That first Class

Here you are, at the threshold of teaching your first 13 step class - you've painted your Legendary lady, and began having morning tea with your Muse. You've met your inner Artist and taped your Soul Fire. You've gathered tools for your Medicine Basket, and rewritten some old stories ... 

And now...

It's time to offer that first 13 step painting class!! Yikes!! 
First - Breathe! You've got this! 

You have likely been gathering ideas for your theme, and jotting down notes from your CoW SiStars classes. It's great to have a folder of journal to collect these! 

Sit with your Muse and journal to refine your ideas and choose the name. Muse or Queen of .... is often a good start. Shiloh often suggests to choose a theme that is juicy for us, and perhaps has us shaking in our boots.

Gabriella - my first Muse

This usually isn't the time for offering your ideal destination retreat! Jot down your ideas for that Shiny Object (in a special journal?) so you'll have them later! Then - back to ideas for this can-do workshop! You need two students, and two days. 

• Pull out (or make) your set of 13 step prompt cards
• Do a Metacognative drawing or two, exporting your theme: Muse of Creativity, Queen of your Heart ... draw then ask her what she lives by?  What do her symbols represent? What is her Motto, how does she counter the critic?
• Do a demo painting, using the same size canvas as your beloveds will work on (16×20" is a good size for your first offering) Follow the flow of your cards, and do the journaling. Do you need to add another card or reminder?

As you're preparing, paint with your students in mind, keep it simple! The 13 steps are a great guideline, they're a teaching outline for our own use.  - we generally don't share them with the students, as they are proprietary to IC. 

• You may wish to watch one of the shorter videos - Queen of your Own Heart or Tea With the Muse and paint along (adapting for your theme)
• Experiment with glazing one side of the face and the opposite side of the neck different colors - this adds quick interest!
• Get a rough idea of how far you want to get by the first break, and the end of the first day.
• If you're offering a shorter class, combine a couple of steps, and invite the students to journal about the inquiry before class.
• Choose a reading for your RT circle, and write out your visioning/journey.

After you've gotten ready to teach, found your theme and set the date, you can promote your class, with info on how to register (that can be as simple as "send me a message!"

I use Instagram with #intentionalcreativity #oregonartclass #intuitivepaintingclass, etc and have my website link in my bio. I also have an artist page on FB and post Events there, then "share" those to my main page and in groups like the RT Cafe Classroom.

Sepha and Nadya in Tina Gain's class ('16)

For your first class, invite friends who've expressed interest, others in your community, family members - if you offer a special discount, make sure they know that this is a Special! I give a discount for friends who register together, and returning students. 

You can also teach teach other - I have taken several classes from IC SiStars, and it's always a joy, and I learn something new each time! 

Find more tips on teaching that first class here and from some of our colleagues here.

Breathe - you've got this!   

Teaching Tips from the Council

Getting ready to offer your first class - yikes?!?!

We've all been there - will they like me? What if I forget something?? I don't know what I'm doing!! 

I asked our Muse Time Council of support to share tips - what they wish they'd known before that First Class, ideas on self care, etc - here's what some of them said: 

Council of Muses

Rosie: Breathe! Deeply! This is a time the Inner Critic may arise - I wish I'd known that nervous and excited are very similar emotions...they evoke the same physiological response. 
You can choose to feel excited, and ask the inner critic to take the day off, as you have work to do. Then get centered and focused, and most of all, have fun, because you can! 

On getting students:  Rosie: I put out a "one time only offer," that covered material costs, and a small fee, and asked people to attend to help me compete my study and certification. I made a big deal of it being available for 4 places and got got rapid results.
Nadya: this first class generaily won't be that dream workshop at a destination!! For your first class, keep it simple and accessible for yourself and your students! Two for a lower price plus a materials fee is another option. 
Maria wrote that she had invited her best friends, at no charge, and later, they were excited to see her initiate book with pictures of their class and their Testimonials.

Janet: Prepare your materials to where you feel comfortable. Set your space up ahead of time, so you don't feel rushed or pressured. Let go of expectations, and trust that it will work out for the best. 
Don't feel you have to have it memorized, it's ok to have note cards and written notes to help you out. Breathe! Don't worry if you leave something out, or do a step in the "wrong" order - it's all good! 
Once you start teaching, your beloveds will be on their own path, and will get it done in their own way! Release and surrender - trust yourself (and your Muse!!) 

On Design - Rosie - For a 1 day class, I use a template. You can make up your own design, but I tend to use this one, and it's petty much lines by numbers for the face. Extend the lines to the bottom of the canvas. I started with a class designed to "Meet Your Inner Guide," and it's always around the theme of listening to your own heart. 

Rosie's Template

This is way less intimidating to those with no experience. Invite participants to choose the colors, marks and symbols they saw during the visionary journey, and the message received from their Muse. They all paint from the same design - and all come out different! 

Rosie's painting Part way through the demo

A 2 day class is a deeper exploration - the same template can be used for the face design only - I invite them to choose to orient the way they want. I found this structure very helpful when I began teaching.