Enamel Confidence​ 
​
More Techniques Won’t Solve What You’re Feeling
​ 

Learn how to build skills, develop your own enamel language, and create work that feels meaningful—so you know what to do next in your studio.

What this workshop is

Many students try to build confidence by collecting more techniques.
But even with more skills, it’s still hard to know:

• what to make
• how to move forward
• or how to make work that feels meaningful

This is a five-day, in-person workshop designed to help you become more confident working with enamel.
You’ll become familiar and comfortable with three ways of working in the studio:

• Foundation skills – learning to prepare, apply, and fire enamel to make marks
• Language development – exploring what’s possible and building your own visual language
• Meaningful exploration – using enamel to explore something you care about

And you’ll learn how to recognize when—and how—to shift between them
as you become more confident guiding yourself in your practice.

You’ll also learn how to:

• Explore without needing step-by-step instructions
• Build skills through focused, intentional practice
• Make decisions and move your work forward on your own​

The goal is to feel comfortable guiding yourself
​when there are no instructions or right answers."

Is this you?
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed, confused, or stuck?

You’re not alone.
​Most of the frustration with enamel isn’t about skill--
it’s about not knowing what to do next, or not trusting your decision when you do.

The Technique Collector
You’ve been building skills… but feel stuck

​You’ve taken classes.
You’ve learned techniques.
You’ve made some beautiful pieces.
​
But when you’re on your own…
You’re not sure what to make next.
So you look for another class.
Another technique.
Another set of instructions to follow.

Because it feels like:
you’re not quite “there yet.”

The Hesitant Explorer
You want to explore… but don’t know how
​
You have ideas.
You’re curious about what’s possible.
But when you sit down to work…
There are too many directions.
You start something--
then stop.
Then try something else.
​
It’s not that you don’t want to explore--
it’s that you don’t know how to explore in a way that leads somewhere.
.

The Thoughtful Maker
​You want your work to feel meaningful… but can’t get there

You’ve built skills.
You’ve developed a way of working.
But something feels missing.
​Your work doesn’t yet reflect
what you care about most.
​
You want to make something more personal--
more meaningful--
​
…but you don’t know how to get there.

What’s Really Going On

It’s not just about confidence.
Most students don’t realize:

• there are different ways to practice
• different ways to work in the studio
• and that each one serves a different purpose

So when things stop working…
It’s not clear:

• what kind of work you’re doing
• what kind of work you need next
• or how to shift

You’ve learned how to follow a process--
but not how to choose your next one.

And underneath it all…There’s a quiet belief:
“I’m not there yet.”
Not skilled enough.
Not ready enough.
Not confident enough to move forward without guidance.

But the real shift isn’t about being “there yet.”
It’s about knowing how to guide yourself—wherever you are.

"Feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re not ready.
It means you don’t yet see your next way forward."

The Question That Kept Me Stuck

For many years, I would walk into my studio and ask myself:
What should I make today?
It felt like the right question.
But most days, it led to frustration instead of clarity.

The Question That Kept Me Stuck

You want to explore and follow your curiosity.

But at the same time, you also want to like what you make.
And those two things don’t always work together.

Most of the time, we’re trying to do both at once--
explore freely while also trying to make something good.
​
That’s when things start to feel frustrating.
​
Because exploring means not knowing what will happen,
and making something you like usually depends on control.

 ​Workshop Details

Dates: April 20–24
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
​
Ricky’s Home Studio
Marietta, Georgia
Tuition: $789
​
​​Small group. Real studio practice. Personalized direction.
4 spaces total — 2 already filled

​This is a 5-day, hands-on workshop where you’ll learn:
how to begin
what to practice
how to keep going
​ —even when you’re not sure what to do next.

​Ready to take the next step?​

Email Me to Reserve Your Spot

I’ll respond personally so we can see if it’s a good fit. 
(But don't worry; you have enough skills!)​

Imagine your studio as a playground

On a playground, you’re not trying to get it right.

You try things because you can. You repeat something because it feels interesting. You change it just to see what happens.

You might go faster or slow down. You might try something a completely different way.

There’s no pressure to make something good. You’re just exploring what’s possible.



In the studio, your materials become the playground.
​
Wire, color, and foil aren’t just materials—they’re things you can test, push, and explore.

What happens if you place one color next to another?
What happens if you stop trying to be careful and let the material move?

What happens if you change the order of the process—or skip a step entirely?

What should you practice?

You’ve probably heard the answer to the question:
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice. Practice. Practice.

But what if you don’t know what your version of Carnegie Hall looks like in enamel?
What should you practice?


Even if you have a general idea of what you want to make, it’s not always clear how to get there.

Should you learn a new technique?
Start a new project?
Buy new colors?
Make more color tests?

This workshop explores a different approach.
​
Instead of trying to figure out the “right” thing to practice, you’ll learn how to choose what to practice based on where you are—and what you’re trying to figure out.

The goal is not just to practice more.
It’s to practice in a way that helps you move forward—even when you don’t know exactly where you’re going.

What do you do when you don’t know where you’re going?

What is practice—and what's missing?

Like most artists, your studio time is usually split between two things:

Making work you hope you’ll like.
And doing what it takes to be able to make that work.

That second part is called practice—and it can take many forms.

It might look like:

• observing and reflecting
• sketching ideas
• repeating a process
• building small studies to test something you’re imagining

Most classes focus on teaching techniques or guiding you through a project.

It might look like:

• observing and reflecting
• sketching ideas
• repeating a process
• building small studies to test something you’re imagining

This workshop shows you how to change that.

