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Ten years. Close to three thousand talks, live sessions and videos. And still, if you asked me, I wouldn’t call myself a teacher.

It’s a strange thing to admit, but it’s true, and I think it’s worth unpacking, because I know a lot of you sit on ideas you’d love to share simply because the word “teacher” feels too big, too formal, too not quite you either.

Finding My Way There

For a long time I just kept repeating, “I want to help people,” without knowing what shape that should take. I started a teacher training course. Quit it. Started counselling training. Quit that too. I was circling something I hadn’t named yet.

Then United ArtSpace happened, and suddenly it made sense.

It wasn’t born from wanting to run courses or build a business. It came from a genuine desire to connect people. Which sounds lovely, but it’s also the kind of idea that’s easy to talk yourself out of. Who pays just to feel connected? How does that even work as a business? Other people will ask you that too, and if you let it, that question alone can quietly kill an idea before it’s begun.

I sidestepped the teacher label early on. Instead of telling people what they should do, I shared what I’d done. The problem, the way through it.

The Course That Grew Into Expertise

That’s how The Seven Keys came about. I noticed artists wanting Instagram tips and tactics when what they actually needed first was clarity. Who are you as an artist? Why does your work matter? Who is it for?

Ten years on, nearly ten thousand people through the course, and it’s heading into its fifth iteration. Somewhere in there, simply by showing up consistently and honestly – I became an expert in what I was speaking about.

Thinking In Experiences, Not Lessons

The real shift for me lately has been reframing all of this as creating experiences rather than teaching.

It changes everything. As well as, “how do I take someone from A to B,” it becomes “who is this for, and what do I want them to feel while they’re here?” 

Someone asked me recently which platform they should build their idea on. My answer was always going to be the same: figure out the experience you want to give people first. The right platform follows from that, not the other way round.

You don’t need anything fancy to start either. When I began, it was just me, a free platform and content delivered as a simple PDF. That’s still a completely valid place to start today.

And the experience itself doesn’t need to be enormous. I’m setting up something small and local right now, just ten people, off their phones, creating together. No teaching involved. Just connection. Sometimes that’s the whole point, and it’s enough.

TEACH YOUR ART – FREE MASTERCLASS

If you’d like to see exactly how I take an IDEA to INCOME, I’m running a free live session on the 13th of July where I’ll share the framework I’ve used for fifteen years across workshops, retreats, memberships and online courses. Link’s below if you want in.

You can get started today, as we have a platform with a video that shows how to map out your ideas.

>> GET YOUR FREE TICKET HERE <<

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Have a great week & take care,

Michelle xo