Teaching Creative Workshops
Turn your creative knowledge & experience into meaningful workshops & courses — and build a distinctive, impactful & financially sustainable teaching practice.
Teaching isn’t just about showing techniques or running one-off beginner workshops.
At its best, teaching for creatives can be:
A powerful and regular income stream.
A way to share your creative voice and values.
A transformational experience for your students.
But teaching well requires more than expertise in your craft. You need to know how to design, structure, price, promote and facilitate your teaching in a way that works creatively and commercially.
We help creatives become truly creative teachers — and build stronger, more sustainable teaching businesses too.
Does this sound like you?
You’ve thought: ‘I would love to teach this …” but haven’t taken the next step
You’ve been teaching for years but it’s become a repetitive and drains you
You want to move beyond beginner classes and stand out in a crowded market
Your creative training is not profitable, but not sure how to raise your prices
You struggle to fill your workshops consistently
You want to teach ‘deeper’ - in a more creative, engaging & meaningful way
You’ve thought about teaching online but got stuck
Your teaching business is successful, and you need help to focus & get organised
You want to connect with other creatives who teach to learn from each other & for inspiration
You’ve got big ideas around building ‘schools’, communities, or memberships.
Then you’re in the right place
Image from Patricia’s book on Teaching Creative Workshops in Person and Online: Ceramicist Catherine Lucktaylor with Raku kiln © Caroline Marwood
Led by experience, grounded in practice
This work is led by Patricia van den Akker, who has over 25 years’ experience as a trainer, teacher and facilitator. She has been teaching online since 2012, when she was one of the first creative business advisers in the UK to establish an online business school. Today, she teaches thousands of creative professionals each year across the UK and internationally.
In 2025 her book ‘Teaching Creative Workshops in Person & Online’ was published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Her approach combines extensive hands-on teaching and facilitation experience with a deep understanding of creative business — and of what makes learning engaging, meaningful and transformational.
The book
A practical & inspiring guide to teaching creative workshops
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2025, this practical book brings together Patricia’s approach to teaching. It covers:
Designing and planning workshops
Pricing and structuring teaching
Marketing creative courses
Building a teaching practice that grows with you
Includes checklists, practical downloadable tools, and 16 in-depth case studies of creative teachers.
what leading creatives say about patricia’s book
“In this book Patricia will inspire you to continue to learn to become an even more unique and creative teacher.”
— Keith Brymer Jones, Master potter, design expert and TV judge for The Great Pottery Throw Down since 2015
“Patricia has been at the forefront of advising small businesses on best practice for many years, and this handbook is full of her wisdom for both new and much experienced creative teachers.”
— Sarah James MBE, Director of Craft Festival and Find a Maker
“This book showcases Patricia's drive and energy, in a really practical and inspirational way to help you unleash your teaching potential, identify what you can teach, reach your market, and run creative and powerful workshops.
If you've been thinking for a while “I should teach this”, then this book is the answer.”
—Tony Quinn, Reader & Course Leader, BA Ceramic Design, Central Saint Martins
Want to Take your creative teaching further?
Whether you’re new to teaching or have years of experience, Patricia can help you develop what, why and how you teach — and explore what your teaching could become.
You’ll find training & support to:
Start to teach in person or online
Develop your distinctive voice & approach as a creative teacher
Design & plan engaging workshops, courses & learning experiences, in person and online
Experiment with new formats & ideas and bring them to life in your class
Price, position & promote your teaching more confidently
Build teaching into a meaningful and sustainable part of your business and balance it with your work as a creative professional
Connect with other ambitious creatives who teach, to exchange ideas, experiences, accountability & support
Currently available training for creatives who teach
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Smart Marketing for Creative Teachers
In-depth 9 hour online course to get more workshop bookings incl. stand out, website & branding, and specific activities to market your teaching.
£ 195
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Fire Starter 2027
Our annual in-person event for creatives who want to teach more inspirationally & connect with other creative teachers.
In spring 2027 in London.
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Design Sprint: An Online Experience
Design your own 90-min online experience in this very hands-on live workshop + get marketing support to launch
★★★★★
"The Design Trust has transformed the way I run my art & teaching business, and made it much more successful.
Patricia has helped me to visualise, think bigger, adapt to different times, and focus on what really matters to develop a creative business with a stronger positive impact for both my clients and me.
The Fire Starter events have been very valuable, giving me inspiration and confidence to run longer, more in-depth workshops that help my students to improve at a deeper level.”
Sally Goodden - Animal Artist & Teacher
★★★★★
"Patricia has inspired me to see teaching and commissioned work as complementary parts of my practice, rather than feeling that I have to choose between them.
She has shown by example that it is possible to share skills generously, while still protecting time and energy for my own creative development and commissions. She encourages me to think more intentionally about balance - what I say ‘yes’ to, how I structure my time and what will make my practice sustainable.”
Nick James - Furniture Maker, teacher & Founder of The Hut on the Green in Newcastle
★★★★★
"I saw the ‘Design Sprint An Online Experience’ as an ideal opportunity to make sure that the idea for my inaugural wordsmithing workshop finally became a reality. Patricia offered considered and constructive feedback and encouragement as usual.
However the vital incentive was that she would put details in an email. With a deadline to meet, I not only got it together but l started to market my first online workshop too.”
Jo McAllister - Jewellery artist
Featured Resources
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