It’s not that I didn’t already know I liked teaching and inspiring others. But this past week gave me the confidence boost I needed to realize that somewhere along the way, I’ve moved from liking teaching to really loving it.
I never actually learned how to teach. It just sort of happened through the writing of my books, and over time it felt like I was meant to do this. I spent months writing each one, and the lessons came from a combination of my own art school experience, my imagination, and my actual life adventures: looking, seeing, studying, and finding random visual stories each and every day. When I sat down to write Draw Your Day, I didn’t read any of the comparable books my publisher had sent me because I didn’t want to be influenced by what was already out there. I just wrote from the heart and shared what had worked to motivate me artistically throughout my life. I knew from the start that the goal wasn’t to teach people to draw like me, but to maybe think a little like me when experiencing and looking around, curious what could be put down on paper to capture their memories.
There are so many different things to teach when it comes to sharing everything I’ve gathered in my own creative toolbox. There is the actual drawing, and the confidence to trust the lines we make, no matter how accurately they represent what we see. There is getting comfortable with the materials we use, because every new medium requires learning and experimentation (I don’t teach one medium). Then there is the design and composition of the page: color balance, handwriting and lettering, big elements versus small ones. There is even the surface itself—the paper and the sketchbook.
And then there is the hardest part: encouraging people to be excited about drawing the world around them. How do you invite someone to live their life as a perpetual scavenger hunt, always looking not only for the things that will trigger memories, but also for the things they simply want to draw?
All of this can’t really be done in a two- or three-hour workshop. You can certainly do a turbo-speed version, but usually I focus on one or two things at a time: a handwriting and lettering workshop, a beginning drawing workshop, or a session where I give everyone a template to follow to help ease the fear of a blank page.
But if I have a whole week, I can cover so much more—and actually feel like I’ve helped each person make real progress. That is what happened this past week in France, where sixteen incredibly talented people from all over the world (with a special shout-out to Pam from New Zealand, who traveled the farthest!) joined me at Atelier Clos Mirabel.
And because we had an entire week together, we had the time to slow down, experiment, try new things, get a little uncomfortable, make mistakes, and keep drawing. We filled pages, explored different approaches, wandered, observed, and found so many things worth putting down on paper. Lesson after lesson I provided a lot to think about and to help everyone decide what worked best to enhance what they already do, or aim to do moving forward.
For this trip I hand-bound a small sketchbook using Arches hot press paper. It is 5.5”x6” and has just sixteen pages. The perfect amount for ten days away. I love making small travel sketchbooks because they hold just enough pages so I don’t feel overwhelmed, and I know I can complete filling them up. I worked on the pages in the small moments of spare time, and when everyone was working on their own projects.
Here are some more scans of the pages:
There are a few things I have repeated at each of my retreats, and I will continue these traditions going forward, as they both are so beneficial to the key take-aways of my teaching: learning how to see and memory keeping. These projects are a still-life and a postcard project. We do so much more, but I am highlighting these two projects.
We always set up a group still-life. It is the one time during the week when we all draw the same thing, and it encapsulates many of the lessons and things we discuss throughout the week. We touch on what it feels like to draw from one communal reference, which is often met with some resistance after spending the week telling our own unique stories. We work on sketching and planning our composition using some of our day-one drawing exercises along with design and composition exercises. It is an outlier for sure, as what sets me apart from other teachers is that I almost never provide a common reference. I will if people need it, but I always encourage people to look to their own world and experiences to choose their subjects. After all, drawing your days and world does not mean drawing mine.
And I always provide a blank postcard for everyone to paint or draw on as they choose, capturing one visual memory from the trip. They then send the postcard to themselves, so that when it eventually lands in their mailbox, it brings with it a small memory of the journey. It’s my way of supporting the mail system, and of remembering the simple joy of opening your mailbox to find a little lost friend that has made its way home to you.
It was a trip to remember with the loveliest people. Connecting with everyone is the best part, and what it all comes down to for me. I will be returning to Clos Mirabel next year (date still to be finalized) and so far five of the people from this year are coming to join me again! I will share a link to register as soon as it is available. I have been asked to teach in California, Portugal, Italy, and Tasmania all through various schools and retreat venues, but have not committed to any at the moment. Paid subscribers are always the first to know.
How to describe this magnificent week in just one short paragraph? It was marvelous. Full stop. Samantha is a wonderful artist and an equally wonderful teacher which I think is very special. The week helped me to see to find my own stories to draw with kind encouragement and advice from Sam and within a beautiful environment and a fantastic group of people. There was a great mix of work in the studio and going to sketch outside as well as good mix of different drawing lessons. The week exceeded any expectations I may have had and I will treasure the memories made for a very long time. —Birthe
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