Teaching for joy, not drain

Notes from leading my first art workshop

My first dream job as a wee kid was to become a teacher. I loved my elementary school teachers and all of the fun exercises they led during class, from building bridges with toothpicks to group book reports. I quickly moved on from that dream to chasing more solitary, creative pursuits like writing and music, but my appreciation for teaching always remained.

Two weeks ago I taught my first art workshop with KAAC, an hour long Zoom session on illustrating food using mixed media. I have hosted numerous events before and have taught coding for several months in a classroom setting, but I was filled with jitters at the thought of sharing my art process and drawing live! I calmed my nerves by preparing a presentation with lots of notes, setting up my camera for demonstration days in advance, and making lots of food drawings similar to the ones we’d be making in class.

Drawing naengmyun, a Korean noodle dish with colored pencil, paint, and pastel

The class didn’t go perfectly—it rarely does. There were seconds here and there that my internet cut out, and I lingered too long on the first drawing and had to rush through the second one to finish on time. But I was surprised by how heartened and proud I felt after the workshop, filled to the brim with vibrant energy from connecting with others and seeing their joy from what they were able to make.

Teaching is an opportunity for relation. I was so focused on fearing how this hour of sharing was going to embarrass or drain me that I underestimated the positive energy that connecting with others can bring. I walked away with an eagerness to teach more in the future, and a newfound confidence in sharing my art process as well as helpful tips and resources.

At the end of the workshop we all got to see each other’s drawings!

Still, teaching can be draining especially for introverts or frankly anyone who works from home and doesn’t talk much all day. Here are some tips on leading a class to prioritize ease and joy while you teach:

Make a shareable worksheet or presentation to to guide students through exercises. This is where you can put your resources, list of materials, and takeaways and prompts for the future. That way students can focus on your demo or their own drawings, and go at their own pace without worrying about taking notes!

Have water close by. I don’t know about you but talking for more than ten minutes gets me super dehydrated. But also don’t drink so much that you have to go to the bathroom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Less is more. When planning the workshop I had the urge to cram in lots of information and material, just in case. One of my teachers

Lindsay Stripling

also forewarned the same impulse to “overcomplicate things to prove worthiness.” It’s a disservice to students when teachers dump tons of information in a haphazard way!

Teachers have taken years to learn everything we know and we cannot reasonably impart all of that knowledge in a short timeframe. Trust that your students will learn from you even if you don’t cover every topic under the sun. If they’re curious for more, they will ask.

Engagement takes active effort. Most people will not unmute themselves on Zoom and start sharing unprompted (I would never!) Take the time to ask questions in varied formats—easy ones like “Where are you calling in from?” in the chat to asking specific people how their drawing is going if they look confused. Prompt people to show their favorite drawings at their end—it’s often the best part of class!