A question I get from my followers, especially my international friends, is -
“DO YOU TEACH ONLINE CLASSES??” And now, finally I can say “YES! I DO!”
My online school is now up on Teachable on this site: https://misspetalandbloom.teachable.com/
Now there’s so much work and thought that went into the making of these videos, even the decision itself was hard, I went back and forth with the pros and cons but ULTIMATELY, I really wanted to reach out to my international audience and spread this love of mine for crafting flowers and teaching.
This is a LONG blog post to share just everything that went into this project, because I suspect many of you might have questions and I do want to be totally transparent with everyone - I’m leaving it all out on the table here, and I hope it gives you a deeper understanding of my course, pricing and all that!
WHY ONLINE NOW?
It’s all about timing! It just happened to be a period of my life where I’m stuck without a public studio that really ticks all my boxes, so going online seems to be a good option when an ideal physical space is not readily available. If you’re based in Singapore - you’ll know how renting a space isn’t cheap! So until my home studio is ready after the renovations, starting some online courses sounded like a good idea!
ONLINE VERSUS IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS
This I guess would be a great question for my local friends - which to choose? Haha now its really up to your learning style! If you prefer having that dedicated block of time to sit down and craft, or you like the company of others, or like to directly ask questions and get answers right away, and just have that personal attention and feedback, you’re welcome to set up a private one-to-one or group private class with me! (Yes I’m still open for private workshop bookings in this interim).
On the other hand, online classes are great if you’d prefer to work at your own pace and from within the comfort of your own home - you can start and stop the video at any time, and watch chapters over and over again until you get a hang of it.
In terms of content, I will be naturally reserving some flowers just for in-person workshops. Why? Some flowers are easier to teach in-person, and some are easier to teach online, as simple as that! Especially the smaller, tedious blooms - switching to an online platform will be more enjoyable (and less stressful) for both the instructor and student I feel!
In conclusion, its up to you and your personal preference - but I have to add a disclaimer, with my current pricing system, I’m planning to price all my PUBLIC workshops LOWER than the cost of the online course + kits. E.g. An online course might go for $80 + $40 for a kit with shipping costs (Total= $120), while an in-person public workshop will usually be priced at only $100. I guess its like a “home advantage” haha - I do want my local friends to enjoy some perks! As of now, I’m hoping to launch those seasonal public classes again in November or December, depending on how renovations come along… I’ll keep you posted!
WHY THIS PRICE? Pricing was a big big big concern for me - I do understand that there’s so many free tutorials online, and my pricing does seem a little high compared to other instructors on the same platform. It all boils down to this: I’ve spent more than 3 years developing my style and fine-tuning these designs (many of these flowers went through multiple evolutions, so lots of failures and improvements along the way!), so in a way, I’m offering my students a “short-cut”, to skip those failed versions and jump ahead to the formula that WORKS and LOOKS GOOD (to me, at least) hehe. I’ve also specially chosen flowers to teach that are my “style” - I take great pride in this, I’m choosing my blooms that are unique in someway, so that you’re not learning something that you can find an exact same copy of for free in another tutorial. I describe my style as vibrant, cheerful, fluffy, whimsical… it’s kind of a reflection of who I am as an artist - meaning that you’re not just following steps but you’re getting to see how I express my artistic voice through my blooms - it’s pretty personal in that way! Not to mention the amount of work that goes into producing an online course, which includes: 1. Pre-production (the administrative work, writing the script, planning the outline, making the flowers and designing the kits) 2. Production (the actual filming, recording voiceovers, ooh and all those multiple takes) 3. Post-production (editing the videos, photoshopping thumbnails, compiling the other attachments, packing kits) I’m not trying to brag about the amount of work that goes into filming, but I do also want to emphasise that its not as straightforward as filming with an iPhone and uploading it right away (though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!) - I really do want to produce a great course so I’m happy to put time and effort into it, thus, I won’t want my courses to be undervalued.
It might also be helpful to add that in Singapore, the market rate for craft workshops is $100-$200 - I'm not kidding! I'm aware this is a pretty high price range compared to other countries, but I do feel I need to follow my local market rates and adjust my online course price accordingly (this way, I'm fair to my past workshop students too). Finally, this is my full-time job. I love what I do, but being financially stable would be great as well, and I’m hoping these online courses can help ease some of my own financial insecurities. This is not a pity cry, just the honest truth. If you do join my courses, or just help to spread the word, I’ll be super happy and appreciative! WHAT’S YOUR TEACHING STYLE? This is another great question to ask if you’re considering joining an MP&B Teachable course! Personally, I prefer instructors who aren’t a stickler for following the rules or steps exactly - nothing wrong with this style, but I see myself more of a guide, to teach you the basics, but also let you have enough room to explore and experiment! Thus, I hope you can see me as a more “chill” instructor, I’ll give you suggestions on how to change it up, and your flower doesn’t have to look exactly like mine in the end. In fact, it’ll be awesome if your flower looks a little different - that means you’ve put your personal stamp on it. I don’t believe my classes should teach you to follow instructions to the tee. Instead, I believe my classes should encourage you to BE CREATIVE! Lastly, I also do want you to feel as though you’re crafting with a friend rather than taking an official, serious, online course. My teaching style could be more casual as a result, but I hope it makes you feel more comfortable - flower-making should be FUN after all! Now I understand that you’d like to preview my teaching style and format before committing to a purchase, so I have a FREE course on Teachable for Sunflowers! (Linked HERE) All my courses will be in the exact format, and I just thought it would be great to have a taste of what my courses are like. This is an updated and improved version from my earlier mini sunflowers, and I'll be teaching more skills and techniques. I hope you’ll enjoy this one!
WHAT’S IN YOUR NEW KITS? I do sell kits separately on my Etsy page and this is mainly to cater to students who might not have easy access to the Italian crepe paper. I used to have kits with the petals already cut up, but I decided against that and instead, now I’m offering the crepe paper in generous sheets of 40cm x 25cm. I’ve did my calculations and ensured that you’ll have more than enough paper, so that gives you room to make extra smaller blooms or play around with the colours. If you do purchase a kit (or multiple kits), I do suggest keeping the excess crepe, even small pieces can really come in handy. With crepe paper, the possibilities are endless! The kit also comes with the florist wires needed for the particular flower, and I do have the option of adding on additional tools like the hot glue gun or scissors - this is really just for your convenience! I’m packing these kits in a hardy, plastic folder - I used to use plastic ziplock bags, but now I’m aiming to be more environmentally friendly, so I hope that you’ll find the plastic folder useful, and that you can find a way to reuse or recycle the different components of the packaging (my mailing bag is from Hero Packaging and its fully compostable! In case you have a home compost!)
Alright, that’s all for my sharing session. I’m open to any more questions you have and you can DM me on Instagram or drop me an email. Happy crafting and keep blooming!