I never wanted to run workshops. I did a couple in my 20s and 30s and they terrified me so much that I avoided them like the plague after that. I found it profoundly uncomfortable to stand in front of a group of people and tell them what to do. I wanted to rush through it so it’d be over, but then I wouldn’t explain things properly. I just didn’t want to be the centre of attention.

In recent years however I’ve had to think about alternative income streams and it seemed kinda foolish to not do workshops, particularly as painting is such an accessible medium to work with. And, as is often the way with these things, I discovered that my horror at being the focus of attention had waned in the intervening years. I mean, I don’t love it, but I can tolerate it more easily now. And I’ve developed a way of working with people that suits my desire to be as unteachery as possible. I’ve refined my sessions and gradually moved away from something fairly prescribed - let’s make X, you do it this way - to a looser, more intuitive approach which I think has more in common with a therapeutic experience than a creative endeavour. My role is as facilitator rather than teacher, which I’m much more comfortable with, and I’ve actually come to really enjoy these sessions. Quite often it evolves into a lovely chatty couple of hours with plenty of cups of tea or coffee, and we just happen to be painting at the same time.

I think Sharon describes it perfectly in her feedback here -

‘I tripped over the No Creative Bones Workshop almost by accident, I am so glad I did. What a fun, creative and unusual event, I LOVED it. Me and a small group of friends were looking for something different to do as a meet-up and this was perfect. Corrina was welcoming and the best host, the space was great with lots of gentle guidance and reassurance offered when needed. I am so pleased with the images I made and will even be putting 1 or 2 on my wall at home. Tbh I could do with this workshop every week, it was a delight.’

If you fancy having a go yourself or gifting a workshop to someone else (I’m in Nottingham) you can find all the workshop details here.