About a year ago, I had this grand idea of hosting an offline workshop.
The kind where you stand in front of a group of eager faces, armed with knowledge and enthusiasm, ready to impart wisdom π
Sounds cool, right? Well, that was the plan.
I’m all about spreading knowledge, whether it’s through my online content and YouTube channels, private courses or consultations π
Sharing my learnings with some students seemed like a natural way and offline workshops appeared to be the perfect platform to reach a larger audience.
Everything seemed sorted.
I reached out to some colleges. Got approval from one of the colleges from a friend β
Talked in my office about my new initiative β
But then… I backed out β
I realized 3 reasons why I was not ready.
Let me compare with other formats that I had been familiar with – video creation and consultations
π¦ Format –
I’m comfortable with videos on YouTube β I record, edit, refine
Consultations? Tailored to individual needs and one-on-one discussion.
But live workshops? Real-time interaction? Keeping everyone engaged? How do I even do that?
β³ Time –
With videos, there’s no rush. My time, my topic, my video.
Consultations are time-bound but stick to the point.
But a live workshop? How do I package everything in 4-5 hours while addressing individual queries?
π€Ό Audience –
In videos, it’s just me and the camera.
Consultations? A cozy one-on-one or max 2 members that I have consulted at a time.
But a live workshop? I am an introvert who gets uncomfortable with a group of 4 people or more. How do I even address dozens of people?
ο»ΏIt’s not about stage fear or shyness.
Even if I am just an audience in some function, I feel drained out π
ο»ΏThen some other random small excuses here and there –
Video creation from the comfort of a room or consulting in front of a camera on a free weekend is easy π
Going offline, standing in front of a crowd and presenting something requires high effort. I will need to give almost my whole day for a short span of event π΄
Why did I never give it another shot?
Maybe I got sidetracked with other projects
But you know what? Despite the challenges, I’d still love to give it a try someday π
Who knows, maybe with a little more preparation and a dash of courage, I might just pull it off.
β TODAYβS ACTION ITEM
I am looking for a solution to overcome this.
Is there any way to pilot test my idea of addressing offline crowds and get away with the concerns that I have right now? π€
Also, reply to this email – what was the last project that tried to work on but backed out at the last moment because you found it too overwhelming?
β WHAT I DID THIS WEEK
Visited Elephanta Caves last weekend hiking through lush greenery, soaking in the serenity and then stumbling upon these ancient caves dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva π
Cleared up some admin tasks. Essential but never really exciting β securing online accounts, organizing digital notes, and giving everything a good spring clean π
Trust me, it’s a chore, but the satisfaction of a clutter-free digital space is unbeatable π
Just an average week at the office β but I worked on setting a system that I’m pretty proud about. A system to inject some fun elements into our blog content. It’s not just about making things look pretty but it’s about boosting session time and keeping our readers hooked πͺ
By the time I am done writing this letter, I might have recorded and edited a short video too. Not sure as I am tired after a long day. I am yet to cook my dinner too. But letβs see! π₯±
Recorded and published video on topic “Why YouTubers Quit” on the same email topic that you read last email. If you missed it, read it here: converting passion into profession is the worst advice.
The response to this letter was phenomenal. Probably best till now. You should not miss reading it π
π AROUND THE WEB
Open Peeps is a hand-drawn illustration library to create scenes of people. You can use them in product illustration, marketing, comics, social media graphics and so on. Possibilities are endless.
If youβre into the online creative field, I am definitely sure you will love it ποΈ