tony clennell on fri 30 oct 09
Bill: A workshop is a one person play. I have seen people's work that
I absolutely adore and when I attended their workshop it was like
watching paint dry. The work may have personality but they sure
didn't. If you are going to ask people to sit on their duffs for two
days you had dang well better keep them captivated with either
interesting methods of working or commentary. It doesn't have to be a
song and dance routine but it does need to move along with a plan and
a direction.
I have even been to a workshop where the presenter said "What do you
want me to make?" This is a bit like asking the class what you do you
want to talk about today?"
Workshop fees are a tuff one. Remember a weekend workshop is a weeks
work. If you are a studio potter making your living from your work it
means you can't make anything for the studio the day before that may
need finishing. You also spend the afternoon cleaning tools, packing
etc. Then there is a day of travel, a slide show Friday night, work
all day Sat, dinner with the gang till the wee hours that night, work
all day Sun and maybe dinner with host. Travel Monday, unpack etc, etc
Tues, usually you're knackered so might actually start working
Wednesday afternoon. I have found my fee is higher than some well
known academics. Remember their school is proud of them for spreading
the gospel according to their U so they probably get paid for the days
away that being Thursday, Friday, Monday.
If when you're doing the math as to what you think you are worth per
day multiply X 5 for a weekend price. In my case if I am too expensive
for them so be it. I am in business and as Pete Pinnell says ' If you
pick something up, you have to put something down!" So if I'm gone
from the studio for a week that means a weeks worth of work didn't get
made for us to sell to pay the bills.
Your first workshop is a honour and you'd almost do it for free, the
second one is testimony that you are half decent at doing them and you
ask for a bit of money, the rest tell ya thatyou have a paying gig
and if ya enjoy it as I do then you make it part of your business
plan.
All the best on the road.
Cheers,
Tony
Antoinette Badenhorst on sat 31 oct 09
Good advice Tony. I absolutely agree with you that one has to have the pers=
=3D
onality and the ability to fwd information.=3D20
Another aspect is that one should be willing to share information. I've att=
=3D
ended workshops where the presenter avoid some questions, because it will g=
=3D
ive away too much of the "secrets" Some might give recipes and leave an ing=
=3D
redient out. So make sure that if you are willing to do workshops, that you=
=3D
are willing to share and if there is something that is off limits to share=
=3D
, say it straight forward, do not mislead the audience.=3D20
The best thing is to encourage the audience to use the information as a sta=
=3D
rting place to develop their own thing, rather than copying what you do.=3D=
20
Antoinette Badenhorst=3D20
Lincolnshire, Illinoise=3D20
----- Original Message -----=3D20
From: "tony clennell" =3D20
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=3D20
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 11:55:37 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central=3D2=
0
Subject: Workshop as performance art=3D20
Bill: A workshop is a one person play. I have seen people's work that=3D20
I absolutely adore and when I attended their workshop it was like=3D20
watching paint dry. The work may have personality but they sure=3D20
didn't. If you are going to ask people to sit on their duffs for two=3D20
days you had dang well better keep them captivated with either=3D20
interesting methods of working or commentary. It doesn't have to be a=3D20
song and dance routine but it does need to =3DC2=3DA0move along with a plan=
and=3D
=3D20
a direction.=3D20
I have even been to a workshop where the presenter said "What do you=3D20
want me to make?" This is a bit like asking the class what you do you=3D20
want to talk about today?"=3D20
Workshop fees are a tuff one. =3DC2=3DA0Remember a weekend workshop is a we=
eks=3D
=3D20
work. If you are a studio potter making your living from your work it=3D20
means you can't make anything for the studio the day before that may=3D20
need finishing. You also spend the afternoon cleaning tools, packing=3D20
etc. Then there is a day of travel, a slide show Friday night, work=3D20
all day Sat, dinner with the gang till the wee hours that night, work=3D20
all day Sun and maybe dinner with host. Travel Monday, unpack etc, etc=3D20
Tues, usually you're knackered so might actually start working=3D20
Wednesday afternoon. I have found my fee is higher than some well=3D20
known academics. Remember their school is proud of them for spreading=3D20
the gospel according to their U so they probably get paid for the days=3D20
away that being Thursday, Friday, Monday.=3D20
If when you're doing the math as to what you think you are worth per=3D20
day multiply X 5 for a weekend price. In my case if I am too expensive=3D20
for them so be it. I am in business and as Pete Pinnell says ' If you=3D20
pick something up, you have to put something down!" So if I'm gone=3D20
from the studio for a week that means a weeks worth of work didn't get=3D20
made for us to sell to pay the bills.=3D20
Your first workshop is a honour and you'd almost do it for free, the=3D20
second one is testimony that you are half decent at doing them and you=3D20
ask for a bit of money, the rest tell ya =3DC2=3DA0thatyou have a paying gi=
g=3D20
and if ya enjoy it as I do then you make it part of your business=3D20
plan.=3D20
All the best on the road.=3D20
Cheers,=3D20
Tony=3D20
Jeremy McLeod on sun 1 nov 09
Bear with me. A story about dance will get me to my point about pottery
workshop presenters.
Dame Margot Fontayne, the legendary prima ballerina, was once asked by an=
=3D
up'n'coming journalist, to explain what she was trying to communicate in =
=3D
a
particular passage in her performance of the Dying Swan in Swan Lake. Sh=
=3D
e
responded, "My dear young man, do you think I'd go through all the pain o=
=3D
f
dancing that if I could put it into words?"
I'm thinking of one particularly introverted workshop presenter from whom=
=3D
I
have learned much who generally cannot explain the way out of a paper bag=
=3D
.=3D20
The obligatory words at the beginning of a workshop are adequate but the
genuine eloquence flows when this incredibly skilled artist has hands on
clay. I've learned so much in this case from watching the pas de deux
between potter and clay. Were I looking to be entertained verbally I'd h=
=3D
ave
denied myself a profound learning experience.
One caveat here for workshop presenters is to make sure we have something=
=3D
of
genuine substance to offer the folks who come to learn with us. Without s=
=3D
ame
neither facile words nor pro-forma demonstrations will add up to a good
workshop. Genuine substance presented from the core of the teacher's
passion and person, however, will provide fertile ground for learning.
One caveat here for workshop participants is that we come to the experien=
=3D
ce
ready to experience it for what it IS (rather than what it is not). Come=
=3D
ready to connect our passion and person to those of the presenter. We ma=
=3D
y
or may not be entertained in the process. When we're open to being *with=
=3D
* a
presenter in the act of creating, we can learn from folks we might otherw=
=3D
ise
be prone to write off.
Peace.
Jeremy McLeod
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