7 reasons for attending a photographic workshop to get your mojo back

Have you fallen out of love with your camera? Lost your photographic mojo? Perhaps a great way to get inspired is with a workshop, learn something new, or revisit an old love? There are seven great reasons why a workshop is a fabulous method for getting you creating again.

1 - Get inspired

Often we lose our mojo, our creativity when we lose inspiration, kind of like writers block. Sitting and dwelling on WHY inspiration isn’t striking, does not help the matter at all either. Attending a workshop, is a great way to feel energised and borrow inspiration from someone else and there is nothing wrong in that. Akin to using jumper cables on a car battery, borrowing someone else’s creativity, even momentarily is often enough to spark your own again.

2 -Be encouraged

We are usually our own worst critic, right? Sometimes when working in a group environment like a workshop can be a fantastic boost to the self esteem. You do something or say something and it hits a chord with someone else “Great idea” they may say, or even just showing them the back of your camera and they tell you it’s a great shot, trust me it really can be a boost.

3 - Get motivated

When everyone first arrives they are usually a little held back, in reserve, perhaps you don’t really know anyone in the group very well, maybe feeling shy and vulnerable, I see it all the time, but once people start working together, bouncing ideas off each other, I see people get really excited and motivated in a class. It’s fun to try new stuff. Trust me, it makes my day.

4 - Realise your potential

Trying a workshop for a new genre, can be an amazing and liberating experience, there are no expectations and that can give you the freedom to really dive in and explore. You may find you have a natural penchant for a genre you have not previously dabbled in. Or perhaps it is something you secretly enjoyed looking at and watching others create, but have never really taken the steps to try.

5 - Learn from a role model

Learning from someone who is a leader in their field, or perhaps even just someone you admire, can be a rewarding experience, especially if that person is open and happily shares tips and tricks, techniques and information with you. Someone who really knows their stuff. Perhaps they can afford you access to equipment or technology you don’t normally have access too. Perhaps they have an extensive knowledge base and having access to them to answer questions on the spot, as they come up.

6 - Find a safe space

Finding an Educator who can spark your imagination, bring your muse out, offer constructive criticism, offer insights and help in a safe environment, can be an amazing experience. You have them right there guiding you, offering insights and new ideas to try. In a group situation like this it is often a safe space, I mean it is a workshop right, that means it is a learning experience, no one expects miracles the second you press that shutter button. You are there to learn someone new, take that away and experiment and play with it, with the knowledge of what you have learnt. To sit with this new knowledge until you are comfortable with it. For some people that happens quicker than others.

7 - Join a community

Often when attending a workshop, everyone else is there for the same reason. I know people are often worried they do not have enough knowledge or expertise, but THAT is why they are there to learn, to practice, to hone those skills. Being in a class, is often rewarding in the community it can make. I have met people in workshops that I have connected with and have remained friends with long after the workshop has finished. It is about networking and meeting new people, access to new ideas, opening up a new world of possibilities.

So next time you find your mojo waning, that your muse left for a coffee and has not been back in awhile…try looking up a workshop to get you back on the horse again, or perhaps try a horse of a different colour!