The growth of workshops for photographers we’ve seen lately was the subject of conversation over coffee this morning. There are so many great courses out there, one wonders…is it too much for people to digest? Are we, as an industry, experiencing information overload?
My mind wandered back to 2002 and to a workshop Dave and I planned in Costa Rica. It was going to be a fabulous workshop with great guest speakers, hands-on training, and a gorgeous setting to shoot. We planned very structured days of field work, then back to the lab, more shooting, and back to the lab again. The hours began before dawn and ended at 10 PM. It was going to be a very intense 5-day workshop, but by the time they left, they would be stars! Or, so we thought.
What we discovered, after experiencing weak (putting it mildly) results from our marketing initiative was that we had crafted a workshop that involved way too much ‘training’ and not enough ‘fun.’ Our marketing materials were centered on outcomes and how intense this program would be. We forgot one of the basic tenants of any learning experience and that was to ‘inspire’ the person first to want to learn!
The premise is that when someone is inspired, then learning becomes fun. Without the inspiration there is no curious mind and you end up with simply more ‘work’. Lesson learned? For busy professionals, more work is not as enticing as more fun! It seems so simple in hindsight! In fact, I’m now so sensitive to even using the word ‘workshop’ that I look for other words to use when I’m writing promotional materials. Life lessons that hit your wallet tend to stick with you a bit longer, if you know what I mean!
One of the nicest compliments we routinely receive after a LensFlare35 podcast is that ‘your guest inspired me’. Those four words are so powerful, especially to Dave and I. We know what an inspired and curious mind can do. In many cases, this inspiration causes people to propel forward in new directions that they had never dreamed of before. Shoot, we’ve altered course many times in the past as a result of being inspired!
I believe the inspiration people are talking about comes from the visuals as well as the stories. We are in the midst of some amazing talent. When we look at the images before posting them, we are often just as ‘blown away’ as members of our audience. I’m not sure that our guests realize their contribution to the industry and how important their stories are to emerging photographers. Or, how they are opening curious minds each time they share examples of their work. What a great gift to give to someone…inspiration!
Deborah has been a marketing and business professional for over 30 years and has had a digital marketing business for almost as long. Earlier in her career, she founded two technology companies and two traditional book publishing companies as well.Company: Embella, Inc.
Phone: 315-628-1214
Email: dkaufman@embella.com
Website: www.embella.com
Blog: www.deborahkaufman.com
Twitter: @deborahakaufman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1626295695
Photo Credit: © 2010 David E. Warner
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