21 Magic courses in Edinburgh

See how plastic bottle tops are remelted into beautiful objects!

Ever ever wished someone would just swoop right on in, sprinkle some magic on your photos or maybe just tell you exactly what to do and how to do it? On this half day, exclusive, in-person workshop, personal brand photographer Susan Heaton Photography will do just that! And it comes complete with an invaluable aftercare support package. Susan has been photographing small businesses in and around Edinburgh for 20 years! I love what I do! I have a wonderful network of business owners and I love sharing my tips and tricks to help them take their own photos - either to tide them over between brand shoots or to help them until they have the budget to get a professional in!” On the Stand Out Shots workshop you’ll learn how to use your phone using very little else (except perhaps a tripod) to take stand-out, professional-looking photos for your business, for social media, blog posts, profile images, website, marketing material and more. Susan will share tips, tricks and secrets she has gathered from 20 years of photographing small businesses in Edinburgh, to help you to take photos that stand out, and you will have invaluable post workshop access to a WhatsApp group for support with implementing what you have learnt. You will: learn how to make the most of the settings on your phone and what they all mean develop skills that will last a lifetime find out how to find the best light available get tips on how to arrange and style your photos practice top posing tips and find the ones that work best for you gain confidence and get rid of the awkward! network and connect with fellow workshoppers If you're self-employed and need some shots of you in action, or run a product-based business, this is the perfect workshop for you and will help you attract customers. But this workshop is not just for business owners, it's for anyone wanting to improve the way they take photos with their phone. What's included: half day workshop fuelled by light refreshments from local suppliers full after-care package so that you can always go back to Susan with questions in-person workshop is only available at The Arienas Collective Earth conscious credentials We are mindful of the effect we have on the environment, and do our best to minimise our impact. Your workshop correspondence and notes are sent to you electronically. Favourite feedback We love to hear what you think about our workshops. Here's a favourite review for Stand Out Shots: If you are wondering whether this course is for you, then it definitely is! I knew I had a great phone but absolutely zero knowledge of its capability or even how to use it! Susan's delivery is friendly, calm, patient and insightful and her experience is invaluable. Just learning the basics of my phone, and more about photo composition, lighting and editing tips has already paid dividends for my marketing posts. More information The Arienas Collective workshops, courses and events are run from a welcoming and supportive environment within a Georgian mews home in Edinburgh’s City Centre New Town. We invite you to join us, leave any day-to-day worries behind and immerse yourself in being creative. Spaces on our workshops and courses are limited so that our creative team of artists and makers can offer you the hands-on help and support you need to make the most of your time with us. Our taster and introductory workshops focus on teaching creative skills and methods you can continue practising at home, using affordable materials and equipment. Where more expensive equipment is required we will mention this in the workshop description. All the equipment and materials you need are included in the price, unless stated otherwise. Light refreshments from local suppliers are provided. On full day workshops you are welcome to bring your own lunch to eat inside or out. There is also a wide range of independent sit-in or takeaway delis, cafés, and restaurants, plus a range of supermarkets all within a 5-10 minute walk. Accessibility The workshop space is on the first-floor of our Georgian mews home and unfortunately we do not have lift access. Blue badge holders can park outside our front door on the single yellow line by arrangement. Allergies The workshop space is in our open plan living space and is not nut free. Please let us know about any skin or food allergies before booking. We offer a dairy-free milk and gluten free snack alternative. Minimum number no refund policy To ensure we can always pay our creatives a fair fee, we require a minimum number of bookings for each workshop and for this reason bookings are non-refundable. Should we have to cancel due to low numbers, we will offer you the option to swap to an alternative date or workshop, or to request a refund. We do our very best to avoid cancellations. Since we often get late bookings, we keep our workshops on sale for as long as possible. We realise that some of you travel from afar, so if you book a space and have not yet received an email confirming your workshop is going ahead and need to make plans for your trip, please get in touch before booking any travel or accommodation so we can update you on booking numbers. Or check in before booking. Private workshop bookings Most of our workshops are also available to book for: private get-togethers with family and friends; themed wedding and birthday celebrations; corporate team building and well-being purposes; and in-store retail events for your customers. If you’d like to know more please Email Lynn. Age restrictions Our workshops are planned with adults in mind. Many are suitable for teenagers, but some may require under 16s to be accompanied for insurance purposes. Please check with us before booking.

Our suite of modules are based around helping the customer to buy and enabling salespeople to maximise their conversations with their customers.

Private mosaic making class with Mossy Mosaic at The Arienas Collective in central Edinburgh.

