as a new course is developed.
Also every group of people is different, so that needs to be responded to on the day.”
Do you strictly follow your plan, or are you flexible?
“The written plan is just for me, although I will always tell students an overview of the day, the morning, the afternoon, so that they have an idea of timings and the shape of the day.
As my courses are process-led thereโs a clear arc of stages needing to be reached at certain times during the course.”
When you are teaching how do you deal with slower and faster students? What do you do when time is running out?
“For faster students I might suggest extra activities for them to do, and I will have a few ideas up my sleeve for that. For slower students I aim to respond to their individual capabilities, which would include having a chat about whatโs manageable in the time available.
I put a lot of effort into designing courses to fit the time frame โฆ itโs a significant creative and pedagogic challenge. Because of the type of things I teach, thereโs a clear outcome aim within the time we have. It feels important that people go home with a completed piece, having gone through all the technical stages.
I get a lot of feedback about this from people; it matters a lot that thereโs a satisfactory completion and that the day feels well-paced.
But it doesnโt always work out how youโd ideally like, and then communicating and negotiating with the group (or individuals) is key. I often feel like a swan: calm on the surface, but underneath, out of sight, working really hard!”
Whatโs the number one thing you have learnt about planning & time management as a teacher?
“Theyโre really, really important. Both for the students and for you, the teacher. It helps everyone, including you, feel more relaxed, more safe and therefore more creative.“
HANNY NEWTON
Hanny Newton is a textile artist specialising in embroidery with metal threads and natural fibres. She runs online courses from her website, teaching creative approaches to traditional goldwork skills, and also teaches in-person nationally, including at West Dean College and Hand & Lock. She also works to commission on interiors projects internationally and is the winner of the 2024 Sanderson QEST Rising Star Craft award.
How do you plan your creative teaching longer term?
“For the last three years I have run three online courses a year – each a month or six weeks long. There’s definitely been a lot of trial and error working out when is the right time of year to run them – I tend to find that winter (but not January as its still close to Christmas in terms of people spending money) and autumn (but not September as many of my students seem to go on holiday after the school summer holidays are over) are really good times.
I try to announce the dates at least three months in advance – four if possible, as I’ve had feedback from some avid stitchers that they like to plan out and book multiple courses over the year. I try to book them in my quieter months – both in terms of other work commitments, and in terms of the money I have coming in at certain times.”
How do you manage to balance having time to teach and doing your own work?
“In 2023, I decided to switch from teaching live online courses to creating a platform with pre-recorded content, workbooks and then use the live sessions (1 hour, every 2 weeks) just for feedback and engagement. It was a significant amount of work to set up for each of my three courses, but it really pays off now, as I can re-launch each course, and reap the rewards of work I’ve already done, freeing me up to have more time for my own art practice.
It means that even if I end up with last minute commissions or other work and am feeling stretched, the quality of the course is always strong and reliable – its been a real game changer in terms of having a reliable income stream, when commissions are always unpredictable when they will begin.”
How long in advance do you plan your online teaching? Is there a difference between planning for online or in-person teaching?
“Making all the content in recorded videos in advance means I can create it far in advance, around my other work – sometimes over several months. I can also re-visit and add extra content – a bit like editing a book – it allows it to be a really creative process, and one I can shape however I wish – I don’t do my best work when Iโm rushed.
The big difference in teaching online compared to in-person in terms of how I teach, and the students experience is that they can engage with the creative process over a longer period of time, and at their own pace (courses last 4-6 weeks and I give access for one year) which allows for a much deeper way to develop creative ideas in embroidery than a one or three day course in person allows. It means you can walk away from your work, take breaks, mull over ideas and come back with a fresh perspective, which I really think is a key process to developing your own art practice, rather than just giving students more of a โneat productโ experience.”
How do you plan a new workshop or course?
“I start with a topic in mind – for example – colour and shading over metal threads – and I usually have some idea of the activities to cover, but I then will step-by-step do the course myself – and that often reveals ideas I wouldn’t have thought of if I planned it โfrom a distanceโ. I can then make notes as I go of tips and important things to note to make it accessible and easy to follow for everyone. It goes much smoother when I take the time to do this, and also means I then have great samples to show everyone.
