Painting My World: 3 Tips for Successful IAPS Registration

'Old Town Hollyhocks' plein air pastel ©Karen Margulis

This is the moment we have been waiting for......registration opens on Monday October 15th for the 13th biennial convention of the International Association of Pastel Societies or IAPS. This gathering of pastel artists from around the world is often called the biggest pastel party on the planet. If you want to know why you should go stay tuned for more posts this week!

Many of you already know you want to go and will be sitting at your computer come Monday morning. I have some tips to help make this anxious time a more successful experience.

First take a deep breath. There are some things you can do to make the registration process go smoothly.

Be there next year!

1. Make a Plan and Plan to Let go.

This is my philosophy for everything and it works well for IAPS registration. Don't wait until the last minute to decide on your schedule and your preferred classes and demos. Research NOW. All of the information you need is on the IAPS website.

Use this weekend to study the offerings and the instructors.http://www.iapspastel.org/conv19_classes.php

A friend of mine made a document of all the class offerings by copying and pasting the class description into document and printing it out. It makes it easier to read when you aren't sitting in front of a computer. Get out a notebook and start taking notes on the classes that interest you. Note that there are a variety of offerings....1 and 2 day workshops, 2 and 3 hour demos and personal development/business presentations. Plan out your schedule with your fist choice selections so you can have an overview of your time at the convention.

Write out your schedule so you can see when your class choices will be. Be sure to allow for a little downtime to visit the trade show or do some sightseeing or just visit with your fellow artists.

You may already know what workshops or demos you want to take. But if not scroll through the list and look at the work of the artists. If there is a painting that makes you pause then stop and read more about the artist and their class.

What if it isn't a subject you paint? What if an artist interests you but they don't paint your usual subjects.....that shouldn't stop you! You just never know what you will learn when you venture outside of your usual comfort zone!

What if you aren't familiar with the instructor/artist? All of the artists on the faculty are carefully selected for their work and teaching. You can be certain that even the lesser know artists will be offering high quality presentations and workshops. If you like the work and the topics.....go for it!

2. Make a Back up Plan

While you are making your plans be sure to make a Plan B. You need to have a list of your second and even third choices that work with your schedule so that you can register quickly and efficiently. Yes the popular classes and instructors may fill up quickly but that doesn't mean you shouldn't come to the convention if you don't get your first choices. There is a wonderful variety of topics and instructors....all of them are experienced and very talented artists. You really can't go wrong! Take time to research all of the offerings BEFORE registration day so that you are prepared with a Plan B.
Here is an overview of the instructors. You can click on their workshop or demo titles for more information.http://www.iapspastel.org/conv19_instructors.php

3. Have your payment information ready!

It is easy to forget to have your credit card handy in the excitement of registering. Be sure to have your payment information handy when you register so you don't waste precious time during registration looking for your credit card!

Ready to research? Go to the IAPS convention homepage and begin by clicking on all of the tabs on the left. Read all about every aspect of the convention here so that you will be knowledgable and prepared. http://www.iapspastel.org/convention_welcome.php

I will be sharing much more about the convention this week. I am excited to be a part of the faculty for the convention. I will be doing a 2 hour demo on wildflowers in the landscape and a 2 hour presentation on social media for artists. I would love to have you join one of my classes!