Certifiction and Setting up in-store events

What a long, great trip! I met so many fabulous people this weekend and had a great time. Somewhere between Mardi Gras and northern Florida I picked up a cold, which was not helped by flying, so I have been a little behind in my posting. However, I have some class info to go over today before I post a tutorial tomorrow.

Certification, Spring 09
First of all, we had some technical difficulties on the applications I had all ready to go before I left town, so I apologize for everyone trying to get into April and May classes. Those will be going out as soon as I can fix the auto applications. Please do not bug us for applications if you have already asked to be on a mailing list or signed up through our sidebar. The applications are on the way, trust me.

New Certification Location- Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada
Sherrie Siemens has just arranged a new Canadian location for Winnepeg, June 6th. I will be doing a mailing next week for that class, so if you are in Central Canada or the Northern part of Minnesota or North Dakota this is a great opportunity for you. Again, you can sign up via the registration form on my sidebar.

Certi-fiction
We have also had some questions arise about what a certification class will help you with and why it is open first to Store Owners, Teachers, and Design Team Members. Here in a nutshell are some ideas of what to do after you take a Copic Certification class in papercrafting.

After you are Certified...
Once you are Copic Certified you get a lovely little certificate to hang on your wall and you can say you're certified on your blog. Now you need to practice, practice, practice. What else do you get from attending the class?

What you Can do:
• Listed on our online Instructor list- this is located on the Copic Website under Instructors. It is currently being updated, so if your name is not on the list and you took a class after November, don't worry. Soon you can expect it to be updated within 2-3 weeks after each certification class, tough there are a lot of certification classes taking place this spring so please be patient.

• Offer in-store demos- ask your local stamp store if they would like you to do a demo or make-n-take. You need to provide all your own product supplies and make 'n take parts, though we are happy to offer literature and support materials. Please allow 2-3 weeks shipping if you request literature.

• Teach a papercrafting class- Take the techniques you learn and turn them into a workshop. You can print off any posts from this blog as instructional material, though you need to credit where the info came from. Again, if you need literature, just let us know with adavace warning and we'll be happy to help.

If you are teaching a class and you will need markers please remember: Copic markers are in very high-demand and you will want to place your order at least 60 days (preferrably 90 days if the colors are very specific) before your workshop especially if you order direct through Copic. Don't set up a class before you have product arranged- this will just make people unhappy. Ditto for stores trying to set up a Copic Club. Please have product before you hype an event.

• Peace of mind- You'll know that you heard information about Copics straight from our official representatives. If you ever have a question or problem just bug one of us and we either find the answer or take it straight to the manufacturer in Japan.

• Blog - Go ahead and share anything you learned in the class on your blog. Just cite where you learned the technique from if it is unusual or if others might have questions. If you have a blog and are certified and need the logo send me an e-mail with the city you were certified in and I will be happy to send that to you.

• Get asked by other people to teach - Occasionally we have a need for a demo or workshop across the country. We may contact you or another store might contact you. For this reason, be sure that your blog shows good, high-quality use of Copic products so that if someone comes looking for your services they'll know what kinds of things you make.

• Use the status to get on design teams - I know that it means a lot to some design teams if one of their candidates is Copic Certified, however, you still need to prove though high-quality work that you know what you learned and to get them to pick you.

What you can't do:
• Get Frustrated. If you're certified you still need to practice, it won't magically work the first time. Those of you who have taken the class know what I mean. Some of the blending techniques are tricky and you might not have mastered them during the class. Just keep practicing and you will improve. This is why you can re-take the class. We know you won't get it all the first time.

• Certify others. Sorry, to be able to certify others is a long, involved process and we are NOT looking for new instructors at this time. You can teach local classes but nott official Copic Certification classes.

As you can see, Certification is geared for people who plan on going and sharing what they have learned with others via store, classes, or online through their blog. We want everyone to be able to have access to high-quality Copic classes, even if they can't attend a certification themselves. If anyone takes a class from someone who is certified and has a good experience, please contact us. Likewise, if you have a bad experience please let us know why and how they can improve.

I hope this helps you understand the process a little better. We want everyone to be happy with their product knowledge and we'are always looking for ways to improve our education events. In 2009 and 2010 we hope to visit many more cities and offer classes in places that have not had them before. Have patience! It may take a while to come to your region, but know that we still love you.