If its an in-person class, I will roughly mark out when we will have breaks etc, but the speed of the group can really vary depending on their stitch experience, energy levels etc, so I try not to stick to timings too rigidly.”
How strictly do you follow your plan, or are you flexible?
“Flexibility is really important. In my in-person classes I will assess where everyone is up to, and sometimes change my plan if I think the group need more space, or to go deeper.
With my online courses, I make sure to design the course so that some parts are fundamental, and others are optional, so people can fit it to the time they have. I then make sure to stress this in emails and live sessions, so it hopefully takes the pressure off to โkeep upโ – which can be a real creativity killer!”
When you are teaching how do you deal with slower and faster students? What do you do when time is running out?
“When teaching in-person, I try to read the room. It can get tiring if it is a course over a few days, but I find it works really well for the students if I give multiple demonstrations of next steps – so those who have finished sooner are not waiting, and those who need more time aren’t rushed – its really important to create a non-judgmental, creative environment that nobody has to โkeep upโ and can feel free and relaxed to create work in their own way – especially to break the feeling some people have that goldwork is rule-heavy and has to be done โrightโ.”
Whatโs the number one thing you have learnt about planning & time management as a creative teacher?
“When planning a creative course, where you are โinventingโ new exercises, engage with the processes and exercises that the students will go through as you design, even if you think you know the subject really well, that way you know if it actually works before you get to the classroom, and can problem-solve as you plan.”
Rob Jones of Romor Designs
Rob Jones from Romor Designs is best known for being a Japaneseย textiles expert and artist (especially in textile techniques such as Shibori, Katagami stencilling, Sashiko, Kogin, and Boro mending), designer/maker and teacher who loves to share his skills and passion for Japan with his students. Rob teaches in person at his studio in Muswell Hill in North London, at craft colleges such as West Dean College and also has a thriving online practice on Zoom.
Robโs work has been exhibited at the Japanese Embassy in London and his mending was featured in the semi-final of the Great British Sewing Bee in 2022.
How do you plan your creative teaching in the longer term?
“In January, I do a full review of my teaching practice. I review each workshop’s performance and, if something is slow, I will either remove it or reduce its frequency.
I always try to introduce at least one new class in spring. This keeps me thinking about my own practice and gives me the headspace to experiment and design something new. I then get to do lots of making so that I have a good set of samples to show students and I can see what works in a classroom format.
I then market the new classes to former students. I schedule deliberately a lot more classes than I actually will run. This is to ensure thereโs a good selection for visitors to my website and to give people choices of dates. I run my classes (both in person and online) all year, although there are less during Christmas when I am focusing on selling my own work,
This scheduling is an important part of my financial planning as I estimate my teaching income from this. I use the Eventbrite app for reviewing my offer, which shows the number of courses I have run (over 800). This gives people confidence that I am an established teacher and helps me get bookings. I can see at a glance on Eventbrite what classes I have listed and where there are gaps.”
How do you manage to balance having time to teach and having time to make your own work?
“I schedule in-person evening classes about once a fortnight, and a weekend class once a month. Zoom classes are usually 2-4 times a week but I rarely run them all.
Teaching is year-round, although I do less in November and December when the focus is on selling my own work and that’s when I go to Japan (either March or October). Zoom teaching at home is easy to set up and pack away as I have each workshopโs materials kept separately and just have to prepare my space. I sometimes do both an afternoon and an evening online class but those days are very tiring!
With studio teaching I make it a making day for myself, and then teach in the evening. Then I am not having to go to the studio just to teach. When I am teaching on the weekend I make sure I either have the next day off or, if I do have to work, choose admin and emails so it isnโt too taxing.
My making is also throughout the year but is more driven by selling events and is busiest in the autumn (often on my return from Japan where I source vintage materials) and when my teaching load is less.”
How long in advance do you plan your online sessions? Is there a difference between planning for online or in person workshops?
“I try to schedule all my classes 2-3 months ahead as it is quite a boring process to list everything to be honest. I have got it down to a fine art: copying and modifying past classes (easy to do on Eventbrite). This is because I want prospective students to have a choice of dates and times to book. For Zoom online classes I run afternoon and evening classes for the same topic on differentย dates. This allows students overseas to find a time that works for where they are. Setting up Zoom classes is more admin as you have to create the class as a meeting on Zoom and then add that to the Eventbrite listing.
