Step 6. Stretch the Next Step
Some aspects of creating and running classes, workshops and retreats your way may strike you as easy—and some may strike you as hard. When you come up against one of those hard places you are likely to stall, avoid doing the work, and have your class, workshop or retreat fall through. It would be lovely if everything about the process felt easy but you can bet that not everything will. Get ready for that!
You’ll know that something is feeling hard by virtue of the fact that you aren’t getting it done. You’ll find yourself procrastinating, feeling a lot of anxiety, and maybe feeling disappointed with yourself or upset with someone else, like a representative of a venue who hasn’t gotten back to you or a friend with whom you thought you might co-lead the class. Procrastination is the bright red flag that something is feeling difficult and making you anxious. Don’t procrastinate this chance away!
Maybe you’ve gotten stuck not being able to choose among three different ideas you have for workshops. Then powerful choosing is the place where you need to stretch! Maybe you’ve gotten stuck not being able to pick a price for your class and you feel hampered by your embarrassment around choosing a “high” price, even though you know that a low price doesn’t make financial sense. Then feeling unembarrassed about charging a high price is the place where you need to stretch! Artists who are new to teaching classes, workshops and retreats regularly get stuck in places like these—and getting stuck there jeopardizes the whole process. If you are stuck somewhere in the process, fight your way through!
Stretching often means nothing more than managing your anxiety level. If you can remember to say to yourself, “Wow, having to choose among these three workshop ideas is really making me anxious. I have to breathe, calm my nerves, settle down, and make a choice. Okay, it’s just a case of nerves! Let me face this right now.” This stretching may indeed involve you leaving your comfort zone—that’s what stretching means!
Be prepared for the possibility that you may have to do something that feels scary or risky. If getting to run the class, workshop or retreat that you would really love to run requires that you do a little stretching, embrace that reality—and do that stretching!
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You may be interested in Dr. Maisel’s low-cost, pick-your-own-price class for artists called The 12 Keys to Creativity; or a second one called Overcoming Creative Anxiety. Check them out here:
The 12 Keys to Creativity
https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=100&aff=
Overcoming Creative Anxiety
https://www.dailyom.com/cgi-bin/courses/courseoverview.cgi?cid=48&aff=