What I learned while doing photography is that I enjoy the teaching process just about as much as I do taking the pictures. I enjoy watching the students eyes light up when the learn something new and hearing them talk about how they thought all you needed to do was point the camera and shoot but really there is much more to a camera and a photo than you would know. When you take a good picture someone might say "oh wow you must have a good camera" so why is that any different than eating a fabulous cupcake. Do we say to the baker "oh wow that's fantastic you must have a good oven"..... no we don't but in everything there is more that goes into something than you would ever dream, that is until you learn it yourself. There always room for another photographer or a mom that takes great pictures of her kids and doesn't have to spend the money to have them taken every year. There is always room for more people to talk the photography/camera language to help us all grow and learn from each other. That is why I teach I'm willing to watch them grow and turn something they didn't know anything about into something that makes their creative soul burst. And from the number of students I have had there are several that have grown into living and breathing photography in their backyards, their kids, other kids, trips.... their camera is a part of their daily lives and with that I am proud to have shared a part of what I know. I may not be an expert but what I know I will teach and what I don't know I will learn..... and then teach it. Teaching photography cannot be learned in a day, it cannot be learned in a few hours it takes me 6 weeks to teach them to move off automatic and then most of them that really want to learn have come back for a second time with the exact same 6 weeks of classes..... and then it clicks (no pun intended). I've been tossing around the idea of teaching a class again since I haven't for a couple years but we'll see where that all goes. For those that are asking me to teach it again, I am listening and you may get your wish soon, you'll be the first to know.
So what all that babble is about is around June as I'm being a painting freak with the Jazzed Up Junk sale fast approaching a local hardware store got in Rust-oleum Chalked Paint and asked me to come try it out, she gave me a can of the paint and said "I know you use chalk paint and I want to know if you think it's good". She also asked for me to teach a class in the fall if I liked it. Classes are set up for October 1st at Foremans Farm Home, visit them or call to sign up, last I heard the class is almost full. We are painting a jar like this.
Then a few weeks ago I was approached by another local hardware store to do some chalk painting for them and to teach some chalk painting classes. I love chalk paint and it's been a few failed attempts at some points to understand it and know just what makes it work and what doesn't. All the brands of chalk paint out there (and there are now lots of them) all work differently so if you think you know how to chalk paint and then use another brand you just started over with the learning process. Our Ace Hardware store got in a chalk paint line called Amy Howard at Home One Step Chalk Paint. I've not heard of the brand but was willing to go in and chat with the group to see what it was all about and what they wanted me to do. They wanted a display painted to promote the paint in the store and the rest was up to me. I got three cans of paint, a couple waxes, and a few other Amy Howard products. I flew home to dig right in, my hands were itching to get started. I had an idea but to make it work I needed to spend hours in the garage and the hardest part was my idea needed help from John to build it. My display has been delivered to the store and she's beautiful so please go check it out and while you're there don't forget to touch it, this paint line is beyond amazing when you touch it. I'm working the details out with teaching classes for the Amy Howard at Home Paint line and beyond the teaching I've started a new blog to let you know what is all happening on that end of my busy life. The new blog is called The Painted Photographer.... clever huh? click
here to check it out and don't forget to bookmark it.
There is always something to learn, we all have something to teach, and there is plenty of room for all of us to grow. We might fail and others might criticize us for what we do but keep going no matter how many times you fall.... get up and try again. Start learning, start teaching what you know, and start growing you'll be amazed at how good it makes you feel.
I've stopped in to see the display and say hi to each painted piece. I've grown so attached to them all it was hard to let go.
I'm not usually this wordy so if you made it to the end without just arrowing down for the photo thank you for reading. If you didn't read that's okay we're still friends, just check out the new blog
here.