In the fast-changing world of business, and especially IT, everyone in the organisation should be involved in sales. One of the best ways is to give the customer an outstanding experience. The customer experience is the competitive battlefield of today. Sales may be won or lost here. You can either close a sale for a quick buck, or open a long-term relationship to create a high lifetime value customer. By developing excellent communication skills, rapport and, most of all, a desire to serve and listen to the needs of the customer to the best of their ability, both sales teams and other IT professionals will create trust, nurture relationships and develop awareness of other opportunities with the customer. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: Understand the power of a positive customer experience in developing sales opportunities Recognise and develop a sales opportunity when it arises Engage with customers and develop rapport and trust Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills and pick up on signals Ask powerful questions - and listen to the answers Create 'magic moments' for the customer Turn a complaint into an opportunity Know when to ask for referrals and testimonials Pass on leads to the relevant people 1 Introduction Aims and objectives Beliefs about sales 2 Building rapport First impressions Short cuts to rapport Finding common interests 3 Selling or serving? Managing emotions and behaviour - Transactional Analysis Moments of truth - creating 'magic moments' Speed sells - the follow-up 4 Meetings Planning a successful meeting Pre-meeting connection and assistance Sales meeting failure reasons Right v wrong mindset 5 Communication - verbal and non-verbal The 3 Vs - Visual, Verbal, Vocal Picking up on signals 7 power questions Questioning techniques LISTEN - 3 types of listening skills 6 Influencing 6 levels of influence Framing to change perspectives Turning complaints into opportunities 7 Referrals The power of referrals How and when to ask for a referral 5 steps from rapport to referral 8 Presentation and pitching (optional session) Basic presentation structure and delivery Creating powerful impressions Creating a 60-second pitch The elevator 10-second pitch - answering 'What do you do?' Sales presentations Emotion v Intellect - how to engage Using visuals

Helping people become more efficient in how they manage and prioritise their working day, and for leaders and managers, how they can work efficiently by collaborating effectively with their people.

In this course you will understand what mentoring is about, understand your roles in the process. Gain self-insight into your own interpersonal style and way of relating to others that may affect mentoring interactions.

“Any good photography is a successful synthesis of technique and art.” – Andreas Feininger Discover the magic of Black & White Photography and learn some of the secrets the masters use to make stunning photographs. Explore the fundamentals of light and time and no longer be a slave to the Auto setting. Master the manual functions of your 35mm SLR film camera and unlock its true potential. Get to grips with the complete darkroom workflow from processing film to printing your own black & white photographs. Perfect for those with no experience or those looking for a full refresher. If you don’t have a 35mm SLR camera we have a limited number available for use during the course – please make your selection from the dropdown at time of booking. Week 1 Capture, technical notes, discussions, art context Understand the fundamentals of light and time in balancing an accurate exposure; No longer be a slave to the Auto setting! Learn how to utilise the Manual functions of your 35mm SLR camera including aperture, shutter speed, film speed and metering. Understand depth of field, composition and creative photo-making techniques; Appreciate photography within an art context – Begin to look at the work of other photographers Assignment: You will be given one roll of B&W film to be shot for the second week Week 2 Film processing Learn how to process B&W film by hand in Stills’ darkrooms. We will discuss different film types and chemistry, as well as best practice procedures for film handling. Appreciating photography within an art context-Sally Mann. Week 3 Contact Printing Gain an appreciation of general darkroom procedures;understand how to set up your enlarger and make a contact print using the traditional analogue method; learn how to make 8×10″ work prints using the single filter printing method. All paper and chemistry will be provided. Week 4 Darkroom printing This last session will allow participants to keep on printing with some one to one attention. We will also explore some basic dodging and burning and other printing techniques to get the most from your negatives and make a series of final prints.     Courses are subject to minimum enrolment. Please register early, within five days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation. Please read our cancellation policy before booking. Students, anyone over the age of 65, and those in receipt of any form of benefits can claim the concessionary price, offering a 10% discount on the full course price. Valid proof of eligibility must be produced on the first day of the course. Please use the code CONCESSION when prompted at checkout. Stills uses ILFORD PHOTO chemicals on this course that can potentially pose a risk to pregnant and breast feeding women and asthmatics. We take every care to ensure good working practices and adequate ventilation in our darkrooms. If you feel you may be adversely affected, please visit the Health and Safety section of Ilford’s website for further information.   General Guidance Notes for Pregnant and Breast Feeding Women and Asthmatics: From a risk assessment standpoint, provided all necessary control measures (such as good working practices, adequate ventilation, and the use of appropriate PPE) are in place then pregnant and breastfeeding women should be able to continue to work safely with photochemical products.Inhalation is the main route by which fumes and gases enter the body, making good ventilation a high priority. Exposure to irritant chemicals that would not affect most people may provoke an asthma attack in a person who already has asthma. For example, low levels of the gas sulphur dioxide can be produced by some ILFORD PHOTO processes. Most individuals would be unaffected but asthmatics may suffer adverse affects. ILFORD PHOTO products include no known human carcinogens, and no substances to which phrase R46 (May cause heritable genetic damage) or R64 (May cause harm to breastfed babies) applies. Most ILFORD PHOTO developers use hydroquinone, and their classification therefore includes R40 (Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect) and R68 (Possible risk of irreversible effects). Some ILFORD PHOTO chemicals use boric acid or borates. These substances are classified as toxic for reproduction. As a result, the classification of some of the powder developers includes R60 (May impair fertility) and R61 (May cause harm to the unborn child).

Get to grips with the complete darkroom workflow from processing film to printing your own black & white photographs.

Learn how to make your own jewellery using silver clay in this half day beginner class in Edinburgh City Centre