a Flower and Garden retreat
On teaching workshops and moving past blockages. Plenty of flowery, colorful, and inspiring imagery from Chelsea Fuss’ Flower and Garden Retreat, too!
The first time I facilitated a workshop, my legs felt like jelly. My stomach was a hard knot, and “umm” was the expression I used the most. It was during the pandemic, an online workshop on bioregionalism and local living, and I felt clueless most of the time. After the workshop ended, I closed down my laptop and swore I’d never go on the internets again in case I stumbled upon any feedback. So when I somehow heard that folks had loved it, the only reasonable explanation was that some type of cognitive dissonance was going on. Theirs… or mine?
As we started meeting in person again, I timidly gave it another shot. And another. And what can I say other than this: it started growing on me. I love people, I love chatting, and sharing is my love language. So after I moved past that initial blockage that tells me someone else better than me should be guiding these folks on how to make x, y, z, it becomes fun and, dare I say, empowering. Because of course there are countless people who are more knowledgeable than I am at fostering community, and carding and spinning wool, and flower crafts, but it’s me who’s there on that day and I must have been invited for a reason. So I step on and say “yup, it’s me you’re getting!” (maybe just not out loud), and set to do what I love — meeting people, chatting, and sharing a passion. And the more I do it, and the more loving feedback I receive, the better it feels. The best part of it, though, is seeing folks walk away with a smile on their faces and a new skill in their tool belts or germinating idea in their minds, and know they will carry it with them and pass it on. And the learning goes both ways, workshops are very much reciprocal I find.
If you’ve been flirting with the idea of sharing your knowledge and skills with folks in your community or outside of it, consider this my impromptu pep talk: do it! Talk passionately about what you love, and about the crafts that keep your hands busy and your heart full. So many of us crave safe spaces to create, connect and share freely, and everyone has to gain with it, attendees and facilitators alike.
Earlier this month, I had the absolute pleasure of guiding a workshop in Chelsea Fuss’ Flower and Garden Retreat, teaching how to harvest and make lavender wands. This is probably the most popular project from my book, which came as a surprise! After packing my knitting, a good book, and a few supplies, I hopped on the train for a weekend by the sea. I only attended a day and a half from the whole retreat, which was a week-long, and returned home with so much! Chelsea is an inspiring floral designer, with bubbling ideas and a creative mind, and a sense of styling that I hope to carry at least a little bit of with me. She is also a fellow writer, and I’m currently waiting for her gorgeous book to arrive in my mailbox any day now (my birthday present for myself!). Chelsea is fun and welcoming, and the small group was a joy to be around. Everything was very beautifully planned, and there was a wonderful group of instructors guiding activities throughout the event, from herbalists to native plant experts. I’ll be returning in early June for an encore of my workshop!
What follows are some pictures from this retreat, so buckle up for plenty of flowery, colorful, and inspiring imagery. Credit for these photos goes to Valentina unless otherwise noted. As for me, I forgot my camera home!
above photo by Chelsea Fuss
above photo by Chelsea Fuss
This is only a tiny sneak peek, of course. I’m looking forward to heading back in just a couple of weeks!
And you know, this specific retreat made me realize how much I was missing guiding workshops. In fact, I very much want more of this in my life. Are you organizing something fun and looking for an instructor? Hit me up! 🤗🌸
Have you guided workshops before? I’d love to hear about it!