You’ll explore different ways to practice with enamel while beginning
​to answer three essential questions:
​
What am I practicing for?
Why do I care about this?
How do I align my practice with my goals?

The shift I made

I used to walk into my studio and ask:

• What should I make?
• What would be good?
• What would work?

I thought I needed:

• better ideas
• more techniques
• a clearer plan

Then something shifted.
I started asking a different question:
What can I explore?

Instead of trying to make finished pieces,
I began using enamel to explore what I was curious about:

• ideas
• questions
• memories
• possibilities

It didn’t matter what I started with.
Just something that made me want to begin.
​
Do one small thing.
See what happens.
Then do the next thing.

"Over time, my studio stopped feeling like a place where I had to get it right-
and became a place to explore."

“Find something that feels interesting right now
and turn it into the next step.”

How you learn this— The Coaching Loop

Many artists feel stuck not because they lack skill, but because they don’t know how to decide what to do next.

In this workshop, you’ll learn a simple process called the Coaching Loop.
It helps you move from uncertainty into action.

Instead of waiting for the right idea, you learn how to:
Notice something
Ask a question
Try something
See what happens
And decide what to do next

This process becomes something you can return to again and again.
It gives you a way to begin, continue, and change direction—without needing a clear plan in advance.

This is the loop you’ll begin to practice.

Notice → Question → Act → Reflect → Continue

What this leads to

Practicing this way changes what happens in your studio.
Over the five days, this approach begins to build:

Enamel Confidence
You learn to trust that you can figure out a next step, even when there is no clear answer.

Creativity
You become more comfortable exploring new ideas and trying different possibilities.

Enamel Voice
You begin to develop your own way of working by using your skills to explore what matters to you.

You always have a place to start.
You don’t have to stay stuck.
​
You can move forward—even when your direction isn’t fully clear.

What you will do during this 5-day workshop

You will learn how to use the Coaching Loop, first while working with basic enamel tasks and then more challenging and personal activities, so you can experience what it feels like to practice in a different way.

Each day includes:

Exercises that strengthen your ability to use the loop
Demonstrations of how to apply it to different enamel questions
Guided practice using your own ideas, with support and feedback

You’ll make many small starts.
Not finished pieces—but opportunities to explore, notice, and adjust.

You’ll also begin with your own idea, question, or direction.
​
And learn how to turn it into a trail of discovery—where each step helps you explore what’s possible, even when the outcome is uncertain.

Working with open-ended goals

In this workshop, you don’t need a fully defined goal to begin.
​
You’ll start with something open:

An idea
A question
A direction you’re curious about

From there, you’ll learn how to break that into small steps that guide your practice.

The goal is not to reach a “right” answer.
It’s to let a direction emerge through the process.

About the workshoop

Join Ricky in a hands-on workshop in his studio, where he shares how his approach to practice has evolved over 50 years of making and teaching.

With a background in sport psychology and experience as an athlete and coach, he introduces the Coaching Loop as a practical way to approach learning and decision-making in the enamel studio.

Working from your own questions and goals, you’ll develop a way of practicing that builds confidence, supports exploration, and helps your personal voice emerge.

"It’s not the right place to start.
It’s just a place to begin.

Before you decide, you might be wondering…

Do I need a lot of experience to take this workshop?
​    

No. What matters more than your experience level is your willingness to work and explore.
Some students come in with years of experience and feel stuck.
Others are newer and want a better way to begin.
If you’re not sure, just email me and tell me where you are. I’m happy to talk it through with you.

What kinds of techniques will we be using?
​

We’ll be working with enamel on both copper and silver, but most of our work will focus on copper.
We’ll use a range of simple techniques—not to master them, but to use them as a way to explore questions and make decisions.
Just about everything we do can be applied to any enameling technique or process.
​The goal isn’t to learn more techniques.
It’s to learn how to use what you already know in a more intentional way.

What should I bring?

I’ll provide the materials and tools you need. A limited amount of silver will be provided; you can also bring your own or purchase more during the workshop. But copper and silver foil are a wonderful combination to explore enamels.
If you have favorite tools or materials you like working with, you’re welcome to bring them—but you don’t need to.
What’s more important is that you come ready to work, try things, and stay engaged in the process.

Will I get individual guidance?

Yes—as much as you want or need.
This is a very small group, so I’m able to work closely with each person.
Some students want a lot of input and conversation.
Others prefer to work more independently and check in when they need to.
We’ll find the balance that works best for you.

Will I make finished pieces?

You might—but that’s not really the point.
We’ll be making small studies and using them to explore ideas, test decisions, and build confidence.
What you take home isn’t just what you made during the week--
it’s a way of working that you can continue in your own studio.

What if I usually feel stuck or unsure what to do next?

That’s exactly what this workshop is for.
We’re not trying to avoid that feeling—we’re learning how to move through it.
You’ll practice choosing a starting point, taking a step, and responding to what happens next.
That’s how confidence is built.

What happens after the workshop ends?

This is something I think about a lot.
The goal is not just that you have a good week here.
The goal is that when you go back to your own studio,
you’re not standing there wondering what to do.
You know how to begin.
You know how to continue.
And you trust yourself enough to take the next step.

How do I reserve a spot or join a future workshop?

Send me an email and tell me a little about yourself and your work.
I’ll write back, and we’ll see if this feels like a good fit for you.
Or let me know of your interest for future offerings and I'll keep you on my workshop list.

email me to reserve your spot or join wait list for future workshops

Invitation

If you’ve been wondering what to do next in your enamel work…
​
This workshop gives you a way to begin.