Classroom-based classes are typically on Monday evenings (2 a month) and are much easier to set up on Eventbrite. They last longer than the Zoom classes as students dye their work too. They start later (18.30pm) so students have time to travel to my studio. I run some all-day classes on Sundays once a month (10.30 to 17.30) as there is a lot more setupย and clearing away.ย
If I know I will be away or coming into a busy period, Iโll set things up a few months ahead. And I always make sure I have January and February classes listed before Christmas in case people buy one of my teaching gift vouchers or โkit and a classโ products online as a gift.”
How do you plan a new workshop or course?
“The first step is to pick something new to teach. This is often an extension to Shibori resist dyeing, which makes up a big part of my practice. The topic could be something Iโve seen in a book or come across in my travels to Japan.
Iโll start with some research to see if I think there is enough meat on the subject to create a class from and that it fits into my existing practice as I can then cross-sell. I then enter a creative phase where I am doing a lot of making to see what can be achieved in a 2-hour timeframe. I make a lot of samples, many of which form my teaching pack for that class. The 2-hour window is key as my Zoom classes (without dye) are 2 hours and my studio classes (3 hours) then allow an extra hour for the dyeing part.
I usually find a few snags and will then either find a good workaround or drop that technique. I also try to make some really good โwowโ pieces as part of my mission is to inspire my students and it’s also a good challenge for myself!
Once Iโve got that worked out, I will create a lesson plan in Word. This will form the basis of my workshop listing on my website and Eventbrite. The work Iโve made is used for the photos for the listings too. I mostly only add new classes in the spring as Iโm too busy otherwise.
The only exception to this would be if Iโm going to teach at a new venue. Then the work to create new content and classes can come out of the discussions with them.”
How strictly do you follow your plan, or are you flexible?
“Most of my classes are fixed content so I do follow my time plan pretty firmly as there is a lot to fit in, especially with a dyeing class as I have to allow time for multiple dips in the indigo and rinsing. And, as those classes are in the evening, I want to get home!
One or two classes are longer in duration or are project-based (e.g. making a scarf with patterns selected from the teaching). With these I allow some flexibility with the students deciding which patterns to work in the latter part of the class.
I do share a general view of the time plan, e.g. โwe will prepare pieces and then dye themโ or “we will mark up patterns and then stitch themโ but I rarely give timeframes.”
When you are teaching how do you deal with slower and faster students? What do you do when time is running out?
“This is a tricky one! Fortunately it hasnโt happened that often.
A lot depends on the class. Some require a specific technique to be mastered before anything else can be done, such as some basic knots in Shibori. In those cases, I would individually teach the slower learner and maybe suggest other students practice more or look at the books Iโve brought. If itโs a bigger problem and some people are getting twitchy, I will sometimes show those students the next stage so they can carry on and go back to work with the slower ones individually.
I keep a close eye on the time! And, as I have multiple techniques to cover, I will sometimes omit something so that I can finish on time. But it does depend a bit on the students. I will sometimes ask if it is okay with them to overrun and then do an extra 10-15 minutes to finish something. I like to leave people with a good feeling and to not feel rushed.
I also send helpful notes and information afterwards with good reference books, which can help people who were slower to work on afterwards.”
Whatโs the number one thing you have learnt about planning & time management as a teacher?
“When teaching something new, do a trial run. I will time myself and then make allowances for my greater skill and speediness. Then I can decide whether I have too much content and drop something to make it work.
I will also sometimes do free lessons for good former students, explaining that I am trying out a new class and asking them to be my guinea pigs. This is great as thereโs no pressure (because they arenโt paying) and I can get honest feedback from someone who already knows and likes me. And it is great for my relationship with those students as they feel valued and appreciated, which means they refer their friends and it increases their liking and trust in me as their tutor.
Iโll also ask for a testimonial from them, which I can add as a quote to my workshops page on my website.”
You can read more about Ruby, Hanny and Rob and why and how they teach in Patricia’s book Teaching Creative Workshops In Person and Online, as they are all featured case studies.
What did you learn from this post on planning your creative teaching? What was your favourite insight? Have you got a tip to share on planning your teaching? Share with us below in the comments box.
Really interesting reading Hanny’s and Rob’s case studies.
I like what Rob says about trialling new classes on loyal students, it’s a great idea.