Most of my watercolour workshops are two to three hours, or even a full day, so when I was asked to run watercolour painting as a drop-in breakout at a corporate conference, with people coming and going across three short sessions throughout the day, I didn't know how it would go.
I had run drop-in sessions before, but more like taster sessions and in quite different circumstances, so this was kind of new territory for me. However, I had total confidence in the power of watercolour to be the creative reset people needed in this circumstance and was actually quite excited to implement it. There's lots of research into how engaging with the arts has a huge range of benefits including reduced stress and improved focus, both of which I know from my own experience too.
Despite the unknown, it was a wonderful success.
It was so interesting that almost everyone who came in said some version of the same thing, telling me and the people around them that they wouldn't be any good, that they couldn't paint or draw, but they were here to have a go anyway. I always remind people that's exactly why I'm there. It's wonderful to create a space for people who already make art regularly, but it matters just as much to me to create a space that sparks something for people who wouldn't usually have the time, the inclination, or the permission to sit and slow down with paints and brushes.
One woman walked in with a slightly different view to the others though, she told me she'd been really looking forward to it, and that she was a frustrated artist at heart! Afterwards, the client told me she was known as a hugely successful businesswoman, right at the top of her game. Nobody had any idea she could paint the way she did and there was so much joy and awe in that discovery. This lady had a wonderful time, coming back at every single break that day, and painted the flowers on the table in front of her rather than following my step-by-step guide. She did it beautifully. After just one session she told me she didn't want to go back into the conference. It was lovely to help guide her with colour mixing and have slightly different creative conversations along the way, and I hope it's inspired her to find a little more creative time in her days, now she remembers how good it feels.
There was a man who went the other way entirely and painted in the boldest, brightest colours he could find. I complimented him on it and he laughed and said his grandson wouldn't think much of it. I told him actually, his grandson would probably love it, and suggested that perhaps he should take it home and show him. When children see adults making art, it tells them something else about what art is for. It isn't just something to keep children occupied, it has real value and meaning, and every right to be part of our lives at whatever age we are.
There was even a couple who sat down to tackle their painting together. They divided the task up between them without much discussion at all “You take the sky, I'll start on the grass.” It was such a small thing and completely lovely to watch, playful and connecting in equal measure.
To make the short sessions work for people who'd never painted before, I'd drawn a simple line illustration of the venue we were in and put together a short guide for colouring it in with watercolour, with a note that there was no right or wrong way to approach it. I'd also included a second sheet for playing more freely with watercolour, but most people chose the building. Having something specific to paint, with full permission to do it however they liked, seemed to remove the two biggest barriers in one go. Nobody had to wrestle with the fear of a blank page or decide what they might want to paint, and nobody had to worry about whether they could draw. Sometimes a bit more structure is what actually helps people relax into it faster, which really mattered here, because the quickest route to a calmer mind was exactly what the day needed.
This is really at the heart of why I think creative workshops for corporate events earn their place intentionally in a conference programme rather than sitting on the edge as a nice extra. There were other breakout activities running too, herbal tea blending, a body scrub workshop, a tarot reading table, which made for a lovely atmosphere and meant people had a choice in how they spent their time. One thing I noticed over and over was how many people said “This is so relaxing”, completely unprompted. At that point I'm obviously smiling broadly, wanting to shout “Exactly!! That's the whole point!!”, but delighted they have realised that on their own.
Why it matters beyond the conference room
This feeling of being so relaxed is often the first step towards something bigger. I see it so often in workshops, people arrive thinking this is just a nice way to switch off, and in a way it is, but making space for creativity regularly does more than that. It improves focus, encourages creative problem solving and builds confidence, especially in people who have an ingrained belief that they're not creative. It teaches resilience too, because watercolour doesn't always do what you want it to do, and learning to work with that rather than fight it is a useful thing to carry back into work and life. None of that happens because someone told them it does, it’s because they sat down and experienced it themselves which is the power of creating art, something that is accessible to almost everyone.
If you're planning a conference, retreat or corporate event and want to build in something different, a creative pause that genuinely enhances the day rather than just filling time, I'd love to talk about what that could look like. You can find out more about creative workshops for corporate events here, or get in touch directly to talk it through.
