I’m planning to teach Qigong workshops and classes this spring. I don’t have my own studio space in which to teach, so I will be looking for studio spaces that I can rent or use part-time.
I had a plan to teach a two-hour workshop at a yoga studio near my home at the end of April, but that seems to have fallen through. The people at the space needed my class description and bio six to eight weeks before the class was to run, and I didn’t get it to them in time. Part of the reason I didn’t get it to them in time is that I didn’t know when they needed it. The other part of the reason is that it was unexpectedly difficult for me to write the class description.
As a writer I’m familiar with the hiccups of the writing process– the blocks, the need to write clearly, the effort it takes to make good re-writes. Writing this particular class description, though, felt like the emotional equivalent of trying to walk through a boulder. Last fall I taught classes to martial artists, and writing those class descriptions was easy. I think they were easy because martial artists have a common vocabulary and understanding of qigong and tai chi principles. But this class was taking place in a yoga studio. Writing the class description for a different audience, one that might not share a common vocabulary and understanding, felt like a project on a different scale. Do I have to define terms in my writing for them? Would yoga people want to try qigong? Am I introducing people to a whole new modality? It felt heavy.
Part of the heavy feeling was also the fear of putting myself out into the world again. I hid from the world a lot during covid. I stopped doing Facebook, I fell out of touch with a lot of friends. Part of me is scared that nobody will come to my workshop, nobody will care, that I’ll mess something up, that people will think I’m a phony, and that I’ll fail. All of this was weighing on me as I tried to write the class description.
What I’ve realized since I learned that my description was received too late, though, is that I can’t focus all my energy on setting up to teach only one workshop at one place. I need to set myself up to be able to teach many workshops at many places. I need to create the foundation of my teaching business. Creating the foundation includes:
• Getting liability insurance (done!)
• Having professional headshots taken (scheduled!)
• Creating a logo
• Getting business cards
• Creating a business Facebook page (maybe?)
• Making my business Instagram more inviting and informative
• Posting videos of what I will teach (probably)
• Writing a standard teacher bio
• Getting my business debit card working again
• Writing three or four descriptions of different classes I can offer
Once I have all of these materials in place, I can then reach out to possible teaching locations from a place of security in what I’m offering. Locations could include yoga studios, community centers, and martial arts schools. I could also teach directly to businesses or in public or private schools. A Lyft driver recently reminded me that I could also potentially get government or military contracts. He was ex-military, and said that martial arts and self-defense teachers are always in demand in that sector.
The fact that the class isn’t going to run bruised me a bit, but I actually feel much more secure in what my next steps are now.
Onward!
Michelle Folk Johnson 