The Online Journey
What’s Going on
The Online Journey
To be honest when last March came, nobody knew what was going to happen when Covid-19 hit and had a massive impact on all.
Our whole way of life was disrupted and turned upside down, particularly for a vast majority of people. It still is uncertain, and will continue to be so for a while at least.
But sometimes you just have to change & adapt to what’s in front of you. In our case In-Studio Classes were a no go, unless restrictions of a lockdown were lifted. I was really concerned about the future, were things going to go back to normal? Were people going to come visit the gallery again? So, having observed how other artists moved to delivering classes online, I thought perhaps I would give it a go. Feeling apprehensive at first as I always thought of myself as an introvert and so you could imagine my own shyness of being in front of a camera. Anyway, I bought a camera, lighting equipment and other bits and pieces.
Finally, I advertised and got my first clients starting off with Oil, then Drawing and recently acrylic painting classes. When the courses began, the technology and using the platform ‘Zoom’ it was definitely a mystery to me, but stage by stage by researching through videos and asking people, I gradually understood of how it all worked. Trying different things like adjusting the setup, camera angles, lighting and recording (which was very dissimilar to a live session) I was able to refine it. I’ve become a bit of a ‘techy artist’, which is mad really because never in a zillion years would I have dreamed of doing something like this! I’m not the most au fait with computers, just the basics.
It’s amazing, when you feel backed into a corner or have a deadline to meet, you’ll be surprised how you get on with things and make the best out of a situation. I’m glad I did, not only did I still get to teach people in a different way, but I really enjoyed the interaction with the people who joined. They inspire me, they learn not only from me but from each other. They communicate, they have fun and are able to see what I’m painting better than in a physical class. They paint with me.
The interaction with each other is priceless and I thank them for it. I look forward to seeing them in every lesson, this way of teaching is fulfilling.
Sometimes you have to take a leap