Truth be told I have been admiring Michelle Lau from afar for a while now. And I know a few (a quite a few!) have been doing the same. So when I first saw the announcement from Stacey about The Art of Blogging Workshop with
A Minute Away From Snowing - I quickly and somewhat impulsively bought myself a ticket whilst on the bus to work and happily went about my day with the knowledge that in a few weeks I was going to meet such a modest and enigmatic local blogger - while trying out a new and buzzing restaurant I had yet to visit.
I first heard of The Creatives Workshops from my friend Matthew who had the great opportunity of attending The Art of Hand Lettering (albeit his bribed by his boss). He had found it so well organised, plenty of fun and a great way to meet people. There are an array of workshops run by Stacey Clarke, an honest, fun loving and energetic woman who I had the pleasure of meeting. Matthew and I have signed up for a few other events Stacey has organised and I have no doubt they will be as great as the ones we had attended. Sorry Stacey but you haven't seen the last of us!
It was 10am on a Saturday and it had been raining a fair bit outside with a small group of us gathered around the doors of the Raw Kitchen in Fremantle. After a little hesitation and some peering through windows, we thought to perhaps try the back door. That was when Sarah opened the big blue doors for us and welcomed us through. Not before I exclaimed out loud "Sarah's coming!" which then had people asking me if I knew her personally, to which I said no, I follow her blog. And if you're not following it, you probably should be.
When entering the kitchen, the first thing you notice is that it is so big. The workshop was held upstairs, next to a room where a yoga class was taking place and where I have found out regularly takes place. On the ground floor just to the left of the doors is a store within the warehouse/loft style restaurant, selling raw food books, teas, knick-knacks and other kitchen utensils, of which I surreptitiously stole glances of when Sarah and Jinn took me there for our portrait session. As a surprise in the lovely workshop bundle, Stacey had organised for Sarah and Jinn to take photos of us which were then given to us on a disc to use however we liked.
I was very stoked to meet them in person after mutual follows on Instagram (I feel like since finishing uni, most of my social interaction occurs via Instagram) and after falling in love with their blog The Silver Lining Blog - for both its words and its beautiful images. Sarah and Jinn themselves, are beautiful people. Speaking of beautiful people, Michelle was upstairs waiting for us, dressed impeccably - perfect make up, a big smile and greeted us individually as we seated ourselves around the table.
Orders for coffees were made and just like the very first tutorials at uni - little introductions were said and each of us went downstairs in turns for our photos. Michelle then got stuck into the workshop - telling us of her humble beginnings and tips and tricks she has learnt along the way. Questions were asked and answered, with Stacey piping in every so often to ask the questions we were all thinking and to share experiences of her own. Everything from how to create compelling content, which platform to begin with and what to write about was discussed. Michelle was incredibly helpful, inspiring and lovely, talking through our own aspirations with us and suggesting ways to go about creating our own personal/professional spaces online.
It was a great event to participate in and I am glad I acted a little impulsive that morning when I bought my ticket. The other girls who attended were so lovely - I just wished I was a little more social or a little more cool because everyone who attended were so creative, cool and above all really nice people who were a pleasure to meet. Michelle was happy to answer questions, guide us through our blogging qualms and gave plenty of support and feedback. She really is the loveliest and it was such a rewarding experience and a privilege to have met her.
Luckily for those who may have missed out, Michelle and Stacey are holding another two Art of Blogging Workshops throughout August so head over here if you'd like to learn all there is to know from the best. You also get lunch which is a big yes in my books so head on over!