How to Choose Your First New Workshop of the Year (Without Overthinking It)
Lyric Kinard Kinard 
Have you ever considered teaching what you love to create?
Let’s face it, it is expensive to be a quilter, knitter, or artist. And if you have ever felt that little spark, the urge to share what you have learned with others, teaching can be a wonderful way to not only support your creative habit, but to build a profitable creative teaching business that works around your life instead of trying to squeeze creativity into the leftover corners of a day job.
Before we go any further, let’s start here.
Take this seriously.
If you treat yourself like a business professional instead of a hobbyist with a side gig, you immediately set yourself up for more success. Teaching the creative arts is joyful, and it also requires intention, structure, and a willingness to learn the business side of teaching so you can truly serve your students well.
And yes, it is fun too.
But if you have never taught before, one big question usually stops people in their tracks.
How do you choose your first online workshop or class to teach?
Start Simple. Really Simple.
Your first course does not need to:
include everything you know
prove how advanced you are
represent your ultimate teaching vision
Trying to do any of those things is the fastest way to stall out. Your goal with a first course is momentum, not mastery.
Here are three simple, practical ways to choose your first creative workshop.
1. Listen to What People Already Ask You
What do people ask you about all the time?
Pay attention to the questions that come up repeatedly in conversations, comments, emails, guild meetings, or casual chats. These questions are clues. They show you what people already see you as knowledgeable about and where there is real interest.
This does not mean you should let others pressure you into teaching something you do not enjoy. It is important that your first workshop gives you energy and excitement. But it does mean that your audience’s words matter. Often, the best first workshop ideas come directly from what the people around you are already asking for.
2. Choose a Small Win Instead of Everything You Know
One of the biggest mistakes new creative teachers make is trying to pack everything they know into their first course.
That is overwhelming for you to create and overwhelming for students to take.
Instead, look for:
one project
one technique
one specific outcome
Something students can complete and feel proud of quickly.
A short, focused workshop is easier to teach, easier to market, and far more likely to actually get finished by both you and your students. It is a realistic way to begin teaching online, gain confidence, and learn what works before expanding into larger offerings.
You can always build from there.
3. Teach What You Are Already Making
What have you completed recently?
What project is still fresh in your mind, something you could easily photograph, explain, and break down step by step?
Starting with something you have already made reduces friction in a huge way. You are not trying to remember processes from years ago, and you are not inventing content from scratch. The structure is already there, which makes creating your first workshop much easier.
Make it easy on yourself.
Make it easy on your students.
That is the bottom line.
All You Need Is the First Step
Choosing your first workshop is about taking a thoughtful, doable first step into teaching. You are not locking yourself into a permanent path. You will learn and evolve as you build your creative teaching business.
Once you understand how online teaching actually works, including what formats are possible, what technology is really involved, and how to structure a class so students learn, you can make decisions with confidence instead of guesswork.
That is exactly what Virtual Teaching 101 is designed to do.
Virtual Teaching 101 is a practical, clear introduction to online teaching for creative educators. Whether you are brand new to teaching or simply curious about what is possible, this live training helps you understand your options without pressure or overwhelm so you can choose what fits your life and goals.
If you have felt that spark to teach, I invite you to join us for this live three-day training that only happens two times per year.
January 22nd, 27th, and 29th at 4pm eastern each day.
You can pre-register HERE
I would love to meet you and hear about your creative loves and your teaching dreams.